Learning About Nature Through
Music and the Arts
Be Curious Be Inspired Create and Share Through Music |
Be Curious Be Inspired Create and Share Through Music |
I was so honoured to be asked to share an article about teaching outside for the MSSTA Journal, to show all the connections between music, social studies, and learning outside!
Click on the picture below to read it, and many other articles about learning outside from amazing educators!
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Last year was such a transformational year for our music classes, one my students and I will never forget! I hope when they look back, they remember what I do: dancing in the sunrise, playing with our shadows, using our footprints in the snow to respond to Debussy's "Des pas sur la neige", "playing" the school yard and learning the whole outdoor space is a multitude of sounds that can make music... that music is everywhere.
When composers create music, it is always because something inspired them to create it. Feelings, celebrations, poetry, art, nature... Generally, the world around them inspires them to respond to it through this art form. In the past, students at ESG have created music using fractions, gravity, the movements of animals, examples of water in our province, and so many more. Here are some great examples of being inspired to create music. Here, students created music as a response to an art work of Thor, God of Thunder. Click on the image to read about this process:
Here, students created music as part of a project with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, which was inspired by poetry. However, if you click on the picture to see the project, you can see that this was definitely connected to being inspired by nature, too, as the poet clearly was inspired by this stream in the poem:
So!
This year, I am beyond excited to start the process of thinking about what was inspiring to us all during our year of music outside, and how we can translate that into an artistic response with either musical composition, dance, etc, or maybe a combination of these! This Thursday, September 9th, I will be attending an outdoor concert of cellist Rob Knaggs, "whose work is inspired by his time in Churchill, Manitoba."
As well, I have loved sharing excerpts of The Arctic Symphony by composer Vincent Ho:
"In the summer of 2008, I was offered the opportunity to visit the Arctic region as part of an “Artist on Board” program through the Circumpolar Flaw Lead Systems Study organization (CFL). I was taken on board a state-of-the-art research vessel, The CCGS Amundsen, where I was introduced to the studies conducted by many of the world’s leading climate change scientists. I was also taken to many Indigenous communities to learn about their culture and how the current state of the environment has impacted their way of life. The goal was to provide me with first-hand experience of the Northern region while gaining a better understanding of climate change (from both the scientific and the cultural perspective) so it may inspire the composing of a large-scale symphonic work...." Please click on the image below to learn more about his symphony, and the connection he developed with the land and how it inspired him to write this beautiful work:
I have been so honoured to communicate with him a few times about his symphony, and was so pleased that he said he would love to answer students' questions about it, during our process of creating our responses to our time outside.
I have also been communicating with composer Andrew Balfour, who has created works inspired by the sky, such asKiwetin Acahkos (north star) - Fanfare for the Peoples of the North. Would be amazing to learn from him as well! Of course there will be new classes that were not outside last year as well as new students, and they will also be able to connect with learning outside and sharing their responses, because we will continue to learn outside this year too! That's a wrap on the 2020-2021 year of TEACHING MUSIC OUTSIDE! I just spent the last few days going over my journal for the year, and counted only 11 days out of the school year that we weren't outside because of the weather. That means for the most part, we were outside for music for fall, winter, spring and a bit of summer before the school year ended! This year started with the collaboration between administration and myself trying to help make our school safe by having students spaced out by 2 metres in all rooms, so the music room became a grade 5 classroom to help achieve this safety! You can read a quick article in Green Teacher Magazine about how it all started, and what amazing things we learned by being outside for music by clicking on this picture below: activitI loved reading some comments from students at the end of the year about what they enjoyed!
