I have delivered many, many dance cpd sessions over the years & the common question is ‘where do you find your music?’ So I have put together a list of my regular ‘go-to’ pieces, complete with the name of the artist, a direct link to that song on iTunes & themes that I think they could match with. This is obviously not a complete list but it is a really good start and I recommend building up your own library of 'music for dance - it makes finding suitable music so much quicker! But if I can give you one piece of advice when finding music for dance… don’t look for the perfect piece of music (it doesn’t exist!) - just look for a good match - then stop looking! Another tip - a good place to start are film scores - they’ve been written with a visual image in mind - doing The Romans? Then something on the score of ‘Gladiator’ will probably suit. This is mainly aimed at KS1 & 2, but a good piece of music doesn’t have age boundaries… I hope you enjoy them.

Three easy to follow dance lessons following the story of Goldilocks that allow the children to be very active and creative. The first lesson plan follows Goldilocks travelling through the forest & entering the house. The second lesson introduces the porridge and the chairs. The third lesson has Goldilocks trying out the beds & the bears returning. A final lesson could be added to amalgamate the whole story. Each lesson plan includes suggested music (with a link to it), a column at the side that identifies the key skill for each section of the lesson as well as hints & tips along the way to help you identify good work and anticipate any possible problems. The lessons are very inclusive as they ask the children to find their own way of moving, they also do not require the teacher to dance along - but to ask questions & describe what they see the children doing.

This pack includes 4 easy to follow dance lessons that cover cave paintings hunter gatherers moving from caves to simple houses into the Iron Age with the creation of weapons (battles). Each lesson comes with a link to suitable music as well as hints and tips along the way to help you to keep the children on task and challenged. There is also a side column indicates the key skill for each section of the lesson. The lessons are in step-by-step form that require the teacher to simply ask questions & set tasks - this allows the children to be very creative & it is also a very inclusive way of working. If you require any further support please feel free to contact me at cpring@live.co.uk

3 creative dance lessons based on the story of Owl Babies by Martin Waddle. The first lesson covers the nest & could link to animal habitats, the second uses the idea of the owl babies coming out onto their various branches whilst waiting for their mother & uses the difference of the branch, the twig & the old ivy. The final lesson looks at the mother flying & returning to the nest. Each lesson comes in a step by step format & requires the teacher to simply ask questions & set tasks to allow the children to respond creatively. There are hints & tips along the way to assist, as well as a column indicating the key skill in each section of the lesson & a link to suitable music. If you require any further help please contact me at cpring@live.co.uk

Creative & active dance lessons ready for fireworks night! Each comes with suggested music & step by step tasks for the teacher to set to allow the children to devise their own responses. The lesson on bonfires uses ribbons or pieces of material & would work with ks1 or lower ks2. The Guy Fawkes lesson uses the story of the attempt to blow up Parliament & is more in line with upper ks2, it uses the rhyme ‘Remember, remember the 5th of November…’

3 easy to follow lessons plans based on Eric Carle’s ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’. Each lesson plan comes with a music suggestion & is written in step-by-step form with the associated skills for each section being clearly highlighted. The lessons are designed for the teacher to simply ask questions & set tasks to allow the children to respond creatively. The lessons could be amalgamated in a final lesson to create a short performance piece of three distinct sections. The lessons could link easily with topics such as Life Cycles, Change, Spring or even healthy eating!

This resource uses themes and ideas linked directly to David Walliams wonderful novel ‘Gangsta Granny’. Each lesson comes in a clear, easy to follow format where the children respond to tasks (rather than learn patterns of steps) that make the work creative, inclusive and easy for the non-specialist teacher to deliver successfully. The links to the text are clearly identified, thus consolidating their understanding of techniques used in literacy lessons. There are also hints and tips along the way to assist classroom management, and the skills for each section are shown in a side column - not forgetting a music suggestion for each lesson (with a direct link). There are 16 lessons in total - these are for you to select from (you don’t need to complete all of them!), or if you were thinking of putting on a whole school performance you might split the sections between a number of classes.

These 3 dance lessons cover themes of plate tectonics & how this affects Japan, Mount Fuji (volcanoes), The painting The Great Wave & tsunamis as well as the Japan being known as ‘The Land of the Rising Sun’ & its flag. All lesson plans are written in a step by step format taking you through the lesson logically, but with the focus being on the children generating the movement ideas rather than you teaching them ‘steps’ for them to recreate. With each section of the lesson there are hints and tips along the way regarding how to structure sections, or things to look out for… the key skill(s) of each section is also identified. There is a suggestion of the type of music you might use & a link to it… this is purely to save you time… feel free to select other music that you might prefer or think more suitable for your group. The lessons can be delivered in any order & they could be amalgamated at the end to create a ‘Japan’ dance.

10 dance lessons based on the lovely, lovely ‘Ice Monster’ by David Walliams. The lessons are written in a clear step by step format to allow the teacher to simply ask questions to prompt ideas and actions from the children. The plans come with a guide to the skills for each section of the lesson and a link to suitable music. Hints & tips are included to assist you in delivering a successful lesson. Whilst there are 10 lessons, you do not need to complete every one… they follow the narrative so you can easily jump to the lesson that complements the work you are covering. The lessons are very active, encourage group working & problem solving and have opportunites for the children to watch and feedback on the work of others.

6 step by step lesson plans to support the non-specialist teacher to deliver a high quality, creative dance experience. Each lesson plan comes with a link for suitable music as well as a breakdown of the skills that each section of the lesson focuses on. The lessons follow the story, the first covering the children’s evacuation to their Uncles house; the second playing hide & seek & Lucy discovering Narnia; the third with Edmund following Lucy & meeting the Witch; the fourth looks at the characters that the witch has turned to stone; the fifth where winter turns to spring & the final plan covers the battle. It is not essential to cover every lesson.

This is an experiment for me. I’d really appreciate your feedback. I’ve put the stepping stones of a dance lesson for ks2 in the format of a powerpoint. (In the same way as I do in my written resources). So, as a teacher, you can either use the powerpoint for yourself or you could share it with the students so they use it to remind them what to do or become more independent. The benefits could include helping the students to stay on track less talk time by the teacher suitable for supply teachers to deliver help to support NQT’s as they develop their skills The music I would suggest using include… Storm 3000 by Leftfield (for y5 or 6) or Bubble & Slide by The Sabres of Paradise or Forbidden Colours by Sakamoto (for something gentle) or Black Sands by Bonobo (for y3 or 4). All of which should be available on iTunes, Spotify or You Tube. clairepringdance.com cpring@live.co.uk

5 primary dance lessons that cover a range of sporting activities focusing on ~ Athletics (running, jumping, throwing) In the Pool (diving & swimming) Tennis (serving and rallying) Fencing (en garde position, advancing/retreating, lunging) Winter Sports (skiing & skating) Each lesson plan is written in a detailed, step by step approach where the children are encouraged to work creatively and often co-operatively, this also assists with inclusivity and allows students to work at their own level. Hints & tips are included along the way to help you sustain the pace of the lesson, as well as a guide to the skills being developed in each section. The focus of these lessons are to abstract the movement content from the sport rather than recreate it. A suggestion for suitable music is included which should be available on platforms such as iTunes, Spotify & YouTube