meek - a moving experience - baylor universityamoving"experience" 1" a moving...

A MOVING EXPERIENCE 1

A Moving Experience: The Power of Movement and Drama

in the Children’s Choir Setting

Presented by Darla Meek

[email protected]

Alleluia Conference Baylor University

July 22, 2015

Here are some movement ideas that work well in the children’s choir rehearsal setting: 1. SINGING GAMES 2. CREATIVE MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES 3. STRUCTURED DANCE

• Folk dance • Choreography • Sign language

4. DRAMA • Mime • Roleplay • Tableaux (Frozen Pictures) • Teacher-‐Led Movement Stories


BENEFITS Here are just a few of the benefits of using movement activities in your choir rehearsal: PHYSICAL AND VOCAL BENEFITS

• Learning first through the whole body follows the natural pattern of development. With these motor images securely in the body, the children then have a vocabulary of sensations which can be used later on when they begin to play instruments.

• Creative movement increases a child’s concentration, basic timing, body control, strength, balance, and awareness of personal space.

• Children who may be reluctant to sing may more readily participate in a singing game or other movement activity.

• Singing games involve simple melodies that are repeated several times. This is an excellent way to help children sing in tune.

• Because singing games involve singing and performing movements simultaneously, children develop the ability to do two things at the same time. This leads to the ability to sing in parts.

• Using movement heightens expression, engaging the emotions. COGNITIVE LEARNING BENEFITS

• Creative movement utilizes the physical response to music, strengthening the coordination between the ear, the brain, and the body.

• Children learn faster and retain information longer when their whole bodies are involved. • Rhythm is fundamentally a motor function. The word rhythmos means “flow, river, move!”

Learning through whole body movement also arouses in the child the things they do spontaneously -‐ walking, jogging, skipping and running etc. These natural behaviors are directed first into responding to and making music.

• Movement activities help with focus and concentration. • Movement brings the music to life and highlights musical concepts. The combined experience is

simultaneously physical, aural, visual, and emotional, and therefore appealing to children. • Children find ways to show in movement aspects of the music that is being learned. A piece of

music can be analyzed in detail through movement, which develops an understanding of the piece on many different levels.

• Creative movement is FUN! SOCIAL SKILLS

• Movement work in groups increases confidence, concentration, listening skills, and group awareness.

• Movement activities are incredibly bonding. • As children develop new skills, their self-‐esteem increases. • Adding movement to a lesson gives a teacher an opportunity to relate with students in a

different way.


TEACHING TIPS SINGING GAMES

• Have the song and game memorized before sharing it with children. • Begin with simple games. Add only one new movement when you introduce a new game. • The parts of the game movements must be carefully sequenced and taught, including the song,

the process for setting up the game, and the actions. • Generally, singing games should be played without instrumental accompaniment. The children

should rely entirely on their own singing voices to play the game. This assures that the children will not rely on accompaniment as a “crutch.”

• Have a goal that the children be able to sing the song and play the game, including deciding on partners and leaders, without you.

• Allow for change and spontaneous improvisation! STRUCTURED DANCES

• Teach as much of the dance as possible with the children FACING FRONT. They will mirror your movements.

• Use visual cues as much as possible. • Choose a small group of children to demonstrate the dance or game. • Sing the instructions to the tune of the song. • Teach a small section of the dance, then have the children perform it with the music. • After you teach the dance, and before performing it with music, have the children listen to the

music first and make observations. • When you teach a mixer, teach the basic dance and have the children practice until it is secure.

Turn it into a mixer at a later time. • To help children know where they are to stand, place masking tape or Velcro on the floor, either

in concentric circles, a longways set, etc. CREATIVE MOVEMENT & DRAMA

• Only distribute materials (such as scarves, bean bags, etc.) when the children can perform the activity first without them. Then, tell the children what they should do, and what they should not do, with the material.

• If the children will work in small groups to create something, keep the size of the groups small. Giving each child a specific task assures that everyone will contribute equally to the work.

• Teach a start and stop signal. Train the children to respond immediately when they hear your signal.

• Teach your children how to begin and end a performance well. I use four words: SILENCE, STILLNNESS, ENERGY, and FOCUS.

• At times, small groups will share their work with the ensemble. This is an excellent opportunity to teach audience etiquette. Take time to discuss this with the children. (Eyes? Mouths? Facial expressions?)

