The appeal of rhythm and movement

Asha Singh

Children learn in a variety of ways. What is crucial is that the experiences are meaningful to their reality. Innovative teaching comprises sensitive approaches through multiple media in reaching out to children. Music, dance and drama are effective tools to capture a child's attention. This article looks at some useful dimensions of movement and drama and the changes that have been natural to the growth of the art forms in their relation to children.

Children and movement are both cosmic creations enmeshed in each other. Movement in rhythmic forms generally set to music is dance. With a personal passion for all three, it is difficult for me to decide whether: (a) the brilliance of music and dance facilitates the sense of self awareness of children; or (b) a young child's natural disposition is best nurtured through music and dance.

Whichever option it may be, movement and music do captivate children and nurture their growth, also developing their interest in the environment. All cultures have a repertoire of jingles and songs pertaining to age - appropriate needs and tasks of infants and children. There is a folk tradition in all regions and the jingles, though in different languages, which use context-specific symbols to express sentiments, evoking the same reactions. The lyrics and rhythm are such that they generate rocking, cuddling or swaying. The lyrics also stress the primacy of kinship bonds.

Fotomedia

The orientation and appeal of the young to rhythm and movement is perhaps related to life-sustaining physiological rhythms of pulse and heart. The distressed cry of an infant is soothed by the gentle rocking and the reassuring cooing of the adult. It is not without thought that children's toys and care objects have a built-in rocking motion. A chaotic class will come to reasonable order to the sound of claps or beats of the tambourine. It is a pleasure to put music on and watch the children respond. In the early years, music and movement provide sheer joy. The gentle tone of music and the rhythm of patting, rocking and swaying create a sense of trust, giving a secure experience of the vastness of space and time.

Sensitive teachers of music and dance go beyond the traditional rigour of the classical forms, realising children's natural flair for experimenting with body and sound. They incorporate meaningful digressions and suggest "swaying like a tree" or "running like a deer" or "imitating mother when she is angry" into the learning of the hasta-mudras. Similarly, along with comprehending the musical scales and learning the notes, children enjoy singing simple songs, as long as they are not pushed for expertise bereft of joy. The children's choir at the Gandharva Maha Vidyalaya (in New Delhi) has over the years taught several children to learn music with enjoyment. Bal Bhavan in Delhi has attempted to provide fun for thousands in learning to sing as also to experiment with instruments. These two instances happen to be Delhi-based, however, they are not difficult to replicate.

There are innumerable children's songs in all Indian languages, some of which have great fun value. There are many songs which teach the alphabet. My favourite is the example of a Maithli chant with accompanying rocking motion to repeat the Matras. It is incredible how some children have been able to benefit by memorising this melody. Our schools do not use the richness of existing folk methods as their training is based on "modern educational theory".

We need to take pride in using local, people-based teaching- learning methods judiciously. We can teach old Indian rhymes with as much ease as "Jack and Jill". When in workshops with teachers, you ask for songs they heard in childhood, it is a pleasure to listen to them and to collect their leaves of memory.

The recognition for creative opportunity along with sensitive caring adults is essential for energising the world of children. This has proved most rewarding in vitalising theatre experience for children. 15 years ago when I put my son in a summer theatre workshop I dreamed of him playing a clown or being an energetic lion cub prowling on all fours. He came home with a long script of a play dealing with corruption in society. I held my head in dismay.

Aditya Dhawan

Fortunately the theatre world for children has become exciting almost overnight with the pioneering efforts of several theatre enthusiasts. The major shift from product-based theatre to process-oriented workshops was initiated at the National School of Drama. With the formation of the Theatre In Education Company, the NSD opened the world of theatre to schools with relevant drama for children. This company set the trend for innovative theatre for children under the leadership of Barry John, a person trained in educational drama who had for years been doing independent work with small groups, especially mentally challenged children. Work in children's drama was also pioneered by Rekha Jain, Feisal Alkazi and now there are others who have been trained by them. Currently there are innumerable groups doing theatre for children. In the last five years, this is seen in several cities. It would only be fair to recognise the role of NSD graduates in spreading the method of meaningful theatre.

