Thanks to everyone who attended my session at PMEA on Thursday! I so enjoyed seeing some familiar faces (TEAMM Subscribers in the HOUSE!) and meeting so many new people. It was really my first time presenting RESEARCH so I’ll be updating you on the progress of how MusicXT is becoming rooted in theory, instead of just experience. In this post I’ll demonstrate a ball passing game I’ve done for many years, and how I modified the game slightly to demonstrate a new comparative! But first…
Housekeeping:
This Saturday!!!! Check out this FREE event! Even if you can’t make it to the virtual livestream… you can watch it asynchronously. Did I mention its FREE? Why wouldn’t you sign up? What reason could you possibly have to turn down a FREE workshop with the top practitioners of the best methodologies in the country. Plus I’ll be there live streaming my classes from Carnegie Mellon University!
From the Archive:
We’ve been practicing the skip, and I’m trying to orient my students toward the rhythmic figure of “long/short” sometimes called the “Trochee” pattern. The way that the weight shifts while moving to this pattern makes it very unique. I began the activity by reviewing the ball passing game we’ve done a few times… but its been a while.
This video lays out the original game with the even notes. It is important to receive the beanbag in the left hand and pass it with the right, this is a bilateral movement, across the body. It makes the activity a bit more difficult but more satisfying in the end. It promotes a “sway” feeling and engagement of the whole body.
Now what would it mean to do this pattern “long/short.” The left hand would stretch a bit, holding the ball a bit longer, with a quick pass and then off to the next person. You can see in the following video how the students struggle with the difference but after a while you can see some of them having success!
As always, the struggle of learning can be uncomfortable. These students have only just now begun to explore the difference between the two patterns. After a few weeks they will have it DOWN! Try it with your group and let me know what you think!