Music, Movement and Drama Workshop

I also attended the same workshop that Elena did and it was really inspiring to see how music, movement and drama could be incorporated into the classroom setting to teach multiple subjects. I thought that the focus circle activity that Debra showed us was a really great way to get the students attention before introducing a new activity to them. The teacher sits in a circle on the floor with students. The student sitting on one side of the teacher is the caboose and the student sitting on the other side of the teacher is the engine. The teacher begins by making a sound (using hand to make a sound on leg) and then proceeds to make eye contact with every student in the circle. Students cannot make the sound until the teacher makes eye contact with them, which I found to be a very powerful experience because a connection has to be made between the teacher and student. The sound travels through the circle of students and returns back to the teacher who then adds another sound (perhaps adding a clucking sound) and repeats the same process of making eye contact with the students. The job of the engine is to change the sound whereas the caboose has to hold it. The number of sounds that are added would depend upon the grade level that you were teaching and the ability of your students. Not only is this a great focus activity, but it is a great way to provide students with the opportunity to create a unique piece of music! You could always use a tape recorder to record the sounds that your students are making and play it back to them at a later time or incorporate it with another activity.