Minute Masterclass Episode 96

Welcome to your one-minute masterclass. I’m Andrea Trench, founder of DiscoverDance and creator of the Foundations Course for Early Childhood Dance Educators. Today in our Power of Props series, we are talking about musical props. These are your shakers, drums, rhythm sticks, noodle sticks, giant stretching bands, and other assorted instruments. Music and dance go hand in hand. Therefore, music development should be a part of every early childhood dance program. These musical props will not only help us connect with the music, but they will assist in developing our eye tracking, crossing the midline, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills. 

Use musical props for guided explorations (specific directions given) as well as exploring the concepts of dance. Some musical prop activities you can include in your early childhood dance classes are the songs I Can Play on the Beat by Judi Cranston and Shake, Shake, Shake by Nancy Kopman. For more information, visit DiscoverDance.com.