Move It

For the first time I have TK music classes in my teaching schedule. Unlike my past experience teaching music to pre-school, these children are in class for a full day, don't have rest time, and come to me mid-afternoon. They are exhausted and often want to lie on the floor-- or run around! These music movement activities are perfect! They are short, of contrasting classical styles, and put the kids in touch with their bodies. The Chopin "Minute Waltz" is fast and exciting, with the kids running their fingers up and down their arms and legs in a way that is constantly moving. The focus is on themselves. Satie's "Gymnopedie" is slow with swinging arm motions. Yesterday when we got to the two arms swinging forward-and-back section, one boy exclaimed, "I love this part!" It was only the second time we had done it. The Satie is a beautifully calming experience for tired little ones who need a nap but can't have one! It's a great lead-in to a song-story or book at the end of music class.Teachers, I suggest you watch the DVD to learn the moves yourself, then make them your own to share with your classes.

My only reservation about the DVD is that the movement is from the waist up. It just takes getting used to. I can see the value of this on one hand but on the other hand, so much of our steady beat movement occurs with the feet. The dancer in the DVD is wonderful to watch. She has subtlety in her movement.When I tried it out with my students, I found it much harder for the students to do. I would not try to do all the movements at once but select two movements at a time and repeat them in a structurely sound way.

I'm gonna be honest. I got this for 16 dollars I think, and that's the only reason I grabbed it since it's usually 40. I took a fieraband class at my state convention and loved his approach and style, and there are music teachers that espouse that thsee dvds are the holy grail, but I think it's way overpriced for what it is. You can make up movements yourself to these pieces. My kindergarteners aren't engaged at all with it. Maybe it's just not right for my population, but I don't think 40 dollars is worth the price for this, not when there's tons of other free movement activities online. I could see this maybe working for preschool more, and maybe some kindergartens, but not all of them.

I have a nine year autistic daughter who loves music and loves to dance. The format of the DVD is unusual, but appropriate for children who have difficulty processing language. There are no verbal instructions. Instead, a group of dancers of all ages and types, including a man in a wheel chair, perform simple, rhythmical movement patterns. The movements are repeated slowly and then steadily build and develop throughout the video. The movements are performed to fantastic classical music. There are 20 different movement tracks of about 2 to 3 minutes each. My daughter loves this DVD and tries to learn the patterns and dance with the group. The package also includes a CD and a guide book. When she isn't moving to this DVD, she often just listens to the music.

Elementary music teachers: buy this DVD! It is a great way to get your kids engaged with classical music. My kids love following along with the movements for each song. They especially love giving names to the movements. "This part is like the sun." "This is like a fish...NO, a snake!!" "When we circle our hands like this, it's like we're stars." The DVD and CD include 20-some musical excerpts of classical music, with accompanying movements to use in the elementary classroom. The music becomes a story and the musical forms are suggested through the repeated different movements. This DVD is a must buy...and amazon's price, when I bought it, was incredible! I think I got it for $20, when it lists at $45.

This is a GREAT addition to a music teacher's set of materials......my classes follow the movements of the people on the video in a mirror fashion and they have a lot of fun doing it. Great for mixing some movement into a music teacher's classroom and uses classical music to do it. Would recommend for primary kids but a special set of older elementary students may do these movements with a teacher that has the right way of introducing them. Very good for introductory ways of showing expressiveness in movement to music and is also a nice introduction to Feirerabend for music teachers that haven't used his music learning materials.

I like the idea of expressing the different parts of the musical pieces with movement. I recently used 3 of the selections to teach my students for a December performance and both students and parents liked them. The fact that most selections are for performing without moving your feet has advantages and disadvantages. Students do want to move their feet! The positive side is that they can be done in a classroom setting or in a small space. As a "cart music teacher" I appreciate that fact!

Basically, there are about twenty clips. Each one has a different piece of music and the people on the screen (a combo of adults and children) do movements in unison that articulate the phrasing in the music. It is a great way for a child (and adult!) to understand the music through physical movement. I watch this with my 2 year old. We do the movements together and she loves it. I'm surprised this hasn't really caught on. It is so beautifully done. I find it totally irrelevant that it doesn't have high tech production values. The artistry and substance of this dvd stands on its own.

Was hoping for some more upbeat quick music. I'm an elementary music teacher. Bought this for when I have to have a substitute. Nice idea but the movements are slow and appeal more to girls.

It arrived quickly and was finally a decent price.