• I have my audience members think of at least two specific complements to give the performers. This helps the children learn to watch with an analytical eye.

• Have fun with the children!


Fun with Basic Rhythms 1. Introduction: Get them moving!

• Invite the children walk through the general space, maintaining personal space. • Instruct the children to listen to their classmates’ gaits and come to a steady beat consensus in

their feet. The children may have to adjust to find the common beat, this agreed upon beat becomes the quarter note.

• Teacher begins to play the steady beat on a hand drum. • Encourage the children to move different ways: backward, sideward, different levels, etc.

2. Focus on note values.

• Instruct the children to now show steps that are “twice as short” (eighth notes). Continue to play the steady beat on the drum. NOTE: I often start by having the children chant the steady beat on a neutral syllable, then chant syllables that are twice as short. Transfer to feet.

• Call “Twice as long,” to have the children return to quarter note steps. • When you call “twice as long” again, the children should begin demonstrating half notes. NOTE:

Encourage the children to stretch their arms for balance, and to glide their feet for the entire duration of the half note. Beautiful graceful, natural movement is the ideal.

• Continue to call out “twice as long” or “twice as short” randomly. The children will take steps that are “twice as short” or “twice as long” as the steps they were just performing. Whole note and sixteenth note steps are quite challenging!

• NOTE: Since the steady beat remains constant, the terms “twice as long” and “twice as short” are preferred to “twice as fast” and “twice as slow.”

3. Transfer to hands.

• Invite children to sit in personal spots, and move to “twice as short, twice as long” with hands. • For the steady beat, the children will pat (hands simultaneously pat on knees while sitting). To

subdivide the beat, the children should pat using alternating hands. • For half and whole notes, children pat beat one and extend arms upward in a circular motion.

Encourage buoyancy and lightness, stretching the arms to show the entire length of the note. • I like to use Bach “Air” or Vivaldi’s Winter, mvmt II. Find a recording that maintains a steady

beat throughout. The accompaniment for “God Hears Us When We Pray” (from Growing in Grace Younger Year 4: Choosing God’s Way) works well!

4. Challenge for older children!

• Divide the room into quads, each with its own note value: eighth notes, quarter notes, half notes, whole notes (pictured below). As children move through the room, they change their movement according to the section of the room in which they are standing at that time. Use fun music for this! “I Sing the Mighty Power of God” (GIG Year 3 Spring Younger: Living in the Light)

• Now, combine the two! Have students walk through space on the beat. Call out “hands, twice as short” or “feet, twice as long” randomly, and have students respond.


Praise His Name with Dance! Here is a simple way for children to create their own interpretive movements for a hymn, anthem, or contemporary song. 1. Develop a “repertoire of movements.”

• Distribute props to the children: scarves, streamers, paper plates, etc. • Have the children explore for a minute to discover different movements they can make with

their props. • Have volunteers demonstrate movements. (I always give one example first.) After each

volunteer, have all the children practice the movement and NAME IT. Write the name of the movement on the board.

• Continue until you have eight or so different movements. As each one is listed, go back and practice all the previous movements to be sure the children have memorized them.

2. Introduce the music. (We will be using “Psalm 100” from Growing in Grace’s Younger Children’s Fall 2015 Unit, Choosing God’s Way.)

• Display the following form poster (enlarged and laminated). • Play the recording, having children practice some of the movements on their own, discovering

how they would fit nicely with the melodies they hear. • Now have the children sit down. Play the recording again, having the children follow the form

poster as you point to each section. 3. Choreograph.

• Section by section, have the children offer ideas about which movement would work well with each section. (I write the names of the movements down in water-‐soluble marker directly onto the laminated form poster.)

• Depending on the length and complexity of the song, consider choreographing only the A section on the first rehearsal. Choreograph the B section during the next rehearsal.

• Perform.

4. OPTION!

• If you are not comfortable giving the children this much freedom, here is one way to maintain more control.

• After analyzing the song, teach the children 4-‐5 movements (or display pictures showing the movements).

• Have the children listen to the song and decide on an appropriate order for the movements. You will need to ask leading questions, such as, “When do you hear a long high note?” “When do you hear a section of music that seems to move downward?” “On what words do you hear the music move upward, then downward?” “When do you hear a long low note?”

