Submitted by Daniel J. Fee, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

Idea posted November 9, 2004

Here are some simple movements we've done this week to the allegro from Vivaldi's Mandolin Concerto:

  • 8 step/touch to the right.
  • 8 step/touch to the left. (Now you're back where you started.)
  • You stand tall, hands at your side, and your right arm is like the hand of a clock, ticking 8 beats up until it is straight above your head.
  • Holding your right hand there, do the same 8 "ticks" with your left hand. CLAP hands above head on beat 8.
  • Right hand makes 4 "swirls" as it comes down and slaps thigh on beat four.
  • Repeat with left hand.

This is enough for the first section of music. I told the students to listen for that section to return, which it does at the end. (At least it does in my version. I'm not sure my recording has the whole allegro movement.) While waiting, we quietly kept the steady beat in several ways.

This movement can be used to teach phrase length and form (in addition to steady beat). The clock part REALLY matches the music pretty well. There were lots of smiley faces as we did this.

WARNING! There is no introduction, so you just have to be READY to GO!