K-2 Staging
Integrate movement as soon as they begin to learn the music:
· Allow the students to explore movement with their hands while singing at their desks
· Do their daily activities as they learn the music
· Move as they sing like the characters
Introduce the Areas of the Stage:
- Draw the areas of the stage on the board as found in the staging chapter of the manual.
- Play the areas of the stage game as found int eh chapter
- Then divide the class into two groups: First group are the players on the stage, the second group are the directors.
- Premise: The players, who have all been asked to stand center stage as close to center without hurting or touching other players, must go to the area of the stage the directors call out when their name is called.
- Facilitator, you the teacher, calls on a director to choose an area of the stage.
- Facilitator calls on another director to have three players move to that area of the stage.
- Continue until the directors have moved all players to other areas of the stage.
- Then, continue by having the directors use levels or shapes and balance to move the players or have them use their bodies to make inserting and balanced pictures where everyone is visible to the audience.
Work on staging with groups of characters:
· Start with the group not involved in the action first!
· Then work with the group that is the focus and is singing
· Can do this while the other students work on a project with a parent volunteer or they can help them make good choices while being “directors” observing and asking questions.
Be flexible with what you are doing. Try many methods:
· Use the “mind’s eye”, their imaginations, to picture what they are doing before they do it!
· Talk it out a bit before the students move to their beginning spot.
· Draw pictures of their plans as they describe them to you!
Do not need as much movement:
· Use hands
· Use levels
· Use unified movements
· Use “beginning spot” and “back on the dot!”
[Kindergarten NOTE: Once Kinders have an idea…set it in stone! Use plastic floor dots used in PE sold at Scholastic Discount or Mansion Athletics.]
Give it a KISS!!!
· Keep It Simple Sweeties =
· Keep Imagined Staging Simple!!
Repeat, Repeat, Repeat:
· Repeated songs are best so are repeated actions!
…Students getting distracted?
· Stop and work on it again later!!!
· Have them go and work it out on their own and come back and share after recess.
Using the USOE Song book downloadable on the USOE website: Use these activities to prepare them to be ready for staging:
· Johnny Get Your Haircut: Use activity for finding different ways of showing the same action (scissors).
· Don Gato: stage the song!
· Pizza, Pizza: Different ways to move!
Opera by Children 