• Perform.

© Copyright 2005 Darla Meek. Materials may be used in a classroom setting with children only. Unauthorized use with adult teachers is prohibited.


In the sample chart below, each blank represents a movement that lasts four beats.

Below are the choices for movements. Each picture lasts four macrobeats.

Some pictures will be repeated.

ripple down 4 downward sways run in a circle up 2, down 2 circle head 4 times

“Psalm 100”

Introduction (8 macrobeats)

A ____ ____ ____ ____

A ____ ____ ____ ____

B ____ ____ ____ ____

A ____ ____ ____ ____

Coda ____ ____

!

!

!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!

!


Tableaux Make song and hymn texts more meaningful through the use of drama! The following Teaching Plan is a model. The song “Shepherd Boy” (from Growing in Grace Children’s Music Curriculum, Year 4: Choosing’s God’s Way) is used in this lesson, but any song that has a story text would be appropriate. Materials: Bible, piano or recording of the accompaniment, simple costumes (if desired) 1. Warm up.

• Display emotion words (or even pictures of “Emotion Faces”) and have the children show each emotion with their faces and bodies. Use words such as:

happy shy jealous frustrated suspicious confused mischievous afraid disappointed sad ecstatic tired lonely troubled exhausted disgusted angry worried excited apologetic joyful

• Repeat, in silence. 2. Introduce the song.

• Read the song, “Shepherd Boy” to the children as if you were reading a story. Consider displaying a picture for each of the three verses, and another for the “Gloria” ending.

• Elaborate on events in Jesus’ birth to which the text is referring. For example, in verse two, “we bowed our knees and gave him praise,” describe what the Bible tells us about this event, such as Mary, Joseph and the baby in a manger.

• Ask the children how they can dramatize sharing the good news with others as described in verse three.

3. Lead the children to create tableaux.

• The children will be working together to create tableaux (pronounced “tab-‐low”) which are live, frozen pictures of scenes from the song. The children will create the pictures.

• Give the children a few minutes to create three pictures depicting a scene from each verse. • Verse One requires angels and shepherds. Verse Two requires Joseph, Mary, a baby, and

shepherds. Verse Three requires shepherds (and perhaps listeners). 4. Explain the performance process to the children:

• Play “Shepherd Boy.” • Children sing measures 5-‐12. During the two-‐measure interlude, the children prepare the first

tableau. • On the words “While we were watching,” the children freeze in position and remain frozen until

the verse is over. • Continue with the second and third verses. • Consider choreographing the “Gloria” ending.

TEACHING TIPS: If your choir is large, you may prefer to divide it into four groups with each group creating a tableau for one verse. One group could choreograph the “Gloria” ending (m. 23-‐30) Costumes are not necessary; however, you may want to provide simple stoles, shepherd’s crooks, or a baby doll wrapped in cloth.


5. Practice and perform. • Practice moving from one tableau to the next silently and smoothly. • Perform with the recording or piano accompaniment. • Have the children discuss additional ideas to use to make their pictures even more effective.

6. OPTION: Create tableaux for Bible stories!

• Tie them together with an appropriate song. • The examples below are stories of the Lord’s power, compassion, and mercy. • The children must decide on the 3-‐4 key moments—the moment of highest activity—in each

story, and create a tableau for each. • Decide how the stories will be performed… with or without narration?

STORY 1: Paul and Silas Paul and Silas walked from town to town sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with everyone they saw. Through them, God healed the sick and cast demons out of people. The city leaders didn’t like what they were doing, so they locked Paul and Silas in jail. Instead of being upset, Paul and Silas spent the night singing praise songs to God. Suddenly, there was an earthquake! After it passed, the jailer saw that all the prison doors had been smashed open. He thought, “All the prisoners have run away. I am going to be in big trouble.” He drew his sword to kill himself. From the darkness Paul and Silas called, “Stop! We are all here! Put back your sword!” The jailer was astounded to find the prisoners were all in their cells. He couldn’t understand why Paul and Silas had not run away when they could have, or why they were singing while they were in jail. Paul and Silas told the jailer about Jesus Christ, and the jailer prayed for Jesus to be his Savior right then and there. *** STORY 2: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo There were three boys who were slaves for an evil king. The boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo, loved God, and they prayed to God every day. The evil king was vain and proud. He told his servants to make a gold statue for everyone to worship. He ordered all the people to fall down and worship this idol every time the special music was played. The three boys did not worship the idol. They continued to pray to God. This made the king furious, and he had the boys thrown into a fiery furnace. The flames were so hot, that the soldiers that threw the boys in were killed. After the fire and smoke died down, the king looked into the pit. He could not believe what he saw. The three boys were alive, and there was a fourth man in the pit with them…an angel.