What they liked and what they noticed: Using the school yard structures as our instruments Bucket drumming Drama games in the tents Having lots of space Fresh air It's fun Different Dancing is fun Learning that you can do music with nature, with snowsuits We are always listening to music because it is the birds, the planes, the wind... The most important for me is that every student who answered the open-ended survey questions was given the choice to say whether they would like to continue having some music classes outside, and they all said YES! Although some said maybe not when it's really cold! Haha! Some said that they missed instruments, but they also said some of their favourite activities were playing the structure (they had "mallets" for that activity), and the bucket drums, so likely this means the traditional instruments inside that they missed (me too!). In an earlier post (Click here to read about Music Concepts Through Movement) I spoke of the shift I needed to make with instruments this year, so we had some fun experiments to find and be grateful for what we COULD do instead of hyper-focusing on what we COULDN'T do. So I also spoke with our administration, and the arts coordinator about the idea of involving all the arts, which is actually an element of each of the Manitoba Arts Curricula - to show how they are all inter-related (read about this in a post called "Music and ALL the Performing Arts"). In fact, the more we interconnect all the curricula, the more we are teaching the WHOLE CHILD. I've created a document that shows all of the outcomes for many of the main music experiences that occurred this year, and I am pleased to see that with each lesson, each of the wings of the Music Curriculum Butterfly are full of music outcomes. Even though this year was very different than other years, it was still full of music learning - showing that music experiences and learning can take place everywhere, inside and out! Check out the document below to see all the learning that took place, by clicking on the picture! So excited! My article about teaching music outside is on Green Teacher Magazine's website today! Click on the picture below to go check it out!
♩ ♪ The (school) hill is alive... with the sound of music outside!! ♫ ♬ Haha! But true! Read on!
When the weather isn't cooperating, there have been a few times we have been inside for music. I really try to avoid this so student have a chance to Move-Play-Create-Be Inspired outside as much as possible, so even on cold winter days we would be outside... but sometimes it's too much for me to be outside for hours at a time. So! Students would learn inside from me, via a Teams meeting! Very early on, I treated these inside times as a way to get students excited about future outdoor ideas, like this most recent one that we just finished up before many students moved to online learning from home in mid-May. Playing the sounds of our school yard! So glad everyone got a chance to do this! It was such an amazing demonstration of all they have learned, all they have discovered on their own about music through composition!
During an inside Teams meeting, I showed them examples of "playing" the school, with the entire school as an instrument (but inside):
I also shared an example of playing sounds outside:
We thought carefully about how they were respectful with their "instruments" and played them versus hitting. I told them I had bought them all wooden dowels so they could each have their own separate pair, and that in the future we would be experimenting with the sounds around the school yard!
They had a few safety rules given, like how to walk with sticks, keeping a distance from others etc... then they were told to go experiment! For Grade 4 particularly, this is part of their science curriculum to experiment with sounds, and think of high/low, different timbres, different ways to play (tapping, scraping etc). For everyone else, this is also applicable to science, as students were all applying one of the main principles of science learning - the "scientific method" - to their learning. Eg: What happens if I move this slider while I play? What happens if I tap this with rocks at the same time? What will I hear if I touch the piece of metal that I'm tapping - will the sound change (yes it will be more muted)... Are all these poles the same pitch? Etc! Then we all found metal sounds, wooden sounds, plastic sounds, earth sounds (brick), different pitches, and different ways to play!
In small groups, students used these tools they discovered, and that we discussed, to create compositions together to present to the rest of the class! This is my favourite part, because this is a real life demonstration of what they understand about how music "works", applied in a new situation. They must use dozens of music outcomes from the curriculum:
-working with a set of criteria then reflecting if those criteria were met at the end -collaborating -playing one's own part confidently in an ensemble -demonstrating a beat or rhythm -reproducing a melody -musical form -recognizing the value of risk taking -rehearsing -deciding whether a work is "finished" -refining -presenting -recognizing the value of others' works -adding more than one part at a time for texture -behaviour of a performer, musician and audience member -able to follow non-verbal cues... ...Those are just off the top of my head! But they must all be applied, seamlessly, together to experiment with the new medium, create from start to finish, then present their creation for others without verbal direction... The concentration, critical thinking, collaborative skills and creativity that is at play is astounding, with a high level comprehension of what would make an intriguing presentation using musical elements they have learned! This is a visual demonstration of the culmination of all they know, synthesized and applied in a new situation, demonstrating mastery. A written test cannot demonstrate all the elements they share in these real life, rich educational situations, certainly not in this integrated and deep way, demonstrating an intricate understanding of music. And the learning that takes place when they watch others' presentations is also deep and valuable, because the other groups may have used different musical elements than they chose. I take time after each presentation to discuss what was at play - accelerando, solos/duos, ABA form, expression, rhythm patterns etc etc.
