Haunted House Story 2024 Update
Haunted House Story 2024 Update
Famous Activity and New Video
I originally posted this activity in October of 2022, and it has continued to evolve since then. I had requests to create a “script” for the activity, so I did a version of the video with SUBTITLES so you could follow a bit more clearly what is happening. These kinds of “movement stories” are my students’ favorite, and I think yours will love them too! Check out the videos below! But first…
Housekeeping:
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From the Archive:
Another Halloween Activity
Stories are so powerful. The engagement that results from a compelling story creates an opportunity for the teacher to sustain energy and connect imagination and narrative to music. The Dalcroze tradition has embraced this kind of storytelling, and I learned these techniques from masters like Leslie Upchurch, Cynthia Lilley, Michael Joviala, and Lauren Hodgson.
Learning how to properly execute these lessons requires the teacher to understand what the goals are. Perhaps the goals are mostly physical, the students are practicing a variety of locomotor movements, connecting them to musical motives. Perhaps the goals are musical, identifying the difference between high and low sounds for instance. Maybe the goals are artistic, working together to create a beautiful aesthetic and evoke emotion through gesture. In my opinion, all of these goals can be present in the same lesson.
In the interest of relevance, I introduce this story in October. I’m not sure how common it is, but in my school we are not supposed to celebrate “Halloween” expressly. I have never had any complaints about this activity… I avoid using the word Halloween and I try avoid making it too dark. There are many directions you could take the story, and many rooms they could visit. Sometimes I might ask the students for suggestions and see what they come up with!
I will often follow the activity with a “quiz.” I’ll play some of the motives that appear in the story and see if the students can identify them out of context. This is a great way to assess the learning that is taking place. I might have the students perform the movements “acapella” and evaluate if their gesture is evoking the proper sensation.
If you’re not comfortable on the piano, you can try using your primary instrument or your voice! Or perhaps you can use my video!
Another activity that I love this time of the year is my Mozart Horn Concerto lesson:
Here’s another version of the Haunted House story, so you can see how it changes slightly with a different group: