The Brain Dance

I’m into things, things I can touch, things that entertain, things that look cool; you get the idea. In Arts Academy we learned about the brain dance, and I was impressed with the research that went along with the dance. It is a way to help our brains develop and connect, and it is especially valuable to children, whose brains are still developing. But the thing that I found most interesting was the drum. The brain dance can be done to any music that has a beat, but doing it to a drum, to me, is more fun. A single person playing a drum can do anything and still make a pleasing noise. It is easy to keep a beat and easy to sound like you know how to hit it. So combining the brain dance with a drum, works for me.

I bought a great drum, custom made with cow hide and light enough for me to hold in my hand, so now I can be a drummer. I used the “Brain Dance” handout from the class, so now I can take advantage of the research and help kids develop their brains. Easy, it is something that I can do, it makes me look intelligent, but the best part is that it works.

At times when the students in my classroom needed a break, all I had to do was get out the drum and beat on it. My students soon learned that this was a time to get up out of their seats and start moving with the beat of the drum. As I beat the drum I would tell them the movement that would help their brain develop and coordinate with their body. We would go through the brain dance routine; they loved it, I loved it, and when we were finished, they were ready to settle down and go back to work. It was like magic.

I could tell when the attention of the class would wane and they were ready for a break and the brain dance was a tool to help me and them. Sometimes they would ask to do the brain dance and I was always glad to take the drum down off the wall and play it. It was a lot of fun and a good way for them to get the wiggles out, and they always went back to work refreshed.