Performing jazz offers students the opportunity to participate in a unique group activity where notated passages are blended with exciting moments of improvisation. Expectations have risen over the years as middle and high school jazz ensembles have proved that they can perform at a very high level. This expectation however, has led to the…

Belly dance is a folk dance with a history that can be traced back to the beginnings of civilization. It is a form of expression and movement that has been used for hundreds of years in religious ceremonies, birthing rituals, and social and familial gatherings in the Middle East. Students of belly dance can increase their muscular strength and…

Ideas, activities, and guidelines are presented for the teacher of dance at the secondary level. A variety of basic movements are presented as well as more complex interrelated moves for dance groups. Suggestions are given for production and performance of dance programs. Resources for the teacher (films, books, records) are listed. (JD)

Discusses how to teach the expressive aspects of music more effectively. For example, teachers can use verbal imagery to communicate how music is expressive of the human condition. Students should be encouraged to experiment with the possibilities of musical expression and allowed to choose their own mode of expression. (AM)

Bringing about sensitivity to the composing process entails not only writing itself but the exploration of life around us. (KS)

Notes that the beginning of the 20th century witnessed "The Manifesto Moment"--a ten-year period of "glorious madness" in which nearly every "-ism" that people identify with Modernism proclaimed its existence. Considers how in a time of heightened student violence, the manifesto may offer young writers a proactive strategy for expressing their…

Fictional reconstruction of the anguish a simple assignment can cause a student. (JH)

The collection of 580 provocative writing prompts in this book is designed to release students from standardized writing assessments and encourage student research, reflection, and exploration. Seeing creative and expository writing for English and other subjects as multidisciplinary opportunities for self-expression, the author of the book…

Illustrates, in words and pictures, a method for capturing the writer's stream of consciousness with self and for melding it with photographic expression. (KS)

Examined the writing forms used as a means of self-expression by 148 high school students. Results indicated the majority of the participants utilized at least one writing mode. Females and those who were juniors in high school reported more frequent use of these than did males and seniors. (Author/BL)

Explains how a teacher asks her students to write on topics close to their hearts and how she, in turn, writes her own heartfelt essays and shares them with her students. Contains one such essay, in which the author describes how she narrowly escaped serious injury when, as a teenager, she jumped on a moving vehicle. (TB)

Describes a lesson in which students drew their own self-portraits following three criteria: (1) use mixed media; (2) emphasize expressiveness of facial features; and (3) focus on the eyes. Asserts that students were not allowed to use an opaque projector or copy from photographs. Reports the students had difficulty drawing the planes of their…

With the increasing curricular demands on teachers, many educators wonder if students find adequate opportunities to think. While visiting educators and students in Franklin County, Tennessee, a college instructor discovered a successful program designed to help students think in meaningful ways about their lives. The contest, established by Sir…