Techno Game

My Ocean class are now loving the game that we all call "Techno Game". This is the game that made Eric bleed, and involves them running about in a circle to music, and have to pick up a piece of red lego when the music stops.

I've been weening them on a Felix Da Housecat mix album, but today moved to some harder stuff. In fact, I moved to about as relentless and savage as techno gets - Speedy J's brutal "Loudboxer" album, a 60 minute opus of incessant percussion and menacing, snarling techno without light or melody.

I have to admit, my Ocean class of 5 year old weren't as enamoured by Speedy J as they were of Felix Da Housecat, so possibly they're more into their funky house than brutal techno, although Speedy J works better as a continuous piece and less as stop-start music to a kids game. However, young Kate was seen jigging about at one stage.

Young Fiona also seems to be developing a penchant for mixing, which is very promising indeed. The tape deck I use is broken from the day that eager Ann of M5 class offered to carry it for me, then accidently dropped it. This broke the outer case off, which means the playing tape is in clear view and can be slowed by pressing the two cassette "holes" that turn round (I do this with tedious frequency in all my classes to distort the English tapes I have to play, far more for my own amusement than the kids, who are often trying to listen to what is being said).

Anyway, Fiona loves distorting the music by pressing down upon the holes and slowing the music from a techno beat into more of what I'd describe as a "dub" beat. She also likes to press it at rhythmic intervals to create a scratching-like noise, as done by most hip-hop DJs (I'm hoping she's just being experimental and won't stray from techno to hip-hop).

I say, screw English. From now on I'm teaching all my kids about techno.