Regional theatre persons and experts have also initiated interesting drama for young children. In Chennai, it was exciting to work with Velu Saravanan who made a group of teachers crawl on fours. On being asked what he was trying to do he simply said, "You are children carrying school bags". The educative potential of theatre is undisputed.

The NSD workshops blend children of varying social class, diverse social backgrounds and mixed intellectual competencies. Experiencing differing social and contextual realities sensitises children to individual variations infusing tolerance and acceptance deeper than discussions on the virtues of being secular. In fact, the first venture at the NSD, when the workshop for children took a shift from being product oriented to being process-based, was not a play but a Celebration of Childhood titled "Jashne Bachpan". The process of planning the event enthused an excitement bringing the adults memories of their own childhood.

In the summer of 1990, the month-long workshop was to culminate in this event where children could paint, design toys, write and tell stories, laugh together, debate or argue on issues, go for elephant rides, watch a magic show or enact a skit. This was the grand finale after they had been through month-long sessions in discussions learning to explore themes, write dialogues, enact stories, play games or sometimes sit in a corner and just watch. They also learnt to paint, make masks or just have fun with group games. In subsequent years, many more groups use process-rich methods to evolve plays. The effort to help children create their own stories helps them think, speak and create appropriate dialogues. In these groups children benefit, as there is vertical grouping. They are close encounters with mixed ages and mixed skills. The experience of bonding with different ages give children a context to be caregivers or be protected by older group mates.

Another feature is the low adult child ratio. As in all our observations of children's theatre, it is one adult to fifteen children. This gives the adult the needed time to reach the child's special self. These drama teachers have sensitive details to share. "Over the years," remarks Barry. "children have become more skilled, more imaginative and more distracted." There is a tremendous amount of freedom to make choices and decisions, time for discussion, reflection and exploration of ideas. It is mostly girls who make thoughtful leaders and are also more imaginative. The drawings of children where they are encouraged to break away from the House-Tree-Flag model of art lessons, the body images seem to get lost in the vastness of the sheet of paper. Perhaps these are important aspects of the hidden facets of the mass efforts in the spread of literacy.

Aditya Arya/Fotomedia

Drama, music, movement and rhythm need not only be part of vacation exercises. In their present form, they are essential and good intellectual and emotional supplements to learning in groups to which our children have to adapt. The performance media can easily be part of the school learning process. Drama in its more innovative form can enrich classroom interactions. Exercises in movement channelise the child's need to gain mastery over his limbs, instil a sense of confidence, enhance the attention span through physical senses rather than only working with the mind. Role play and discussions help in the exchange of ideas and sensitise children to social and cultural diversity.

In conclusion, I would like to highlight the role of multiple modes of communication in the training of adults in working with children. There needs to be a large degree of sensitising to the growing and changing needs of childhood. Theatre is an extended form of drama interspected with games which are based on cooperation and learning to trust and work together. This creative structured form helps adults to review their perceptions and attitudes towards children and childhood through simulated situations. These situations are designed to evoke questions regarding children's reality and influences on their behaviour and reactions. The enacted situations tend to be disguised interventions as they mirror the prevalent nature of adult-child exchanges. The role play scripts represent adult reality as there is a presentation of what generally happens. The externalisation process diffuses the reality of we being the actors in commonplace occurrences. In the ensuing drama we do tend to identify the cultural stereotypes that bind our values to an intellectual lethargy. The contention is that innovative processes are needed for the classrooms as much as they are required for sensitising those of us who are going to be in close interactive settings with children.

The comprising elements of the Natya Shastra are in tune to with growing needs of children. It is heartening that there are positive endeavours in the creative use of music, movement, rhythm and drama for all round development. The numbers that reap rewards at present may be small; however, the efforts are easy to replicate. The exuberance of the three-dimensional artistic expression enables young minds to make associations and learn at their own pace. Often the rigidity of rule bound teaching needs to be alternated with flexibility in methods.

Dance is a translation of three-dimensional figurative images through gestures which sharpens observation. A competence in movements enables children to see and feel the detail.

Rhythm sensitises children to sound and gestures in sequences enhancing concentration.

Drama gives an opportunity to create and express with movement and with words. This provides facility for cognitive and linguistic coordination, enriching verbal proficiency and language competence.

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