What else do we see? Engagement, energy, enthusiasm... and we hear laughter as students are having fun. What a joy.
Check out the curricular connections with this outdoor music experience by clicking on the picture below!! I am so honoured to have the opportunity to have written an outdoor music learning experience for the amazing Manitoba Mosaic concert series of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra! I wrote about this amazing series of videos that are a tribute to our beautiful province of Manitoba that I call home. A visit through each of our lovely seasons by the amazing conductor Naomi Woo, who speaks of listening to all the music around us, and shares how she loves being outside, walking and riding her bike even in winter! I loved watching these videos to hear from others who also love nature, getting outdoors, and all the beautiful images of places and natural areas that surround us. Hey Terre, by the talented Kelly Bado, is a gorgeous song that has been floating in my mind the entire time as I considered how to celebrate this song, and the earth, and the joy we have been experiencing outside! It is awesome that we have been responding to this lovely piece, which is a letter of gratefulness to the earth, during the month in which Earth Day takes place! You can access the study guide for this beautiful series by clicking on the Manitoba Mosaic image above until June 30th, 2021. Here, I am including my process of how we will created our movement response to this beautiful piece, and a final video of students presenting their movement response appears below! NB Thank you to Kelly Bado who gave me permission to use the recording of her song for this project. Here is our final video, based on the lesson in the study guide: I created the lesson to be experienced outside. What a beautiful way to celebrate the earth: by doing a movement response to the music and lyrics about gratefulness for our earth while we are actually outside; where we can appreciate the wind, the ground, the sky as we move. There are examples of dancing and singing to music outside for celebrations going back since the beginning of recorded time, so that is how we will celebrate this beautiful piece, and the earth itself! First class, Monday, April 5th: I spoke of Kelly Bado, her amazing song and how it is a letter to the earth of thanks. I spoke of using the idea of lyrical dance to represent the beautiful poetry of this piece. We listened to the first verse and chorus. I had some ideas for larger group sections that I wanted to do, so we did those. At the moment, I'm thinking that the chorus will be the whole group demonstrating the earth spinning and celebrating the earth. The verses are where I may be giving them the opportunity to be in groups and create movement ideas that connect with each line of lyrics... and then try to take those movements and make them more abstract, versus being a direct action that represents a word. With the lesson in the study guide it speaks of lyrical dance and movement responses, and being comfortable anywhere on that scale based on what students choose to create, and choose to add with their experience of movement and dance. As long as they are representing what the words make them feel and want to respond with, then the outcome of connecting to the poetry on a personal level is met. Students in this group felt comfortable adding some new movements with turns, new steps. They also shared their joy and love of moving in many different ways that I hadn't imagined in the beginning, as the project also enveloped our happiness with being outside for music! All these groups this year have really stepped up to trying new experiences with music outside - exploring space, experimenting with new sounds. They are like sound and movement scientists! How exhilarating! So, for today, I had them do a few group things just to get them done, and to see if I liked the look on film. Here they are so far, below. I really wanted to put them dance-walking forwards, because that is how this class comes out to music "class" outside each day. It is just so fun and feels so festive each time, and then we have a giant improv dance circle, called a cypher, where they all get a chance to dance by themselves if they want, while the rest of the community of the class supports them by clapping along. I plan on showing them up to this point via a Teams meeting, as this is actually 3 different rooms, so it's easier to show over a video chat: Tuesday, April 6th... Had a video chat with these students in their 3 rooms and shared my screen to show them how I put together what may have seemed like 3 random moments. Then I showed them how another class had done the chorus part which I liked how they changed it. I saw it as students just running in a circle. This group sort of skips it instead of running, and they also spin themselves while going around in a larger circle, as if they are all planets going around a sun. Then I picked a student with a yellow hat to actually be the