I’ve been recruited to teach a Spring Quarter Treble Makers class at Western Washington University in Bellingham WA, for faculty and staff under their Wellness Program. Even the educational and medical establishments have noticed there are health benefits to group singing! I’m excited about the possibilities. Great songs, clapping games, and traditional “American Play Parties” – American singing and motion games for all ages. These were entertainments from before radio, TV, and the internet. Everyone holds hands and sings, then we walk, spin, and swing together, cued by the words, while creating marvelous human origami, all punctuated by laughter. The songs often follow participants home for sharing with family and friends.
When we sing, we wake and and strengthen our bodies, improve posture, and make real human connections. All these support long-term health. When people move to music, endurance and strength are improved to a remarkable degree. I have spent a lifetime collecting, sharing, and teaching folk songs dating 1800 to the present, movement-and-motion games, and clapping games. All experience/ability levels welcome and encouraged.
