The Four Poses: Expanded Demo
What's the Next Level?
I read on a music teacher forum somewhere an issue that I believe many teachers suffer from. They teach a song or a game, and then what? Repeat it a million times? How do we expand a small concept into different conceptual directions and keep it engaging for our students? The Dalcroze Approach is full of solutions for teachers who struggle to attain this mindset. If you haven’t seen the original post entitled The Four Poses I recommend you backtrack and check it out here.
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This activity is one of the most popular here on MusicXT. I think there are good reasons for that. It does not require a lot of space, many of the components of the activity can be done from a stationary position. It begins with very engaging body techniques, observation and reaction modules, as well as opportunities for students to improvise and lead. The connection students make to “time, space, and energy” are concrete and tactile. This activity is a great one for students who are just beginning their journey of Dalcroze-inspired movement.
I wanted to include a video teaching demo for this activity that shows the various ways it can be expanded. There is a game that the children LOVE to play, as well as the way the poses can be guided into a conducting lesson. I also really find that the discussion portion of this lesson is informative. I love the way the students try to find the words to describe the sensations. I want to direct special attention to the lack of NUMBERS that are used in the conducting portion. In fact, we don’t use numbers to describe the meter, we use feelings. It is so interesting that no student, during this discussion, attempts to count the beats. They look at each pattern as a unique group of gestures that creates a feeling they can identify.
The activity can be further expanded with an assessment. I will have each student stand in their own spot, one at a time. I will play one of the patterns… either Short Narrow Wide Tall, or Short Wide Tall… and they will be asked to identify the correct pattern.