sun, and other student wanted join as they also had a yellow hat. I loved their spinning and jumping, and the suns are moving because we listened to TMBG's 'Why Does the Sun Shine' (but to be accurate one should really listen to the follow up 'Why Does the Sun REALLY Shine?"). Anyway, I shared this video on the video chat so that they could see this idea. I love how the choreography for the main sections that I'm creating sort of morph from group to group as we think of different ideas, or they simply move in different ways... and it just becomes more refined throughout the day. As well, watching different groups with the piece helps me come up with different ways to approach different sections. Another thing that helps me visualize different sections is listening to it constantly. I think it will be what I wrote yesterday: the chorus parts will be choreographed mostly by myself (with creative interpretations added as above), and then phrases from the verses will be choreographed by small groups. I've created large posters that I put outside so that these phrases can be seen as they are creating the choreography for these parts. I'm thinking each group would get up from the down position they are in (in the video above), share their movement idea for their phrase in the verse, then freeze in a tableau, then the next group and the next group... In my mind, I see the bridge/3rd verse section as sort of a dream-like section with slow mirrored movements. The end with the repeating chorus, I have a surprise that I'm adding, to sort of highlight the improvisational descant lines... and I want it to feel like just pure joy of being on this planet "living it up". I didn't end up doing these ideas, as I ended up loving the snow scenes below, and made them be the slower dream-like section as it's just so fun to watch them playing in the last snowstorm. When we perform the piece from beginning to end, they actually do using the slower movements in the dream-like bridge section, but this was really fun for the video! Interesting how the media of film can change how it can appear! Week of April 12th...What the form of the dance has become: I've alluded to the form of the dance in the last two entries, and now after seeing many groups perform and listening to the piece a lot, when they perform the whole piece from beginning to end: The first "Hey - never let me down" is an intro to each thought for the earth (as per poster above), that is introduced by 4 groups, one group at a time. They will choose how to represent each sentence/thought, with input for how to add traditional movements/steps into their ideas, or a way to make more abstract versus a straight "action" movement. trying to have more of the artistry and flow of movement to match the artistry and flow of the poetry (so beautiful!). The chorus is skipping around in a giant circle, while individually spinning at random times. They stop at 'giving it up' to do a small group movement, and demonstrate 'living it up' with individual dances as they love to do this, and it works for how we are all individuals on this planet, and we are joined together by it... which matches Ms Bado's introduction to her song in the WSO video, so I want to represent those words. The second 'never let me down' sequence is a dream-like bridge section and this could be reflected in their four groups, possibly with flocking (thanks to Ingrid Pedersen, the arts coordinator for my division, who I ask constantly what the word is for this very visually beautiful movement form)! This doesn't appear in the final video as I mentioned above that I loved the snow scenes and how joyful they seem. The chorus at the end can be the spinning again as above, but also with some fun free dance added in, because this group loves improvisational dance, so I've been filming lots of examples of that to add at the end! We dance walk out to our spot each class, they do cypher dance improvisations... it's very fun! I want to share that joy of movement in their presentation. As we in Manitoba know IT'S BEEN SNOWING! So even though it was really very windy, and wind is hard for me to stay in, and try to bring out my supplies or put up displays etc, or even just be able to see, I still took this one class out to play in the snow as I've wanted fun snow videos and pictures all winter! So for fun, I've put together a montage of some of what we have done that will eventually be put at the end, or used differerently... I made the bridge part be slow motion as it matches that section in my mind! Fun to play with different clips and work with what it will be in the end! Hard on the equipment! Haha! Definitely good to get the water resistant kind! The only way I could see today, lol! This was such a fun project, and so fun to be actually outside to lift our arms up to the sky and say thank you to the earth directly! Each time we did this movement, the sky looked different, and that is very powerful, that we are thankful for the changing sky, and the weather each time we do music outside.
