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  • Dances for the Pre-Colonial Era, Renaissance and Pre-Columbus are a little too elegant for me. I have viewed dances and heard music of such but I have had no interest, but now that I have  tried a few steps accompanied with music I have a little more appreciation for this type of dance and music. I know Junior High will appreciate this type of dance.  

  • As a former classroom teacher and current Music & PE teacher, I am such a proponent for integrating the Arts into all content areas.  We don't have time to do it all- I realize this.  But integration is key!  Adding music & dance, even for a small time period (ie. 1 or 3 classes), is a great way to reach Multiple Intelligences in the learning process.  Additionally, since we learn by "doing", perhaps more of the content will be acquired and retained through the integration of the Arts activities. Music is a mood setter, a motivator, and universal throughout all cultures in some form.  Play on! la,la,la

  • As I teach K-6 grade P.E.  I am looking for ways to integrate music and dance into the program.  I want to teach my students about dances in other cultures throughout history.  I am looking for music and instructions that are easy enough for me to understand and then teach to my students.  I am also looking for performance pieces for our winter pageant focusing on Alaskan Native celebrations and cultures.

  • I would use the welcome dance with my students and think it would be an easy, and non threatening way to introduce dance with my students.  I like this because it is easy for students to learn and they don't have to worry about different steps.

    I do, and enjoy sharing Renaissance style music with my students.  I often play music in the background while my students work.  Music seems to be calming and make for a more peaceful environment.

    The Minuet was new to me.  Being directionally challenged, this was a more difficult dance to learn, and I think it would also be more challenging for me to teach.  I would probably focus more on the style of the steps and movement, and less on the actual Z, or S component of where you are in relation to you partner. 

    It is interesting seeing the different fashions through the ages.  I think students would enjoy seeing this.

  • I have some Blackfoot tapes that would be great to use to introduce Native American dance.  And in AK Studies, we could compare Blackfoot and Yup'ik dance.  Similar rhythms and singing styles.  Similar instruments, vocal use and drumming.  Beat having such strong value and importance.

    The Baroque and Renaissance is an opportunity to introduce these styles of music and to introduce how people dressed, what they valued, and to some level, what behaviors were expected, and acceptable, or not acceptable.

    It would take some time to teach the minuet, but worth it in terms of demonstrating the role of men, women and the chivalry that was still a holdover from feudal times when knights were so devoted to proper behavior with ladies.

  • The Yakima Welcome Dance might be a good way for my students to take a "brain break" and get up and move.  It's a simple, nonthreatening way to get them moving.  I might also be able to do something similar with Yup'ik dance.  I have several skilled Yup'ik dancers in my classes.

    The minuet was hard for me to learn, but I eventually got the basic idea.  I think my students might have trouble learning it.  However, if we were able to get costumes and "play" a bit more, they might have fun acting "sophisticated" for a little bit.  Since most of my students are related to each other in some way, I do wonder how they would feel about holding hands with each other . . .

  • I liked the Minuet, it seemed like a fun dance to show off your wealth and the clothes you were wearing--I am all about the clothes so I would love to show off my beautiful dress.

    I could use this in my class during PE, I will be doing a dance unit and this would be a good tool to add in the classroom. The minuet is not something I would start with but rather something I would shoot to get by the middle or end of the year. I really did like the welcome dance and I think that is a way to start the day--I currently do a morning meeting so I feel this would just add to that experience for my students. I like the relation between the clothes and the dances. As the time periods progress they are wearing less and the clothes are a little more fun.

  • The music in general will be a great addition to my musical journals.  I like students to write to music or draw to music to start to connect to the images in their head.  All the music we've listened to, from the Pre-Columbian to to Baroque, the music is diverse and will be something new to connect to.  The minuet will be a great addition to any Shakespeare that we read :D  Especially in Romeo and Juliet, we can add a lot to the unit by not only sword fighting but listening to the music and dancing some of the dances that were in court, etc. 

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