Music and movement

By Amy Wallot
amy.wallot@education.ky.gov

Music and movement are a natural combination. Bardstown Independent music teacher Lederrick Wesley pairs them seamlessly in his class. I danced my way into his 1st-grade class at Bardstown Primary School to check it out.  The students started the class moving to Justin Bieber’s Beauty and a Beat, where one student would determine the movement and the others would follow.

After the warm-up, the students dove into a lesson on classical music appreciation. First, they looked at pictures of winter scenes and talked about winter activities. Next, Wesley played Antonio Vivaldi’s Winter concerto as the students closed their eyes and thought about winter. The students then worked in small groups to create a winter dance to the piece, incorporating four non-locomotor and four locomotor movements.

Wesley, a Berea College and Eastern Kentucky University graduate, likes to expose his students to all music types.

“I like to incorporate classical music into 2^nd and 1^st grades,” he said.

Students at the school have music class for 45 minutes each week.

Holden Bays (center) leads the dance floor during Lederrick Wesley’s music class at Bardstown Primary School (Bardstown Ind.).
Photo by Amy Wallot, Jan. 23, 2013

Carson Hicks closes his eyes and imagines winter while listening to Vivaldi’s concerto Winter at Bardstown Primary School (Bardstown Independent).
Photo by Amy Wallot, Jan. 23, 2013

Ary’onna Tonge pretends to make snow angels on the floor as part of her performance to Winter.
Photo by Amy Wallot, Jan. 23, 2013

Lederrick Wesley gives students advice on their classroom performance after their practice run during his class.
Photo by Amy Wallot, Jan. 23, 2013

Donovon Stone leaps through the air as part of his team’s performance to Winter.
Photo by Amy Wallot, Jan. 23, 2013

Meredith Olliges and Kamari Downs watch their classmates’ performance.
Photo by Amy Wallot, Jan. 23, 2013