Woo! This one is a doozy for younger students, so I recommend doing this with 2nd graders at the youngest. I did this my first year of teaching with 2nd and 3rd graders and it was a bit rough. My 3rd graders were rowdy and it was too much for 2nd graders in just oneContinue reading “Alabama Gal”
Category Archives: Folk Dance
Zemer Atik (Nigun Atik)
I first learned Zemer Atik during my undergraduate studies at the University of Louisville. I thought it was one of the most beautiful dances I had ever been a part of and I still believe that. So far I have only taught this once to 3rd grade students. They find the A section a bitContinue reading “Zemer Atik (Nigun Atik)”
Los Machetes
This is a favorite dance with my 3rd and 4th grade students! We actually just used this as an opportunity to learn about and celebrate Cinco de Mayo last week. One 3rd grader even said they wanted to perform this dance for every Cinco de Mayo. This is the first year where I have understoodContinue reading “Los Machetes”
La Raspa
Cinco de Mayo is next week, so many music teachers will be excited to pull out La Raspa and teach it to their students. Please consider why you are doing this with your students. Is it just for a fun folk dance? If that is your only answer, please reconsider. Teaching international folk dance isContinue reading “La Raspa”
Sasha
I love using Sasha as a way to get students moving after a break from school. This allows us to mingle with our classmates in a safe, structured way that also gets us back into the right mindset for music. My students love this dance because of its catchy tune and because they get toContinue reading “Sasha”
Seven Jumps (Syvspring)
“Seven Jumps,” or “Syvspring” in Danish, is a fun folk dance from Denmark that my students love. Everyone inevitably catches a fit of the giggles as we struggle to keep our balance! It involves dancers joining in a circle and walking, hop stepping, or sashaying during the chorus. In between each chorus, there are 1-7Continue reading “Seven Jumps (Syvspring)”
Mrs. Hale's Harmonies 