WHAT IS MOVEMENT?
WHY IS IT THE PERFECT PARTNER TO SINGING?
HOW DO WE DO IT WELL?

Whilst almost everybody agrees that movement is an important aspect of music education, it is easy to be confused as to what this actually means. Body movement is not the same as actions, or gesture, or clapping patterns: it refers to how our body core (centre/torso) changes direction in space, thereby expressing the sense of anacrusis, beat and after-sound which is fundamental to musical timing. This is what makes movement effective as a tutor in pulse, rhythm, metre and phrasing. Movement, therefore, is not just an “extra”, or a “bit of fun”; by understanding what movement is, and how it is intimately related to how we sing, and how we imagine music, we can create and plan a musical pedagogy based on the careful step-by-step calibration of “movement-and-singing-together”.

These two sessions form a single unit: you will be expected to attend both, as the second will build upon the foundations laid in the first. The first will concentrate upon pulse and rhythm, and the second on metre and phrasing. Please dress appropriately for developmental movement (i.e. comfortable trousers/leggings, no skirts/dresses), be prepared to work on the floor, getting up and down, and to be in bare feet.

TEACHING TONAL HARMONY TO CHILDREN (from age 6 upwards)

Functional tonal harmony is an area which is often neglected when teaching children music. It is often considered easier to work from the point of view of rhythm, melody, and mode. However, so much British folk music – and so much classical and popular music of the last four centuries – depends upon understanding the symbiotic relationship between melody, chords and bass-line.

Using our voices, body movement, instruments specially selected or designed for the purpose, and your own instruments, we will explore how to make a start on this important area of music education, starting from the understanding of simple three-chord (I, V, IV) tonal harmony. Please dress appropriately for developmental movement (i.e. comfortable trousers/leggings), bring music manuscript paper and pencils, and bring your own instruments

NIKHIL DALLY received first-class honours in music from Cambridge University, and studied composition at the Guildhall School of Music. Nikhil founded the Stepping Notes Music School in 2000. He designed the Stepping Notes curriculum himself and teaches all classes, for children aged 2 to 8. Nikhil is increasingly in demand to lead workshops for teachers. Past engagements include courses or workshops for the Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute in Kecskemét (Hungary), the Colourstrings International and British Kodály Academy Summer Schools, the Association of British Choral Directors, the Dalcroze Society, Bracknell Forest LEA, the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Singapore, and the Young Choral Academy of Kuala Lumpur. Stepping Notes teachers’ courses are regularly over-subscribed. Nikhil’s next early-years music summer course is scheduled for 23^rd-25^th July 2020: please e-mail him on nikhil@dally.org.uk for further information, or keep an eye on www.dally.org.uk/courses.htm.