The Art of an Informance: A New Way to Look at Elementary Programs

Elementary programs are a fun way to share with families what students learn about music throughout the year. However, sometimes, they can become cumbersome for music educators. Many teachers must stop teaching their curriculum to prepare for an upcoming program. What if teachers started to view their programs through a different lens? An Informance approach creates a new pathway to informational and fun programs, but not at the expense of curriculum and instruction. 

What is an Informance?

An Informance approach is designed to share songs, dances, and activities already being taught in the classroom, so teachers do not have to completely stop everything to create a program separate from their curriculum. It is an excellent opportunity to invite families to a view into the music room and see firsthand what students are experiencing each day in their music classes. An Informance combines singing, speech, body percussion, movement, instrument playing, composition, and improvisation to highlight the musical skills they are developing every day.  

How to structure an Informance? 

A quality Informance does take some strategic planning by the teacher to make it a success. It starts with looking at your curriculum and deciding what you want to highlight to families. I have found that families like to see a little of everything that goes on in music classes to understand the elementary music world better. I have had parents and grandparents say to me through the years that they had no idea the kids were drumming or moving, etc. They were thrilled to see such a variety of activities during the Informance! An Informance can be flexible as every class does not have to do every activity. I will often assign certain songs to a particular class so they each get a featured time. Of course, it is quite easy to include an entire grade level together when singing, speaking, or performing body percussion. Classes can also be assigned various roles on a particular song, for instance, one class on barred instruments, one class singing, and one class moving, or students from each class can have special assignments during another song. I have used various ensembles from the World Music Drumming curriculum in my Informances as they combine drumming, barred instruments, and singing together. There are many possibilities for structuring an Informance depending on the grade level and the makeup of the classes.

Planning an Informance 

When planning your Informance consider a few things. Once you decide on the music you will use, plan when you will be teaching those songs and dances. The advantage of an Informance approach is that all of the songs and dances will be taught earlier, so when it’s time for the event, it’s just a matter of some review to prepare. For me, standard teaching materials such as Gameplan and the Music for Children Volumes gave my students a good set of materials that include singing, barred instruments, speech, and body percussion to share at their Informance. It should not completely stop all the teaching for six weeks as with many concerts and programs. I usually teach music for an Informance in bits and pieces throughout the first months of school and then bring them back later for review. A couple of pieces can be introduced later so they are fresh. Another advantage to using songs and dances right from the curriculum is that every student knows every song. Whether using a body percussion composition out of the Rhythmische Ubung book or folk-dance materials such as Chimes of Dunkirk, Listen to the Mockingbird, or Sashay the Donut; all students learn these during their regular music time and can perform them. This can be especially helpful in a folk-dance situation. What do you do if a class gets up to share a folk dance and someone is sick? The other classes also know the dances, so anyone can fill in a spot, so everyone has a partner, and students love to volunteer for this! While I have named some of my favorite resources above, there are many others that teachers find successful for their students. Use what works for you and your students!

Another Informance Option: Classroom Visits  

Another fun option instead of a program in the evening is to host a classroom visit for parents. I have heard from numerous teachers that evening programs do not work well in their communities because of scheduling and lack of attendance. The classroom visit allows parents to enter a music class and see instruction and learning in a music setting. It is an excellent time for parents to see their children actively making music together!

Final Thoughts 

I have been asked many times through the years why I call my events Informances. I always respond by saying the purpose is to share and inform our families about what our children do daily in music classes. To be clear, we are not performance-based. I decided long ago to stop using the word concert and change that to Informance. The response has been incredibly positive, families love knowing the songs and dances are right out of the curriculum, and they are teaching musical concepts to kids while still having fun! Never let your programs become a significant stress in your teaching life. Make them a joyful time to share music with your families and community!