Winter Concert Filled with Dance and Rock 'n' Roll

Dance is an integral part of Glacier Valley's arts program (photo by Bethany Vaughn)

Even though this is the first year of our JAMM violin program, Glacier Valley has been incorporating music, dance, visual arts and drama into its curriculum for years.  Movement is key to learning and is often cited in current research as one of the best ways to get the brain's attention and keep it.  The Venezuelan orchestras are famous for the way in which their musicians move to express music and they certainly keep their audiences in rapt attention.

I shared a short video clip in an earlier posting about how Glacier Valley uses folk dance and song to help teach the different systems of the human body. This short introduction to folk dance helped our 4th & 5th graders embody a steady beat and prepare them for their 8-week ballroom dance residency with local dance instructor, Pat Belec, in January 2011.  In addition to the Human Body System dances, our winter concert also featured the Morning Musician and Rock Bands, and a dance that I learned from Michelle Quigg at World Music Drumming workshops two summers ago.  The kids love this dance, which we often use as part of our Humanities classes with K/1 and 4/5.   Here is a short video clip highlighting the concert: