Balloon Time Accompaniment Video

By Special Request

One of the challenges of a pure Dalcroze approach is the perceived necessity of piano improvisation skills that are, frankly, pretty rare for most music teachers to possess. I have played piano since I was a child, and although it wasn’t my major instrument, I do feel relatively comfortable behind the keyboard. I also was exposed to improvisation from a young age and “jamming" has always been a part of my musical skill set. In this post I’ll share some thoughts about piano improv and some of the tools I offer to work around the need for piano skills. But first…

Housekeeping:

It’s the GLORIOUS return of the TEAMM Masterclass Series! If you are a TEAMM subscriber you can attend the monthly Zoom meetings in which we share ideas, brainstorm, support each other, and create a warm sense of community. This month’s meeting will feature a conversation with one of my favorite colleagues, international sensation Manuel Zazueta. You don’t want to miss this so Mark Your Calendar… TUESDAY NOVEMBER 28th at 7 PM EASTERN TIME

Let me just get this out of the way… it is TOTALLY ok if you don’t play piano. You can still be a great teacher of movement and bring all the magic into your classroom. Most Dalcroze-based training is still largely reliant on the piano and there are some reasons for this. First of all, the piano IS really a useful tool. You can play melodies accompanied by full harmony and rhythmic context. You can watch and use verbal commands as you play. Aside from that, it’s just the tradition of the work and part of the aesthetic.

That being said there are SO many teachers who are not primarily pianists and doing amazing things. Shout outs to Katherine Smith, Cassandra Eisenreich, Fabian Bautz, Emma Shubin, and many others who I have seen conduct unbelievable classes without touching the ivories. If you aren’t a pianist, you should not feel excluded from this work AT ALL.

I advocate for a sort of “middle way” when it comes to teacher training. I try to provide solutions for teachers, tools that they can use in lieu of piano accompaniment. One of the tools that my subscribers (especially TEAMM subscribers) have come to appreciate is the accompaniment videos I have been producing. These are recordings of my own improv, done in such a way so as to be appropriate for a variety of activities. TEAMM Subscriber JoAnn finds these accompaniments useful and wrote to request one for Balloon Time that was “piano only” instead of the one that I produced with vocal cues. Here is the original post:

I was glad to oblige her and recorded a version of this activity that moves through the meters smoothly. Your students will enjoy trying to follow along! It starts with the super tall toss (a bar of 8) and then moves between the tall toss (in 4) and the short toss (in 3). The original Balloon Time post has instructions for sequencing the lesson and some accompaniments. This new accompaniment video is made with a “performance” in mind. If you want to use my piano improv video in your class, make sure you’re upgraded to the TEAMM Subscription!