Dance and Music Project in Highland Schools

Children from four Inverness Primary schools will be working with professional artists to learn about the effects of different foods on the body.

The initiative developed by The Highland Council’s Education, Culture and Sport Service, called Your (cell) f - Our (cell) ves, involves a professional nutritionist, dancer and musician going in to schools to explore what the cells in human bodies do, through the medium of dance and music.

Dance Artist for the project is Caroline Reagh a member of the traditional dance company Dannsa. Caroline has taught dance workshops throughout the Highlands and beyond in schools and community settings.  Project musician is Fraser Stone, one of the top drummers/percussionists working in his field. From Grantown on Spey,   since leaving school, Fraser has played professionally, currently with The Old Blind Dogs and The Treacherous Orchestra, and has tutored widely in schools across Scotland.

The workshops are taking places from 24 November to 4 December in Dalneigh, Raigmore, Central and Merkinch Primaries in Inverness.  Follow-up workshops will take place in February 2010.

Through the project children will learn how food affects the working of the cells and the whole body and mind. They will also learn creative expression through the creation of short movement and music pieces using movement, body percussion and vocalizing sounds based on the parts of a cell.  The aim is to enable pupils to gain increased knowledge of working body cell parts and to learn what each part does.

Head Teacher of Raigmore Primary, Moira Leslie said: “Raigmore Primary school has a long track record of investing in the health and well being of the pupils and staff.  The very active School Nutrition Action Group welcomes this exciting opportunity to work with Caroline Reagh and Fraser Stone to bring new ideas to our health promotion agenda.  Curriculum for Excellence gives us a brilliant opportunity to put the health and wellbeing of our children at the very top of the agenda with equal importance to literacy and numeracy.” 

Lynn Johnson, Highland Council’s Arts Links Officer said:  “We are delighted to bring this exciting cross curricular pilot project to the schools at the same time that they are implementing the new Curriculum for Excellence. We welcome funding for the project which is supported by the Scottish Arts Council.”