I have been working with Year 3, Mrs Ripley, Mrs Right and Joe on exploring plants through movement.
Year 3 are excellent, energetic dancers and very creative too, so we have been able to try out lots of ideas linked to plants.
First of all, we thought about what plants need in order to grow. We talked about plants needing four basic things: sunlight, water, air and soil. Then we explored making movements to show these four elements. In order to choreograph some movements (deciding what particular movements to do and in what order) everyone worked in duets (two people), and created their own version of sun, water, air and soil.
We came up with some more words and actions linked to our plants’ needs such as: digging, spreading, sprinkling, arcing, rays, sunrise, hurricane, spin, wriggle and cycle. Then the class worked in four teams, we have the ‘Sunshine girls’, the ‘Hurricaners’, the ‘Water people’ and the ‘Soil gremlins’. Each team made a photo with their bodies to show their element, then they animated the photo for a few seconds (like a Harry Potter picture), then they became still again.
When we put together all the duets and groups we realised we had a five minute dance! It will need some rehearsing and most especially some sound to go with it so that it can be shown at the Sharing day in June. – I haven’t heard any of the sounds that the group recorded with Joe yet, so I am looking forward to hearing what noises they have found and made together.
But that is not the end of our plant discoveries… We have also explored the structure of plants. We have looked at roots, stems and leaves. I set the class some challenges: they had to build a root system in the hall using only their bodies; then they had to do their best impression of one long stem stretching all the way across the hall; then they had to try and be leaves scattered across the floor.
We talked about the function of the roots and also the function of the stem and leaves. And I challenge someone from Year 3 to write a blog and explain what xylem and phloem are… and what different types of roots there are… and what different structures of leaves there are!
We explored and choreographed some movements based mostly on the stem. The class worked in trios (three people) and explored ideas to do with pulling and transporting, (because part of the stem’s function is to transport water and nutrients around a plant and it does this with a sucking/pulling action). So everyone in Year 3 has now pulled or been pulled, carried or been carried all the way across your school hall.
Mrs Ripley and I decided that this should be a separate dance from the Sun, Air, Water, Soil dance so we now have a Roots, Stem and Leaves dance too. It is comprised of lots of pulling/carrying trios, a root system, a stem and lots of leaves… Oh and lots of beanbags, but I’ll let someone from Year 3 explain what they are all about.
Of course, Joe now has a double challenge as he has to come up with a sound score for two dance pieces. And Year 3 have got the challenge of rehearsing two dances to perform to everyone in June.
We are missing titles for both dances – Year 3, if you have any good ideas, let me know! Oh, and do look at the photos that were taken and add some to the blog too…
Amanda (Choreographer)
Wednesday, 30 May 2007
Oh Noah!
I have been working on some of the story of Noah’s Ark with reception class, Miss Spiers, Ms Brown, Ms Thorn and Louise. I think Miss Spears has come up with a great name for our performance when she sent me an email with the heading ‘Oh Noah!’; I think we should keep that.
While Louise has been making a Battenberg Boat, I have been exploring some of Noah’s story in movement.
We have had fun trying to move like water: splashing, dripping, flowing, rippling, cascading… In fact any words you can think of, we’ve had a go at doing our best impressions of them with our bodies.
We have looked at little scenes from Noah’s story and made movement games out of them: we’ve played at being puddles and making big splashes when anyone stamps in the puddle and we’ve played at being a piece of wood or metal that someone has to shape and sculpt into being a boat.
From our games, we have made a dance story about Noah’s Ark. It goes something like this:
Scene 1 – "It’s raining!" - The rains start to fall and everyone gets wet, has to take cover, gets very angry at all the rain and splashes about in puddles;
Scene 2 – “Lets build a boat” – The boat builders have to cut, lift, rub, chop, pull and push to get their boat built. When the boat builders finish building, hopefully (fingers crossed) the Battenberg Ark will appear magically in the middle of the dance!
Scene 3 – “The waters are rising” – The Sea starts to rise, blue waters all around, the waves getting bigger and bigger;
Scene 4 – “The animals process two by two” – Elephants, giraffes, tigers, frogs, horses and many more all seek shelter two by two on the Ark;
Scene 5 – “When will we go home?” – Water, water, all around, blue waves all topped with foam. When will it all disappear, so we can all go home? At last the seas subside and everyone can celebrate. The End!
Everyone has worked really hard on our dance and I hope everyone has enjoyed it too. After half term the class will carry on rehearsing the dance with Miss Spears so that we can show it to the school and parents on our Sharing Day in June.
I’m afraid I don’t have any photos, but I know that Miss Spears does, so hopefully she and reception class may add some soon…
Amanda (Choreographer)
While Louise has been making a Battenberg Boat, I have been exploring some of Noah’s story in movement.
We have had fun trying to move like water: splashing, dripping, flowing, rippling, cascading… In fact any words you can think of, we’ve had a go at doing our best impressions of them with our bodies.
We have looked at little scenes from Noah’s story and made movement games out of them: we’ve played at being puddles and making big splashes when anyone stamps in the puddle and we’ve played at being a piece of wood or metal that someone has to shape and sculpt into being a boat.
From our games, we have made a dance story about Noah’s Ark. It goes something like this:
Scene 1 – "It’s raining!" - The rains start to fall and everyone gets wet, has to take cover, gets very angry at all the rain and splashes about in puddles;
Scene 2 – “Lets build a boat” – The boat builders have to cut, lift, rub, chop, pull and push to get their boat built. When the boat builders finish building, hopefully (fingers crossed) the Battenberg Ark will appear magically in the middle of the dance!
