Problems viewing this site?

You may be using a browser that doesn't support web-standards.

Get Firefox!

This page was updated
May 14, 2008

AMIDON E-MAIL #10

In this edition:

DANCE WORKSHOP

Thank you for the lesson

A Kindergarten class taught me a lesson a couple of days ago. They had already had two group activities coming into my residency session of dance and storytelling. What they really needed at the time was to go outside and run around and play with each other. My plan for them was a succession of dances. It mostly flopped and I never quite recovered through the whole 45 minutes.

On reflecting on the session, I realized that what worked best with them (and what almost always works at any time with any group) was the storytelling. I had another kindergarten class coming in after a bit, and I based that class entirely around storytelling. 'Hunt the Cows' was preceded by a story about the little girl Eliza whose only family chore was to herd the cows back from the field every day for their afternoon milking; but that was the sleepiest part of her day and she hated doing it.

The Tree Song was preceded by a story about Roger, who had spent his life planting and caring for an apple orchard and thought he knew everything there was to know about his trees, but he didn't. He did not know the trees sang, and the reason he didn't know was that the trees sang only when no-one was around.

Storytelling introductions to songs or singing games can be planned ahead, or created in the moment. Often a story that I make up on the spot to introduce a singing game I can then develop over weeks, months, years.

I know that you know that Kindergarten students are great teachers of teachers. They so live in the moment, that you, also, must live in the moment. Up and down, up and down, a dance, a song, a story, a picture book. They do not allow you to just teach on automatic pilot, and we should thank them for that.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Here are some websites with information on upcoming Amidon summer workshops. You can see a more detailed listing of our summer workshops and concerts at: http://www.amidonmusic.com/schedule/

Saturday, June 7

Choral singing workshop - church choir and hospice music Peter, Mary Alice and Neely Bruce lead day-long singing workshop for church choir directors and singers, folks interested in hospice singing, and anyone who loves to sing. http://feastofsinging.stjohnsrandolphvt.org/

Fri - Sun, June 27, 28, 29

Choral singing workshop at Old Songs Festival Peter and Mary Alice lead four-hour choral singing workshop over the three days of this festival of traditional song and dance. http://www.oldsongs.org/festival/

Mon - Fri, July 7 - 11

Amidons 3-credit course for music teachers Hartt School of Music Summerterm program, West Hartford, CT Rich Traditions and New Creations: Dance, Song, Storytelling and Literature in the Music Classroom http://harttweb.hartford.edu/summer-detail.php?c=13

MUSINGS

Singing for the Dying

My passion for group harmony singing seems to only increase month by month, year by year. I know that many folks on this list are mostly interested in our work in dance with children, but I also know that most of you are singers. Mary Alice and I take every chance we can to include adult harmony singing at teacher workshops, even though that does not directly relate to our main focus of working with children. There we are, in a room with 30 or 50 or 100 singing, musically literate adults; it is an opportunity not to be missed.

Our two main regular singing groups are the Guilford (Vermont) Community Church Choir, and Hallowell, a hospice singing group. I co-direct both groups. The two groups have a lot in common. Although they both are occasionally involved in performances, they are not primarily performing groups, rather they are functional singing groups; the church choir singing for worship, and the hospice choir singing for folks who are dying, and for the families who surround them. There is no more satisfying work that we do.

Hospice singing groups are now springing up throughout New England and beyond. I think the strongest hospice singing groups draw from folks in already-existing singing communities. The idea is simple: folks in hospice care can request, as part of their hospice care, singers to visit and sing around them. The group I'm in, and most of the groups we know that are springing up, sing mostly four-part a cappella songs. Our repertoire includes both sacred and secular, both familiar and unfamiliar, with an emphasis on songs whose poetry and music is comforting and healing (in the broadest sense) for someone who is nearing the end of their lives. Some of the songs have images of flying, or flowing rivers. Others, especially some of our non-English songs, simply have a calming, comforting wash of sound. We also have songs that are lively and celebratory, for folks who know they are dying but are still feeling well. We do a really great version of 'You Are My Sunshine' with on-the-spot arranging and harmonies.

* * *

Be bold, be bold, but not too bold.

Peter Amidon for Peter and Mary Alice Amidon

Peter & Mary Alice Amidon