Costume Sketch

Last week, I introduced my second graders to costume sketches. It was so much fun and they loved it! I told them to think of the character they are in their ballet we are creating. I asked them to imagine what that character would wear, what color, what props? They asked if they could just draw the pieces or if they needed to draw themselves in the costume. I told them either way it is considered a costume sketch. Here is a sample of a few great ones that I picked out. I can really tell what they are thinking their character would wear. I will use these to get costume ideas for the performance in a few weeks. What a great way to include the students in the this part of the project! Have you ever had your students do costume sketches? How did they turn out? I would love to hear!

In the meantime movecreateeducate...

Parents Day

This past week was the end of the fall semester for my tappers (ages 5-teen) at Mark Morris. Parents Day for me= excitement and anxiety. I love to give the students the chance to show their parents how much they have learned. This parents day was a bit different for me though, many times the parents are nice but not very interactive. The parents were so supportive, they clapped after every child showed a step. They laughed when something was funny, AND they thanked me afterwards for all my hard work and how much I taught them in such a short period of time. It really made me smile and I was so proud of the kids! Of course, the kids didn't talk the whole time like they usually do, they are so chatty! We moved through the class pretty quickly and I was able to end the class a few minutes early so I could get some feedback from the parents. I hope they sign up again next semester!

What about you? Do you ever have parents day for any of the classes you teach? Are the parents supportive and excited? Do you get nervous? I sure do. Do the kids act differently? That question might be a no brainer, but I am just curious! I would love to hear!

In the meantime movecreateeducate...

Happy Friday!

Wednesday when I showed up at the preschool, I was greeted with all of these pictures from my two year olds. It made my day! I thought I would share them with you! They said "it's you Ms. Maria, it's you" Do you think it looks like Ms. Maria? ;)

Assessing your Teaching- One Class at a Time

Do you ever assess yourself teaching a class? I believe it is just as important as assessing your students. Last night I tapped myself teaching a ballet class to my 3-4 year olds. I came home and watched it back. For the most part, I was happy to see what I look like and sound teaching these girls. Here is what I noticed...

1) I expect them to be good listeners. (they usually are!)

2) I say "are you ready?" and "here we go" way to much.

3) I give the girls a lot of compliments and smiles!

4) I dance and move with them, so important with the littles.

5) They want to be close to me and show me everything. I always respond!

Have you ever assessed yourself teaching? What did you find? Did you change anything after you you watched yourself? I would like to do this again in different types of classes and with different age groups. I think it's a great way to become a better teacher and a simple way to improve the little things that teachers say and do. Try it out... You might surprise yourself!

(photo by Kiasa Carini)

Aligning with a Preschool Curriculum

Every week I spend the majority of my days with the preschool age group (my absolute favorite!). This year I have worked hard to align my curriculum for movement with their classroom curriculum. The teachers hang their curriculum outside their classrooms each month and I make sure to read what will be covered and see if I can support any of it in movement. I do research such as scanning the classrooms, looking at bulletin boards, and asking the teachers if there is anything specific they want me to work on. I inspect the library to see what new books are displayed. I have observed their gym classes, and have talked to the music teacher about what he does in his program.

Much of the curriculum at preschool is about taking turns, waiting, following directions, and of course the saying "you get what you get, and you don't get upset." I encourage these whenever I can. One of the classrooms I enter does a color of the month. Every month they pick a color and explore all the things that are that color. I make sure to incorporate this into movement so they get the curriculum from every angle. In addition to stretching, breath, and body parts I introduce a lot of following directions songs, ABC's, numbers, and many movement words. I like to also use books and props! This keeps their attention and exploration fresh.

These are just a few ideas of how I align with curriculum. It takes some research on my part to be aware of what is happening in the classrooms. At this age it's important that they get a well rounded education, but one that fits together well and makes sense.

What about you? Do any of you try to align curriculum with classroom teachers? Add on to a unit they are exploring in another subject or do a project on a topic they have covered? I would love to hear your ideas, even if you work with older kids!

In the meantime movecreateeducate...

Shhhhh! -Making the Dance Room Quiet

Friday is the day I become a teaching artist (smile). Today, I worked with second grade on ballet stories for a mini performance they will do in February as their culminating project. The last few times I have gone I have noticed that the students have a hard time moving their bodies without moving their mouths. Now, I know that this is pretty challenging for young kids, but by second grade I would hope they could grasp the concept that we don't talk in a dance. I tell them that a dance is told with our bodies, not with our mouths. Todays classes got me thinking about different quiet signals and things teachers use to get their students quiet and ready to listen. Here are some things I have tried:

1) Hand up over head- peace sign with fingers

2) Drum

3) I will wait...

4) Clap a rhythm

5) Lights off

6) Shhh Shhh Shhh in a rhythm

7) Thank you _______(name) for listening

8) I like the way _____ (name) has a calm body and is waiting for what I will say next...

9) Excuse me- This is me being louder than you...

10) Show me your best listening body.

I am sure there are a million more! A great teacher of mine once told me that a loud dance room is a learning dance room. I completely agree, but I also think that an important lesson for students is to learn, make, teach and perform a dance they have to be able to move their bodies without moving their mouths.

Do you do anything special to get your kids quiet? A saying, a signal? Do you sound like a broken record every class? Do you change signals for different age groups? I would love to hear! Sharing what you use might be so helpful to someone else!

In the meantime movecreateeducate...

Flip

I am considering purchasing a flip video camera to document my work with New York City Ballet and Mark Morris. I think it would be nice to have my own library of dances and stories I have worked on. I have never taken video of any of my work with my students, so I think it might be a nice change, and just maybe a little addicting!

Do any of you have a flip? Do you use it for your classes and performances? Just curious to see if this is popular among dance educators?!