Review of Jigs & Reels

Jigs & Reels

I have been asked to review the recent publication Jigs & Reels: A Progressive Programme of Scottish Country Dances for Teachers of Children and Young People. My only qualification for doing so is that I have used the material in a class of 10-year-olds.

My first comment has to be about the professionalism of the material. It is beautifully presented. The videos deserve special mention as they are a valuable addition to teaching resources. The dances are performed by a very competent, youthful team, although it might have been preferable to have included children closer to the age of those for whom the programme has been arranged. The videos are self-explanatory, and certainly communicate the fun of SCD. All the dancers have been very well rehearsed. Their position in the set is placed on their backs to further help identify figures and formations. A bar counter appears on the screen too. One unnecessary feature is the voice-over on some of the tracks as the videos are self-explanatory. I used one of the videos to help the children understand the need for control in their dancing, and they should be introduced to adult classes, too, to demonstrate excellent dance technique

Although clearly aimed at the Scottish curriculum, I think the publication has great value for us Frae a’ the Airts as well. It has 25 lessons, each one being organised as a matrix, with columns for organisation, music, content and teaching points. Within these columns are the following rows: warm-up suggestions, step practice, formation practice, and dance instructions. Each lesson introduces a new dance, starting with ‘school name’ circle, the name depending on where you are teaching, through to Round Reel of

Eight, which gives an idea of the strength of the curriculum. There is no attempt to introduce strathspey at this level. Encouragement is given to move at each child’s own pace through the curriculum.

The publication includes descriptions of five dances the children may encounter on social occasions such as ceilidhs and weddings, although they are not formed into a separate lesson. I think this aspect is essential in order to ensure that what children are learning has practical application in their social environment. I also see this type of programme as a way of bringing the parents into the ambit of ceilidh and then SCD.

One criticism: the first time the children meet a three-couple progression (The Merry Reapers) there is just one teaching point which explains how that happens. There is, however, no instruction on how to teach this progression. The same applies to the first instance of a two-couple progression (A Jig for Mrs Dunn). My experience is that progressions need to be taught in some depth to ensure they are learned.

Congratulations to the CPD Working Group; this publication is a first-class effort. I would certainly have felt much less confident going into my first children’s class without the benefit of this aid.

Campbell Tyler, Cape Town