This week’s new lesson plan, ‘Toys’, is for Key Stage 1 and is available by logging-in on the lessons page at www.dancenotes.co.uk
I’d like this week, also, to ask you a question:
Where do you think the Dance Curriculum is heading?
Maybe you have an idea, maybe not: either way, the following information should be useful, so I hope you can spare some time to read further: I’d suggest printing this out so you can read it a couple of times and have it to hand when you need it.
Over half term, I had a meeting with Rachael Jefferson-Buchanan, (whose full title is – take a deep breath – Senior Lecturer in PE, Dance, Education Studies & Primary Professional Practice, Bath Spa University Teaching Fellow, UK Consultant in “Fundamental Movement Skills” (STEPS PD) ) and her colleague Lorraine Franklin (for whom – thankfully – I have no title but who is a similarly well-qualified Dance Education specialist), to discuss the Dance Notes resources and how they can be made even more useful to you now and remain relevant into the future.
What is eminently clear is that:
- No-one knows for certain where the curriculum will go from here
- There is no definitive approach to teaching dance
- Different dance teachers (especially at primary level) have different aspirations and expectations from their teaching
- Everyone needs good music to work with
Let’s just repeat that last point: everyone needs good music (and I’ve some to give you – for free – if you can stay with me).
This may all sound rather vague – apart from the last point – but there’s actually an upside to the ambiguity.
Whereas in the past you would have to research the available resources (which could generally be counted on one hand), pay your money, take your choice and hope it was the right one as you’d no more budget left: now things are rather different. Now you can access what you need when you need it -and it doesn’t have to be one fixed product: you can now dictate precisely what you want – and the provider (that’s me) has to jump when you say so.
In fact this is good news for both of us. Before, I’d have to create and package a whole album of music or book of lessons, then try to find a way to let you know they were there so you could decide whether or not you needed them. Now, I can keep feeding you new material as it’s produced – and not only that, I can constantly refine and amend what’s on offer to keep up with curriculum changes and current teaching practices.
Here’s how it works: (please feel free to skip to the bits that relate to you…)
For Primary Teachers
There is already – as you have discovered – a growing number of teaching schemes online for you to download and use, with more added each month. The content and layout of these has evolved in response to feedback from teachers and currently comprises a ‘bare-bones’ classroom-friendly layout, presented in a plan that runs over 6 weeks. The topics covered reflect the teaching of my collaborators, as well as plans that have been written in direct response to requests from teachers (yes, just ask…).
In addition, there are single-unit plans, which may be used individually or combined to suit your speed and style of teaching.
So as not to crowd the ‘nuts-and-bolts’ notes that frame your teaching, supplementary information on the ‘hows’, the ‘whys’ and the ‘wherefores’ is provided in separate files. This means that information that is common to all teaching plans (for example how to approach warm-ups) isn’t replicated throughout the plans but is there for reference when you need it.
Also, the earlier ‘First Steps in Dance’ book is available to download in its entirety or as individual lessons. This has a denser layout, with detailed instructions to the teacher and specific timing to the music (a format that has been emulated and copied by other providers and suits some but not all teachers). I am currently negotiating with another Dance specialist to provide further material in a similar style for those who prefer this approach.
The advantage of this modular approach is that you can find dance plans to reflect topics you are covering in a style that suits and pick from a whole library of resources, rather than being stuck with a predefined selection.
So what’s new?
For all (don’t skip this bit…)
What’s new is the method of delivery and how it all integrates. Let me explain:
We’ve established that everyone in Dance education needs good music. And we know that there’s a whole range already available from Dance Notes (so I won’t bang on about that now). But what we’re really talking about here is future-proofing your teaching: providing a resource that will grow and develop as your needs and the demands of the curriculum shift and change. And to do that, you need constant access to both these evolving resources and the people behind their development. And guess what?…
…That’s exactly how it’s going to be.
… And guess what else? It won’t cost nearly as much as you’d think.
It all comes down to subscription. This is what ensures that I can continue to develop the materials you require while you work within your budget, knowing that your resources are being constantly updated. By subscribing, you are effectively spreading the expense with your contemporaries: it’s a bit like a car-share scheme – and taking that analogy further, the best bit is that the car won’t wear out; it will be continually upgraded and/or replaced.
Did I mention I’ve some music to give you? I’ll come to that in a moment…
Firstly, I want to tell you about the really exciting part of all of this. Imagine you had the budget to keep your own composer locked in a studio somewhere, working away to produce over 100 tracks per year for your use. And rather than bundling these tracks into arbitrary collections on CD or trying to second-guess what kind of selection you might need, the whole lot would be open for you to choose from whenever you wished. You could even put in requests for specific styles and themes or ask for rewrites. How would that be? Expensive? Well it would be, except that now you can share that cost with other teachers and it really won’t break your budget at all (Lorraine Franklin – see above – said “that’s fantastic, that’s less than the cost of a handful of CDs”).
Now everyone’s needs – as we have established – are different, so I’m proposing a flexible subscription whereby you can pick and choose from a range of resources as you need them. What I’m offering is this:
- A subscription scheme with a range of options to suit your needs and budget
- Full access to the lesson plans library (including supplementary materials) for ALL subscribers
- Full access to the new Madmusik online music library for ALL subscribers
- The ability to request edits/rewrites for Premium subscribers
- CD copies of your selected tracks (up to 10 CDs per year) OR up to 10 pre-printed teaching packs (including CDs) for Gold subscribers
Here comes the freebee…
Thanks for hanging in there: my special offer to you is this: subscribe for a minimum of 12 months and you’ll also receive
a full set of the existing Dance Notes CDs – worth £89.95 – completely free of charge.
After that period, you may cancel your subscription at any time, no quibbles (just tears…).
Kind Regards,
Brian Madigan,
Creator of Dance Notes
www.dancenotes.co.uk
madmusik@brianmadigan.com
Tel: 01225 313082 Fax: 0870 759 8462
46 Devonshire Road, Bath. BA2 6UD
To unsubscribe, please reply to this email, from or quoting your log-in address: top.t.a@hotmail.co.uk and put ‘unsubscribe’ in the subject line. Thank you.