The king called, “Shadrach! Meshach! Abednigo! Come out of there! You truly must worship a great God! I now command that all people in this land worship your God!” And the boys were set free. ***

STORY 3: Feeding the 5000 One day, Jesus was teaching and healing the sick. The crowds grew and grew until there were about five thousand people gathered. Around suppertime, the people began to get hungry. Jesus told the disciples to get them something to eat. The disciples couldn’t believe it—where would they possibly get enough food to feed five thousand people? A young boy in the crowd offered his dinner—five loaves of bread and two small fish. The disciples took it to Jesus. Jesus blessed the food, and then told the disciples to pass it around to the people. All the people ate until they were full. Then the disciples gathered up the leftovers. There was so much food left over that it filled twelve baskets! *** STORY 4: Samuel and the Ebeneezer Stone A large group of Israelites was meeting to pray together. When the Philistines, the Israelites’ greatest enemy, found out about the meeting, they gathered an army and sent it to attack. The Israelites heard the Philistines were coming and were very afraid! They asked Samuel to pray, with all his might, that God might save them from the Philistines. Samuel prayed fervently, and God answered his prayer for His people by sending a loud thunder against the Philistines that threw them into such a panic that they were driven away by the Israelites. Then Samuel found a large stone and set it up as an altar to God. He named the stone Ebenezer, which means “stone (rock) of help.” Samuel told the Israelites the stone was there to help them remember and mark the place where God helped them.

He publicly dedicated it as a monument to God's help, God's faithfulness, God's eternal covenant. And as time went on, the stone stood there, visible to all who passed that way, a reminder that God’s mercies are everlasting; his covenant is forever.

TEACHING TIP: After your children have some experience creating tableaux, try turning them into moving pictures! Tell the children that when you say “GO!” they are to come to life for ten seconds with movement, speaking, and sound effects. After ten seconds, say “FREEZE.”


Teacher-Led Movement Stories Telling short stories with movement-‐based words is an excellent way to get children physically involved in the telling of the story. Performing the movements can have the effect of arousing emotions, which can have a greater impact on a child than simply listening to a story. Teach the movement vocabulary first.

Ahab and Elijah Worship: hands in prayer position, bend at waist Declared: stand erect, one hand in the air Build: lift heavy bricks one on top of the other Walk: walk in place Danced: lift one knee at a time Cried out: lift both hands as in supplication Sat: sit Drenched: pretend to pour water from a bucket Prayed: kneel on one knee, head down Flew: turn quickly, as if a gust of wind Promised: cross arms in front of chest OPTION: Consider having the children echo key phrases (such as the ones in quotation marks in this story). Be sure to give the children a large gesture so that they know what and when to echo. King Ahab worshipped a god named Baal. The prophet Elijah came to him one day and declared, “Baal is not the true God! My God is the true God! I’ll prove it to you!” They decided to have a contest. They would walk up to Mount Carmel and build altars. King Ahab’s priests built a huge altar out of wood. They danced around it and cried out to Baal to send fire down and burn the altar. Elijah yelled taunts at them, “Shout louder! Maybe your god is sleeping!” Finally, exhausted, the priests gave up and sat on the ground. Elijah built an altar made of stone. He drenched it in water. He prayed quietly, “Lord, please burn up this altar.” Just then, an enormous flame flew out of the sky and consumed the altar. All the people watching were amazed. They fell to their knees and prayed to the true God. They promised to follow Him for the rest of their days. OTHER IDEAS FOR MOVEMENT STORIES:

• The Calming of the Sea • Daniel in the Lion’s Den • The Resurrection of Christ • Noah and the Ark • Any of the parables

© 2015 Darla Meek. Permission granted for use in a classroom setting only. Use with adult teachers is prohibited.

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