Miss White - MusicXT Version
Playing games with a popular rhyme
I just finished my weekly GAME-IFY class (its still not too late to sign up BTW) and we were talking about games that were based on Dalcroze “canon” activities. In order to demonstrate what a canon was, in the Dalcroze tradition I used a few classic games from MusicXT but also one that I haven’t shared on here before! It is one of my favorite activities to use early in the year because it has a vague seasonal relevance and also sets the table for many different musical elements. This post will have a video explaining how “Miss White” can be adapted for a Dalcroze based class and how to use true canon to add challenge for upper elementary students. But first…
Housekeeping:
I’ll be in KENTUCKY on Oct 28th giving a workshop for the KOSA at University of Kentucky. If you’re interested in that, message me for more details!
If you’re looking for some affordable professional development and you are following my work, you should sign up for my Music ConstructED sponsored webinar called COSMIC EXPLORATION! It’s only $15 and will be a great opportunity to experience a series of SPACE THEMED lessons that I developed.
Dalcroze teaching is notoriously difficult to explain in books and videos… its so experiential. This resource is a great entry into the method and a bank of ideas for teachers who want to bring this kind of movement into their classrooms. To get the full effect, make sure you’re upgraded to the Totally Effortless Approach to Musical Movement (TEAMM) in which you’ll get access to the archive of lessons monthly zoom sessions, and the best Dalcroze-based resource on the internet!
I’ve mentioned before that my approach does not lean heavily on songs. Some teachers are twisting themselves in knots looking for the perfect songs for every lesson. I prefer to center sensations and sustained experiences over repertoire, so songs are usually only included in my lesson if they serve a particular purpose. They are a means to an end, not the end itself.
I write many of my own songs for this reason. I like the songs to fit perfectly into my body-centered curriculum and sometimes this means I must create them out of whole cloth, or at least adapt existing material to work a bit better. The rhyme “Miss White” is one that many teachers use and I pulled it out of another song anthology years ago. There are many reasons that it works well for me, and I didn’t see the need to change it very much. My creativity came in with my instinct to keep adding layers of challenge and complexity to what is essentially a very simple song.