There are so many different learning outcomes that occurred with classes while learning and responding to this piece: Music - most certainly we addressed many music outcomes in all four wings of the Manitoba Music Curriculum, of form, beat, rhythm, responding to music with movement, roles, music and musicians from our community, creating together, performing, rehearsing.... Dance, Drama - many similar outcomes to music were involved. SEL (Social Emotional Learning) Mindfulness - one is definitely experiencing being in the moment with a project like this, and it's often why it feels amazing to perform music together, because "you are the music while the music lasts". Physical Education - a huge element to music is movement, and even more so this year when we are outside! They get a lot of exercise in music class this year! Environment learning - so important with this song. Numeracy - something I regularly point out to students is that music has patterns, fractions, forms, and they are representing their understanding of these mathematical musical principles through music and movement. Literacy - learning the lyrics and how to represent and respond to them. Check out some more curricular connections for this music experience by clicking on the picture below! Wow wow WOW!! Thank you so much to the amazing Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for this amazing AND FREE educational series, Manitoba Mosaic! Anyone who loves to learn will be treated to a love story of this beautiful province and all the music we can experience from local artists and music from nature itself! Each video highlights local artists and the overarching theme throughout is experiencing our beautiful seasons, natural elements and to truly listen and interact with this beautiful space all around us! Even our winter is spoken of with admiration and adoration by engaging conductor, Naomi Woo, who proudly speaks of walking and riding outside in winter!
Having watched each video during our spring break, I am absolutely so excited to share these performances with my students and interact with the music outside! Go watch, share with your family, students, and anyone who loves to learn, loves music, and loves being outside! CLICK HERE to go to post #27 I often get skeptical questions, such as "What do you do outside all day?" or "So, are you still outside?" or "Are you still enjoying it?" To be honest, it simply gets more amazing every single day. I feel like nature is just pouring ideas out for me all the time, and I love to receive these beautiful messages. It's very helpful to have an open mind to receive that which is around you. As you can see by reading what I have written over the months and months outside, I rarely experience a day where I can just follow the lesson plan, because I'm completely open and curious to the serendipitous world around me, and so are the students. Those moments where they can seem distracted are almost what I'm going with: quite the opposite of school inside. Go with the "distraction". In fact, when I look at what they are "distracted" with, it is actually that they are CURIOUS about something else. Children are natural learners, awake to that which is around them, and it is following that curiosity that helps them learn best. When I look at what they are CURIOUS about, it's usually something fascinating that they want to interact with, like woodchips in the tents, or fresh snow, or leaves on the ground, or their shadow, or snow falling... SO I LET THEM! We find a way to make it musical! I have since learned from the amazing Megan Zeni who was being interviewed for the Disconnect: Outdoor Education Podcast, that this is called the emergent curriculum! I've been doing this all year and just learned the term for following these moments of curiosity, and bringing the curriculum to it. This outdoor experience is life-changing for how I approach learning. It's helpful to have an open mind to the whole experience. It's also helpful to have a vast array of music repertoire knowledge to be able to have these connections at the ready, and having an endless library of music via a music subscription for my device so almost any piece of music is available to me. Also helpful that I have mostly memorized the music curriculum and the philosophy behind it for my province so that the curriculum outcomes (now called "Recursive Learnings" and "Enacted Learnings") and their interconnectedness are simply there for me to draw from when I see the moments arise. Here are some examples of following their natural curiosity, while bringing the curriculum to this curiosity: 1) Playing with woodchips: After observing them play with the woodchips for a while during a lesson, I thought it reminded me of The Sandcastle from the National Film Board of Canada when the sand creatures start working on their creation. The musical theme at this point of the film is rhythmic and has a strong emphasis on the beat, to connect with them all being busy at work: This also reminded me of a series of work song examples that I have saved on my YouTube Channel, so while they were working, I played several of the examples, and told them about using music to help them work. Examples of fishing, and a post office in Ghana, songs such as Day-o, songs of the voyageurs who use music to keep the beat of their rowing. I spoke of boats with drums on them so the boats would go fast. At the end of the class, we did the Japanese dance Tanko Bushi, which is a very rhythmic dance demonstrating movements to tell a story of a time of coal mining. 