HandDrums,RhythmSticksandOtherUntuned

Percussion

NewJerseyMusicEducationAssociationThursday,February22,2018

11:00–12:15

RogerSamsDirectorofPublicationsand

MusicEducationConsultantatMusicIsElementary5228MayfieldRd.

Cleveland,OH44122(800)888-7502

Roger@MusicIsElementary.com

www.MusicIsElementary.com

MincePieFly

fromPurposefulPathways,Book1UsedwithPermission

PATHWAYtoRHYTHM:Kinestheticallysettingup4 , h, $ • Beginwithstudentsinscatteredspace.PlaythesteadybeatontheHDandask

thestudentstokeepthebeatintheirfeet,stationaryfirstthenlocomotor.• Whenthepulsehasbeenestablished,speakthepoem.Askthestudentswhat

NellieBlyisdoinginthepoem.• Students“walklikeNellie”onthebeat.• Whenthedrumstops(onbeat8ofeachphrase),thestudentsstoptraveling.• Invitethemto“catchafly”duringthespace(whichtheyhaven’tyetlabeledasa

rest).• Addtravelingtheeighthnote.• Extractpatternsfromthepoem,fortheclasstoecho,example:

h h 4 $ h h 4 $

teacherondrumstudentsmoverhythminfeet

PATHWAYtoLITERACY:Discovertherest• Modeltherhyme,whiletrackingthesteadybeatwiththeflyicons.“Whichfly

didwecatch?”Thatflybecomesaquarterrest.

$

PATHWAYtoPARTWORK:4 , h , $ • Studentsreadrhythm.• Addtext.• Teachercreatesostinatousingicons,“fly $, fly $ ,mincepie,fly $ .” • Halftheclassonpoem.Halfonostinato.• TransfertoUTP.

- Poemonwoodblock.- Ostinatoonhanddrum.

PATHWAYtoCOMPOSITION:Composingwithicons

• Individualworkwithrhythmicbuildingblocks--iconcards(mincepie,fly).• Createostinatibyselectingandarrangingfourcards.

• Studentstravelaroundtheroomperformingtheostinatithatwerecreatedbytheirclassmatesanddiscoveringthosewhocreatedthesamepatterns.(Maybedoneafterwritingnotationoncards.)

• Clusterwiththosewhowrotethesameostinatoandpracticeasanensemble.• Listentoalloftheostinatiperformedwiththerestoftheclassonthepoem.• PerformonUTP,iftimepermits.

PlaytheWoodblockfromPercussivePlay,byRogerSamsandMichaelVasquez

UsedwithPermission

• Preparethestudentsbyleading4-beatechopatternsonwoodblockorrhythmsticks.

• Studentsreadtherhythmofthesong.• Addtextandreciteaspoem.• Teachthesongbyrote.(ThestudentsthatIdothislessonwithdon’tyethave

thesolfaskillstoreadthismelody.)

• PerforminABAform,with4-beatechopatternsastheBSection.• TurnintoaGrandRondo,withstudentsleadingtheechopatterns.• Workingfromagridwithfourrowsoffourblanks(eachblankrepresentingone

beat)theclasscomposesafour-motivewoodblockcomposition.• PerformthisnewcompositioninABAformwiththesong.• SmallgroupscomposetheirownfourmotivecompositionfortheUTP

instrumentoftheirchoice.PerforminaGrandRondo.• Considerpairingupcompositions.• Rotatestudentsaroundtheroom,sotheyarereadingthecompositionofother

students.

GoToBed,Tom!fromPercussivePlay,byRogerSamsandMichaelVasquez

UsedwithPermission

PATHWAYTORhythm:4-beatechopatternsincompoundmeter• Lead4-beatechopatternsincompoundmeter,usingonlye ,4. ,and$.

Speaktherhythmsyllablesasyouclapthepatterns.Askthestudentstosaytherhythmsyllablesastheyechothepatterns.

• Repeat.Thistimedonotsaytherhythmsyllablesasyouclapthepatterns.Askthestudentstodecodethepatternsandsaytherhythmsyllablesastheyechoclap.

PATHWAYTOLiteracy:Compoundmeterusinge 4. $. • Studentsreadtherhythmoftherhyme,sayingrhythmsyllables.

• Studentsaddtexttotherhythmoftherhyme.

PATHWAYTOPartwork:RhymewithBPtransferredtoUTP

• PerformtheBPostinato.Askthestudentstowatchthepatternatleastthreetimesandjoinyouwhenthey’vegotitfiguredout.

• Dividetheclassinhalf.HalfperformstheBPostinato.Halfperformstherhythm.Tradejobs.

• ADVANCEDCHALLENGE:Askthestudentstoperformbothparts.Alwaysestablishtheostinatobeforebeginningtherhyme.

• TransfertheBPtotubanoorconga.Keeptheclap.Playalowbasssoundinthe

centerofthedrumonbeat1,thenaclaponbeat2,thenplaybeats3and4oftheostinatoashigherpitchedtonesontheedgeofthedrum,saying,“bass,clap,tone,tone,tone,tone.”

• Putdrum/clapostinatotogetherwiththerhyme.Rotatethestudentsthroughthedrummingpart,sothatallhaveaturnplaying.

• Addtriangleorfingercymbalsonthetworestsattheendofeveryamotive.• Transfertherhythmoftherhymetorhythmsticksorwoodblocks.

PATHWAYTOComposition:Creatingcontrastingsectionsbymakingexcuses

• Studentsperformamotivicanalysisoftherhyme,discoveringthattheformis

aaba.

