Do you want to improve your programming, teaching, and calling through a greater understanding of the music? Join us for an intensive course for experienced English dance leaders with master teacher Gene Murrow.
To be a good dance leader, you must have at least a basic understanding of music to design a good evening program, communicate effectively with the musicians, and ensure that your teaching and leading adds to the dancers’ enjoyment of the music and the dance. If you feel constrained by your lack of formal musical training, this intensive course is designed for you. Recognizing the paramount importance of music in English dance and the wish to uphold the long-standing tradition of using live music whenever possible, this course will help you understand the relationship of dance and music more fully, to plan superior programs, and to communicate with musicians more effectively to produce music that is danceable, appropriate, and enjoyable for all.
The course consists of three required class periods per day at Hey Days English Dance and Music Week. During the remaining class periods, you are welcome to take whichever classes you like.
Lessons in playing and reading music
The course offers non-musicians an opportunity to experience what it is like to make music in beginning recorder class for all. The daily session in reading and playing music is a key to the success of the course if you do not play an instrument at all; you will “walk a mile” in the shoes of the musicians with whom you work in the course of your calling career. Laura Kuhlman, a renowned early musician and recorder teacher, will lead this class. If you are already a musician on a different instrument, you are welcome to learn this new instrument or you may elect to participate in one of the other classes during this period.
Discussion Session
Gene has created an excellent Resource Guide containing numerous articles, examples, and exercises by various authors. This Guide provides a focus for the discussion class period led by Gene in a supportive atmosphere among peers, and will be a handy resource when you return to your home community. Using the Resource Guide as a basis for presentations, exercises, and discussions, we will cover such topics as: musical vocabulary; the historical context of the English dance musical repertory; the styles of English dance music; how to identify the important musical characteristics of dances and determine a dance tune’s style, tempo, and character; the musical challenges presented by particular dances; coordinating music and movement (issues of structure and meter); planning a strong program; and working with and communicating with dance musicians.
Callers Practice
Each day, you will get a chance to call, dance, and observe at a session led by you, the callers in the intensive, with a supportive cohort of dancers and staff musicians. This is your time to practice your new skills in calling and working with musicians. Gene will provide helpful and constructive feedback.
At the conclusion of this course, you will be able to:
- Determine the structure, meter, and rhythmic character of an English dance tune from the printed music alone or a recording, and be able to “doodle” at least a reasonable facsimile of the tune
- Properly align the movements described in the printed dance directions with the music
- Determine a suitable tempo for the music and communicate it effectively to the musicians
- Determine the correct character of the music, based on the dance and appropriate historical context, and communicate these elements effectively to the musicians
- Properly coordinate the mechanical elements of teaching and prompting dances to live music
- Design a program of English dances that reflects important musical, as well as choreographic and other considerations
- Play very simple dance tunes on the recorder and be able to progress further on the recorder with the aid of a teacher or through self-instruction
- Oversee the engagement and direction of musicians for a class, dance party, or ball in a manner that produces enjoyment and satisfaction for the dancers and musicians alike
Course Materials
Bring an inexpensive but high-quality recorder and the Barnes book English Dance Tunes Volume I. The Resource Guide will be provided at Hey Days.
Application
Participation is by application. The course has limited enrollment. To apply for this course, use the regular online registration form for camp and click ‘yes’ to the question about applying for the intensive. This will take you to a section of the registration form specific to the intensive. Register as soon as possible, but by February 6 at the latest. We will notify you if you are accepted into the course no later than February 20.
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