2) Playing with snow: There have been days where the kids KNOW the snow is right for building with... so that is what we did... I put on music from a playlist I use in my sunroom at home, which is a mix of a lot of reflective music, often from the Baroque era, that I use to read by... it was perfect for listening to while they created art. In this situation music is being used to support creativity and mindfulness... this is so needed during these times. 3) Melting snow, and puddles! Here, the snow was quickly melting and we weren't sure where we could even go in the field. I chatted with this smaller class about the opportunity of doing something really special if they could follow very tight parameters of only making small steps in the water and slush so they wouldn't get themselves or anyone else wet. They ended up creating a fun slushy song! 4) Playing with our shadows: When observing students playing with their shadows, I quickly took that idea because it is a brilliant visual for them that I did not have to create! We used our shadows to watch the phrasing with Satie's Gymnopédie. We used our arms to carve the phrasing into the air, similar to when students air-draw letters to visualize them. We also created balancing poses that we took the entire length of the phrase to get into the final position, such as posing as a tree, but slowly using the whole phrase to achieve that pose. I showed them videos inside the school of Peter and the Wolf, which we enacted for ourselves outside with our shadows! We created monster dances for The Monster Mash! Endless ideas for playing with shadows! There are many more ideas, that we have done to interact with our space outside, and the ways we can bring music to that space, or the ways that music is brought to us from the birds, the sky... I absolutely have to say that one amazing webinar that immediately flipped a switch in my mind as to how I would teach music outside was called "The Arts Go Outside" from Learning for a Sustainable Future! The ideas presented in that webinar definitely opened my mind to thinking about engaging with the spaces around us outside and opening my eyes to opportunities! Keep your eyes open for more great webinars in their series here at Resources for Rethinking! The "Enacted Learnings" that occured during these moments of curiosity are too numerous to place here... but one of the most important elements of learning that is taking place outside, while we connect music to the outdoors is from the words of David Suzuki:
I got the idea of just sharing a regular day for Outdoor Music class! So here is a snapshot of what a day is like, taken from a day in March 2021: First class of the day, the sun is rising. Shadows are long. Because it was "Spring Forward" the day before, we now get to enjoy the sun rise around the beginning of class. We run up the hill to watch, then I put "The Circle of Life" on the portable speaker and we dash around like we are animals in this opening scene. The kids are thrilled to re-experience this moment! Geese are flying over constantly so we stop to watch… I play BNL’s ‘ Here Come the Geese’ and we make a V formation and ‘fly’ across the field… all 50 of us… there are actually geese on the lawn so we turn so we don’t frighten them, which would be ironic while celebrating geese, really. We stop and notice that the chickadees are singing both their call and their song alternately, because it is chilly but also, spring is coming Next class – we pause to notice the billowing like giant waves of the clouds…. It`s like an ever changing canvas in the sky… vapor trails – bold brush strokes. The lesson itself isn’t nature related… so it is more ‘outdoor classroom’ than officially ‘outdoor education’… but it is an integration of dance, a musical style from a different time, and math because we are looking at the larger form of the piece, plus the patterns in it… but there are ‘outdoor education’ moments peppered throughout as we connect the sounds and sights to the beauty of our situation Break time – watch a video of dances (of north America… I point this out to them that it is centred in north America vs all the dance styles from other cultures the whole time) from the 1920s to now… I share the music from the video and dance it myself, with them trying it with me, but stop around the 2000s and let them try their flossing and orange justice that they can all do but I can’t lol! This is so I can show them these dance styles to show that music often matches a style of dancing too… and actually music and art and dance often have elements that can be connected… Everything is connected. We listen to a song called "Can you Find It" by TMBG because there was a giant X in the sky… but shared with a bunch not in my class too because they were outside and can also see it! Then, even better, in the afternoon there was an X and a Z right next to it! Classes are thrilled with finding letters everywhere during our musical walk around the field! Lunch – TedX video on how everything is connected… lunch and learn… These are the times I learn about new things, and things I want to know more about - SEL for music, how the brain works, etc. I'm fascinated with learning new things, and one never knows when they will pop up in a new musical experience!