• Askthestudentstonotatetherhythmofthebmotive.(fourdottedquarternotes)

• Givethebmotiveanewtexttothesamerhythm,“I’mnotsleepy.”• Modelspeakingthisnewrhyme,usingthesameaabaform.

• DividetheclassinhalfandperforminABAform.The“parents”tellthechildrentogotobed(theASection)andthechildrenprotest(theBSection).Tradeparts.

• RepeatABAform,butthistimeeachgroupperformstheBPostinato,whiletheotherhalftheclasssaystheirrhyme.

• ADVANCEDCHALLENGE:HaveeachgroupperformtheBPostinatoandtheirrhymeatthesametime.

• Brainstormwaysinwhichsmallchildrenavoidgoingtobed:o Bathroomo Drinkofwatero Readastoryo I’mafraido Toohot/Toocoldo Blanketisscratchyo Anyothers?

• Dividethestudentsintosmallgroups.Eachgroupcreatestheirown“excuse”rhymeinaabamotivicform.Thebmotivestaysthesame;“I’mnotsleepy.”Remindthestudentsthattheiramotivemustbefourbeatslong.

• DRAMATICPLAY:Groupsselectoneofthefollowing“personalities”andcreateadramaticmovementinterpretationoftheirBSection.o Ababyo Shyo Achildwhoistryingtogettheirwaybybeingcuteo Sillyo Stubborno Softspokenorwhisperingo Sulkingo

• PerforminaGrandRondo,withthe“parents”beingtherecurringASectionandsmallgroupsof“children”performingtheirexcusesascontrastingsections.

ASwarmofBees

fromPercussivePlay,byRogerSamsandMichaelVasquezUsedwithPermission

PATHWAYTOCOMPOUNDMETER:Experiencethroughmovement

• Studentsskiparoundtheroomwhileyouplaythesubdivisiononadrum.

• Studentsalternatebetweenskippingfourbeatsandfreezing.

• Letthestudentsbecomecomfortablewiththispattern.Then,changethefrozen

sectiontoapushand/orpullthatissustainedoverfourbeats.

• Studentscanalsobechallengedtousevariousbodypartstopushandpullin

differentdirections(i.e.elbows,wrists,head,shoulders).

PATHWAYTOPOETRY:Learningtherhymebyrote

• Saytherhymeforthestudentsandaskthemtolistenforthemeaningoftherhyme.

• Haveaconversationaboutwhyaswarmofbeesmightbringvalue(aloadofhayorasilverspoon)andwhythevaluewouldchangeovertime.Discusshowbeespollinateourcropsandtimingisimportant.Julyistoolatetopollinatefortheharvest,whileJuneisprimepollinationtime.

• Saytherhymeagainandaskthestudentstotakenoteofthechangingvalueoftheswarms,dependingonthemonth.

• Thistime,saythefirsttwomeasuresofeachlineandaskthestudentstorespondbysayingthevalueofeachswarm(thesecondtwomeasuresofeachline).

• Studentsspeaktheentirerhymewithyou. • Studentsspeaktherhymewithoutteachersupport. • Ifyourstudentsarecapableofreadingtheserhythms(Haveyouintroducedthe

conceptofanacrusis?)youmaywishtorevisitthisrhymeonasecondday,butencounteritthroughrhythmicreading.Although,sometimesyoumayprefertobuildtherhythmicskillsinthestudents’bodieswithoutmovingtowardliteracyandrhythmreading.

PATHWAYTOPOETRY:Part-Work(Ostinatowithrhyme)

• Performthebodypercussionostinato.Askthestudentstowatchitatleastthreetimesandthenjoinyouwhentheyhaveitfiguredout.

• LeadthestudentsinnotatingtherhythmoftheBP(bodypercussion)ostinato. • StudentsperformtheBPostinato.Onceitisestablishedyouspeaktherhyme.

Tradeparts. • Dividetheclassinhalf.HalfperformstheBPostinato.Halfperformstherhyme.

Tradeparts. • Whenthestudentsknowbothpartswell,seeiftheycanperformbothpartsat

thesametime.BesuretoestablishtheBPostinatobeforetherhymebegins. • TransfertheBPrhymetothreevoicesofuntunedpercussion.Snaptransfersto

triangleorotherhighpitchedinstruments.Claptransferstohanddrum.Pattransferstotubanoorsomeotherinstrumentthatyouplaywithalternatinghands.

• CombineUTP(untunedpercussion)ostinatowiththerhyme. • Considertransferringtherhythmoftherhymetorhythmsticks,creatingan

untunedpercussionensemble. PATHWAYTOIMPROVISATION:Rhythmstobecompleted

• Modeltheimprovisationstructureforthestudents,countingtofourorclickingthetonguefourtimesduringthelasttwomeasures.Repeatthepatternthreetimes,reflectingthethree-phrasestructureoftherhyme.

• Askthestudentstojoinyouinspeakingtheimprovisationstructure.• Askthestudentstospeaktheimprovisationstructure.Modelpatting

improvisationduringthefourbeatsofrest.• Studentsspeakforfourbeatsandthenperformpattingimprovisationsforfour

beats.• PerformwiththerhymeinABAform,withtherhymebeingtheASectionand

theimprovisationstructurebeingtheBSection.• Now,demonstrateclappingtherhythmofthewordsandthenimprovisingwith

pattingforthesecondhalfofthephrase.• Studentsclapthefirsthalfofthephrase(thesetpart)andthenimprovisewith

pattingtocompleteeachphrase.• Considertransferringtountunedpercussioninstruments.