Submitted by Tina Goodearl and Sue Michiels, Huron Valley, MI and Los Angeles, CA
Idea posted February 22, 2005
Costumes and Decoration - Oriental Trading has some fun hats. Have a few good students help with the selection. (Sometimes we forget to focus on them when we're busy dealing with behavior issues.) If the students like the hats, they'll wear them. Use sparkles or foil on big cardboard stars for the props, and have the children help make them. Ownership of the program is important, even with your "headache" children.
"Jazz" hands and Choreography - Suggestion for Jazz hands: have your hands held high with your fingers spread. Sweep your whole arm, or have all the children move one step sideways and back for 8 beats. Don't have movement during the entire song. Pick a simple phrase to follow, and keep the movement between 8 - 12 beats.
Have the children make up the choreography, but be prepared with suggestions. Discuss how the choreography looks with everyone doing the same thing. If not all of your students are inclined to do choreography, have a few students do the movement in the front or center of the stage.
KISS principle - Keep It Simple, Silly! Movements should be something that you can do with K-1 to keep a beat (i.e., hand pats/claps). Along with a few sparkly props, movements look elegant by keeping them precise and short. I like to tape the performance so the students can see how great they look after practicing to be coordinated.
Do more with less. I know it's hard to keep the students motivated, but just remember that the end performance is usually worth the time and effort.
- from Tina Goodearl; Huron Valley, Michigan
For Broadway costumes, don't forget dancing canes made out of dowling sticks. I spray paint the sticks with primer and then again with black paint. I add some peel and stick silver stripes (from Pep Boys) on both ends, and voilá, dancing canes.
- from Sue Michiels; Los Angeles, California