Scene 3 – “The waters are rising” – The Sea starts to rise, blue waters all around, the waves getting bigger and bigger;
Scene 4 – “The animals process two by two” – Elephants, giraffes, tigers, frogs, horses and many more all seek shelter two by two on the Ark;
Scene 5 – “When will we go home?” – Water, water, all around, blue waves all topped with foam. When will it all disappear, so we can all go home? At last the seas subside and everyone can celebrate. The End!
Everyone has worked really hard on our dance and I hope everyone has enjoyed it too. After half term the class will carry on rehearsing the dance with Miss Spears so that we can show it to the school and parents on our Sharing Day in June.
I’m afraid I don’t have any photos, but I know that Miss Spears does, so hopefully she and reception class may add some soon…
Amanda (Choreographer)
Sunday, 27 May 2007
The Reception class's Ark
I have been working with Amanda (dance artist), the reception class and Miss Spiers during this term on their learning journey about Noah and his Ark.
The Ark is almost finished now - on Friday I was glueing the different parts of it together, and when I come back after half-term I will finish off the last bits. It's quite complicated as it will be able to fold away (so it won't take up too much room when it's not in use).
We have all worked on the ark by designing its shape, choosing its colours and drawing some of the animals that will be sheltering in it.
All the children in the reception class voted on the colours that they would paint the ark. I thought they'd probably choose to have a brown ark and maybe a red roof, but what colours do you think they chose? ..... Yellow and pink!
These colours reminded me of a Battenburg Cake, so in case you don't know what a Battenburg Cake looks like, here is a picture of one -our ark may look a bit like thiswhen it's all finished!
I have also included some pictures of the class painting the flat pieces of the Ark and what one side of the ark looks like with the pictures of animals glued in place.
Louise Bristow (visual artist)
The Ark is almost finished now - on Friday I was glueing the different parts of it together, and when I come back after half-term I will finish off the last bits. It's quite complicated as it will be able to fold away (so it won't take up too much room when it's not in use).
We have all worked on the ark by designing its shape, choosing its colours and drawing some of the animals that will be sheltering in it.
All the children in the reception class voted on the colours that they would paint the ark. I thought they'd probably choose to have a brown ark and maybe a red roof, but what colours do you think they chose? ..... Yellow and pink!
These colours reminded me of a Battenburg Cake, so in case you don't know what a Battenburg Cake looks like, here is a picture of one -our ark may look a bit like thiswhen it's all finished!
I have also included some pictures of the class painting the flat pieces of the Ark and what one side of the ark looks like with the pictures of animals glued in place.
Louise Bristow (visual artist)
Monday, 21 May 2007
our new school plans
Copies of detailed plans for the new school are being studied by year 6 . In maths today we calculated the dimensions of room sizes and made comparisons with our present school.
Overall we found that room sizes were similar but in the new school the storage areas were placed in more convenient spaces.
Friday, 18 May 2007
Some thoughts...
As a sound artist, I have been (positively) challenged by this project in a number of ways. First of all, explaining detailed concepts of listening as a first step to working with sound and music is not an easy concept to grasp, especially for Key Stage 1 children... The second challenge has come from acting as Lead Artist on the Year 1 project - "Plants and Growth" - what sounds do plants make? Well, none audible to human ear without the aid of technology. Using a contact mic it is possible to hear the working of a plant and then amplify it so it can be recorded, but for me that was a step too far with such young children, and too focussed on technology.
So, the focus became on the elements that contribute to a plant's growth. Rain and SUN. Well, the rain stuff is easy, through the use of onomatapaeic words (splish, splash, splosh), percussion instruments (metallic sound objects, "plinky" sounds), and water (splashing, blowing bubbles, pouring water - lots of fun!!!), I was able to record a number of useful sounds to illustrate a concept. Ultimately, these sounds will end up as the soundtrack to Giles' animated film.
Heat and the Sun is an altogether different challenge - what is the sound of the sun (imaginatively)? So this afternoon, we will be recording all sorts of heat-making electrical objects in an attempt to create "hot" sounds. A hair dryer, computer fans, microwave ovens, buzzing lights, ovens etc., basically anything that can make a low droning sound that will contrast nicely with the sploshy and plinky sounds made by the rain.
Joseph Young-sound artist
So, the focus became on the elements that contribute to a plant's growth. Rain and SUN. Well, the rain stuff is easy, through the use of onomatapaeic words (splish, splash, splosh), percussion instruments (metallic sound objects, "plinky" sounds), and water (splashing, blowing bubbles, pouring water - lots of fun!!!), I was able to record a number of useful sounds to illustrate a concept. Ultimately, these sounds will end up as the soundtrack to Giles' animated film.
Heat and the Sun is an altogether different challenge - what is the sound of the sun (imaginatively)? So this afternoon, we will be recording all sorts of heat-making electrical objects in an attempt to create "hot" sounds. A hair dryer, computer fans, microwave ovens, buzzing lights, ovens etc., basically anything that can make a low droning sound that will contrast nicely with the sploshy and plinky sounds made by the rain.
Joseph Young-sound artist
Year 1 workshops
Some photos from the Year 1 workshops. Their learning journey is "Plants and Growth". The first workshops I ran with this group were around drawing and sound scores. We drew rain and sun, which were the elements that make plants grow, and then used these drawings as a visual inspiration for a quick musical improvisation around these themes.
Joseph Young-sound artist
Creative Partnerships Planning Day 30th March 2007
Here's the photographs from our planning day back in March, where the children contributed to the initial ideas behind the project...
Joseph Young -Sound Artist
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