Minute Masterclass Episode 158

Welcome to your one-minute masterclass. I’m Andrea Trench, founder of DiscoverDance and creator of the Foundations Course for Early Childhood Dance Educators and the DiscoverDance Experience Membership. Today, we’re talking about directive or action songs. When the music guides the dancers through an activity, teachers are then able to demonstrate proper listening skills and movement execution. We model what the student should look like and allow the music to teach. It’s especially important for our visual learners to see how to participate in class. Directive music is a powerful tool, but be careful not to create an entire lesson plan with this music. As I described in episode 64, alternating teacher-directed and student-centered activities is a brain-based principle. Directive music that tells the dancer what to do should be balanced with music that allows the students to explore the class objectives freely. Remember to check out today’s post on directive songs for your music library inside the Early Childhood Dance Educators’ Facebook group.  See you there! 

For more information, to enroll in the Foundations Course, or to join the DiscoverDance Experience and access our curated playlists with hundreds of class songs, visit DiscoverDance.com.