We Are Dancing in the Forest

Welcome to Episode 1. Today we’re going to share a song that’s really popular with all of my students and is perfect for the relaxation segment of your music class. We Are Dancing in the Forest This song has so many uses It’s great for the relaxation segment of your lesson after your students have focused for a few minutes and need to reset The game includes freestyle dancing so every child can get moving and express themselves The game also includes solo work and improvisation It uses the singing voice and the speaking voice so a great one for that first term of lessons where our students are discovering what their voices can do The toneset is mi-so-la, with a range of a Perfect 4th so ideal for little voices and for reluctant teachers And it contains the slsm motif that we will need when our students are a little older and preparing and practising la. This is why I also use it with my piano students too The Game At the end of the song, everyone says Wolf are you there? And one volunteer, or the teacher initially, says some reason why not – eg No, I’m brushing my hair After a couple of turns the wolf says Yes, I’m coming to get you. Now the original game is tag. The child that gets tagged becomes the new wolf. However you may not want to have them running around and it can elicit screaming from some classes. That’s why I sometimes change the game to a Freeze game. The children have to freeze like a tree. Now in musical statues the child that moves would be out. However they all want to be the wolf so they all “accidentally” move. So instead the wolf has to choose the very best tree to be the next wolf, the child who is the most still. This freezing game also works in one to one instrumental lessons. I use it with my piano students. Because there’s no chasing around we just pretend to be a really still tree and then swap roles. Interestingly I have had students who really struggle to come up with suggestions for games, even simple things like choosing a colour for an imaginary balloon can be a challenge. But with this game I find they are much better. I think perhaps because they are drawing from their morning routine. The first time you play it, you be the wolf so you can model different answers for them to draw from. Make sure you let us know what you think of the song and if you use it in your lessons. You can get in touch with us through our website at doremiconnect.co.uk Do share us with your colleagues if you’ve found it helpful I hope you have a lovely week, filled with music and singing. I’ll see you soon here, on Facebook, Twitter or at doremiconnect.co.uk to help you achieve your music teaching goals using the Kodály approach.