Post-Session
Notes for
Wyoming
Music Educators Association
Thursday,
January 19, 2012
Tulsa,
OK
TEACHING
TRADITIONAL DANCE & SINGING GAMES TO CHILDREN
What a
great turnout for our dance workshop - we had such
a
wonderful time with all of you.
We would
like to give a special thanks to Mary Beth Singleton who
has
been working with us on the details of our visit for months, and
who
took great care of us while we were here.
Below
are notes about all the dances that
we did
in the workshop.
The
post-workshop notes for our Storytelling - Picture Book workshop are at
http://www.amidonmusic.com/NotesOKLitMusicJan2012.htm
and
for our All-School-Sing
workshop are at:
http://www.amidonmusic.com/NotesOklahomaAllSchoolSingJan2012.htm
Your
homework is to go dancing!
Here
are some web pages with information on contra dancing
and
English country dancing in Oklahoma:
OKLAHOMA
CONTRA DANCES:
http://www.contradancelinks.com/schedule_OK.html
CONTRA
AND ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCING IN OKLAHOMA CITY
You
might also get in touch with OMEA members Sandy Knudson
of
Norman, OK or Trish Ranson of Stillwater OK who are both
music
teachers deeply involved in traditional dance.
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To
get on the Amidon mailing list (notices 2-3 times
a
month on upcoming music teacher workshops,
choral
singing workshops, new publications, and
new
choral arrangements (both treble voice and
SATB),
please send an email to
saying
you would like to be on the Amidon mailing list.
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MEET
OUR BOYS:
Stefan
(with his band ÒThe Sweetback SistersÓ)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btpUPk6ldwE&list=PL106068EE434419C7&index=3
Sam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R19BBsMvwQk
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AMIDONS
SUMMER WEEK-LONG 3-CREDIT COURSE
RICH
TRADITIONS AND NEW CREATIONS: DANCE, SONG, STORYTELLING AND LITERATURE IN THE
MUSIC CLASSROOM
(or
ÒEverything we knowÓ)
We do
this every summer. Our next course
is
Monday
- Friday, July 2 - 6, 2012.
Hartt
Summerterm, West Hartford, CT
general
info:
http://harttweb2.hartford.edu/summer.php
The
foundation of this class is the wealth of songs, dances, singing games, and
folktales that spring from the Anglo American/African American oral traditions.
Each participant will write a song and tell a folktale.
Contact: Dee Hansen * 860-768-4128 * dehansen@hartford.edu
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AMIDONSÕ
SESSION NOTES FOR Oklahoma Music Educators Association
Teaching Traditional
Dance & Singing Games to Children
Blaydon
Races (p. 4
in handout)
in
NEDMÕs Chimes of Dunkirk collection
Mary
Alice played for this. You can use
any jig
medley for this.
We used
ÔBlaydon RacesÕ from NEDMÕs
2010
Revision of the ÔChimes of DunkirkÕ
CD for
this. I am making this available to you
since
it is not on the original Chimes CD:
http://www.amidonmusic.com/BlaydonRaces.mp3
We did
this is a mixer, but you can also do it with
younger
children without changing partners.
We
often call this at weddings. We
always start
teaching
this, as we do with any circle mixer, by
having
the dancers promenade and defining the
gents/moons/peanut
butter/inside partners and the
ladies/stars/jelly/outside
partners.
Dance
Teaching Tips:
Mittens;
front of your mitten on the front of your neighborÕs
mitten,
thumb lightly on back; take hands drop hands take
hands
drop hands; holding hands respectfully lecture (Òfinger thingÓ,
Òair
thingÓ, Òsleeve thingÓ, Òyuck thingÓ, ÒIt would be disrespectful for
me
to do the finger thing, the air thing, the sleeve thing or the yuck
thing
to Julie. It is not a big deal to
take hands with someone, but
it
is important to do it respectfully,Ó posture; teach the forward separately
from
the back in the forward and back; shake partnerÕs
hand,
hang on, take partnerÕs left hand for teaching promenade;
while
promenading: inside person is the moon/peanut butter/gent,
outside
is the star/jelly/lady; four steps of making a circle from a
promenade:
ÒHang on to partner stop walking, hang on
to
partner face the center, drop hands, take hands.Ó;
dosido
(gents start on inside, ladies start going outside)
flowing
into two hand turn flowing into promenade; when
music
starts clapping the first of each 8 beats; doing the
dance
with your hands; ÒthickÓ calling, then ÒthinÓ calling
then no
calling; saying the call right before the ÔclapÕ or
before
the first beat of the phrase and figure.
La
Bastringue (p.
4 in handout)
This is
in New England Dancing MastersÕ
(NEDMÕs)
ÒChimes of DunkirkÓ collection.
For
music you can use ÒLa BastringueÓ from
the
ÒChimesÓ CD or any reel.
Strolling
in the Park (p.
4 in the handout)
This
will be in the forthcoming NEDM collection
ÒIÕm
Growing Up - Action Songs, Movement Activities
and
Singing Games for Young Children.Ó
Sing
a Song of Sixpence (p.
3 in the handout)
This
will be in the forthcoming NEDM collection
ÒIÕm
Growing Up - Action Songs, Movement Activities
and
Singing Games for Young Children.Ó
Choosing
Partners
We
think it is a real gift to children to teach them
how to
choose their own partners. I like
to frame
this in
ÔKingsÕ and ÔQueensÕ language to help the
children
get over their self consciousness over
choosing
partners.
I start
with a story about how Kings and Queens
realized
that it might be more fun to dance with
more
than just their own spouses, and so they
needed
to devise a polite and efficient way to
choose
other partners. ÒAnd the method
they
came up
with was so good we still do it today.Ó
I have
them all practice the words: ÔMay I please
have
this dance?Õ ÔYes thank you.Õ and then
practice
answering me, and then practice
asking
me. Then I demonstrate what it
looks
like to ask a partner to dance, by
asking
one of the ÔQueensÕ. Then, I
have
that Queen sit down, and I ask
her
again, showing the 10 steps:
The
approach. Eye contact. The question.
The
answer. King puts out his hand.
Queen
stands and takes KingÕs hand.
They
hang on to each otherÕs hand and
walk to
the top of the hall. If there are
two
Queens then there is a Queen on one
side
and a Queen on the other side. If
there
are two Kings (you know the rest).
If it
is a King and a Queen, the King
stands
on the KingÕs side, the Queen on
the QueenÕs
side and they face each other,
nose,
toes and bellybutton, taking two hands.
Then
they drop their hands, and, voila, there
they
are.
Kings
and Queens p.
10 in the handout.
In
NEDMÕs Sashay the Donut collection
We used
ÔOn the DanforthÕ from NEDMÕs ÔOther Side of the
TracksÕ
CD for this dance. You might also
use our other
version
of ÔOn the DanforthÕ which is on our ÔSashay
the
DonutÕ CD.
Before
we teach this dance we will dub each child a King or a
Queen,
and talk to them (sometimes while the music is playing
to help
sustain the mood) about what it means to be a King and
Queen:
They have royal posture, they never rush, they make
good
decisions, they are very attractive; basically describing
the
ideal King/Queen or, which, in my mind is being the
very
best person they can be. Then I
ÒdubÓ each child a
king or
a queen, making sure they have their royal posture before
I dub
them. This is in the style of an historic English country dance
(e.g.
dances done in Jane AustenÕs time).
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Thank
you again for your enthusiastic participation, and
keep on
dancing!
Best,
Peter
and Mary Alice Amidon