An afternoon of a story where we add our own sound effects and listen for birds on a sound walk are highlights with kindergarten students. A fun day with many new experiences! I was glad to get outside this past week and do some of our cool new ideas! Snowsuit Percussion: We were finishing our snowsuit percussion presentations, which were amazing for a few reasons... 1. We weren't outside for several classes as it was really cold, but yet students still completely remembered how their creations worked and performed them! Creativity begets deep and rich learning that students retain! 2. One group just completely welcomed new kids into their group and showed them how their creation worked... kindness! 3. Those kids who were welcomed in the group just opened their minds right up and learned new concepts, and new rhythms etc in just a few minutes and performed with their group! Adaptability! 4. For the students who already performed their pieces, I offered a challenge: relearn your creation... BACKWARDS! Brain Neuroplasticity!! And yes, I tell them stuff like this! 21st Century Learning Skills! "“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. ” - Alvin Toffler Red River Jig! Students have been reviewing the Red River Jig, which they learned inside via a brilliant video that is in the Music Online section of this website! From there, I am also teaching them a new dance for Festival du Voyageur, with music from Le Groupe Swing who have performed here before with their music that is a mix of old and new - with folkdance style mixed with more modern electronic additions. Gumboot Dancing! At least one group reviewed the Gumboot Dancing that we learned inside via video learning. Was honoured to have the chance to learn this dance style a few years back from Just Aïssi! We are all wearing boots these days, so we are ready to go! Learn inside to prepare for outside! When we learn something inside via video and my instruction, I am using this indoor time to prepare them for outside experiences! I have sooo many ideas on the go that I cannot WAIT to work with them when we are outside! Snow art, photography and music, school yard percussion, studying our environment for composition possibilities for next year, sound ecology... just so much, and when I prepare these ideas via video and my instruction inside, my hope is that they are inspired to be outside again to try all these new ideas! The picture above is from an impromptu moment that I continued for the rest of the day... we re-enacted Let It Go from Frozen! We were all playing drama games in the tents as it was extremely windy outside of them, and one of the ideas of one of the games lent itself incredibly well to acting out Let It Go... We played Energy Circle from Drama Menu, which has students building in energy as they do movements around the circle in canon. I made this connection with the arc of the development of the song: it completely starts smaller, quieter, and somewhat unsure... but then builds in energy throughout the piece. We were so excited to act this out with my speaker playing the piece, because we had the perfect setting and props for free, as the wind was howling and snow was swirling all around us!! So we slowly moved out of the tents and started swirling and running with the wind ourselves! Most. Fun. Ever! So much laughter! Saw this sign today, and I had to park and take a picture... moments like these, where the children are being creative, full of joy and laughter, with space to run and swirl with nature as their teacher are the stars for us, for me. So grateful to get a chance to see joy in the eyes of hundreds of students outside this year.
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Click HERE to go back to the first postBio - Jennifer EngbrechtI am a music specialist in the Louis Riel School Division in Manitoba, Canada. I have a strong interest in the interrelationship of all subject areas, especially infusing the arts into all learning, and as their own stand-alone subjects. NEW:
So excited to be interviewed for Green Teacher Magazine's "Talking With Green Teachers" Podcast My article in the MSSTA Journal for Fall 2021... Click on the image below:
My article in the Summer 2021 Green Teacher Magazine. Click on the image below:
Disconnect: The Outdoor Education Podcast - listen to this episode about Teaching Music Outside by clicking on the picture below:
Looking for the WSO Manitoba Mosaic lesson for Hey Terre by Kelly Bado?
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