PercussivePlay:BuildingRhythmicSkills

ThroughPartwork,Poetry,andMovement

IMEAGeneralMusicWorkshop

August26,2017

RogerSamsDirectorofPublicationsandMusicEducationConsultantat

MusicIsElementary5228MayfieldRd.

Cleveland,OH44124www.MusicIsElementary.com

rogersams@mac.com

MincePieFlyFromPurposefulPathways1,

byBethAnnHepburnandRogerSamsUsedwithPermission

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.

PlaytheWoodblock

Fromtheupcomingpublication,PercussivePlay,byRogerSamsandMichaelVasquez

UsedwithPermission

PATHWAYTORhythm:4-beatechopatterns• Leadclapping4-beatechopatternsusing4andh.(Ifyourstudentsare

capableofreading$youmayuseit,althoughitisnotarhythmicvalueinthis

songanditisnotrequiredforthislesson.)Saytherhythmsyllablesthatyouuseinyourclassroomandaskthestudentstobeyourspeakingandclappingecho.

• Leadclapping4-beatechopatterns,butdonotsaytherhythmsyllables.Askthestudentstoechoclapandsaythecorrectrhythmsyllables.

PATHWAYTOLiteracy:Reading4 andh • Studentsreadtherhythmofthesong.• Askthestudentswhattheynoticeaboutthefourpatterns.(Theyareallthe

same.)• Addtextandreciteaspoem.

PATHWAYTOSinging:Roteteachingofsong• Sincethestudentsworkingonreadingthesesimplerhythmslikelywon’tyetbe

readingallofthesepitches,teachthemelodybyrote.

• PerforminABAform.Youlead4-beatechopatternsastheBSection.

• Ifyourstudentsarereadytoleadtheechopatterns,turnitintoaGrandRondowithstudentsleadingthepatterns.Eachstudentleaderselectstheirreplacementwhiletheclasssingsthesong.

PATHWAYTOComposition:Composing4-beatmotives

• Workingfromagridwithfourrowsoffourblanksonthewhiteboard,theclasscomposesa4-motivewoodblockcomposition.Eachblockrepresentsonebeat.Eachbeatisfilledinwith4 orh.Ifyourstudentsarereading$ ,youmayincludeitamongthepossibilities.

________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

• PerformthisnewcompositionastheBSectioninABAform.• Preparecompositiongridsonpaperforthestudentsanddividethemintogroups

offourorfewerstudents.Smallgroupscomposetheirown4-motivecompositionfortheUTP(untunedpercussion)instrumentoftheirchoice.Studentssharetheircompositionswiththeclass.

• PerforminaGrandRondo.• Havethegroupsofstudentsrotatearoundtheroomandread/performthe

compositionsthatothersmallgroupscreated.

PATHWAYTOMovement:Reinforcing4 and h • Havethestudentswalkaroundtheroomandsay"walk"whileyouplaya4

pulseonahanddrum.• Havethestudentsjogaroundtheroomandsay"jogging"whileyouplayh

onahanddrum.• Addanaccentedh4onthedrumtosignalstudentstoswitchbetween

walkingandjogging.Varytheamountoftimebetweenthetransitionsignaltokeepthestudentsactivelylistening.

• Askthestudentsstandstillwhileyouplaya4-beatrhythm.Thestudentsechoitbymovingtothecorrectrhythm.

• Askstudentstoidentifytheorderofmovementsthatwereusedinthe4-beatrhythm.(I.e.4 4 h 4 iswalkwalkjoggingwalk).

• Divideupintosmallgroups.Eachgroupcomposesa4-beatrhythmoftheirownusingwalkingandjogging.

• Smallgroupsdemonstratetheir4-beatmovementpatterns.Theotherstudentsidentifyornotatetherhythmsperformedbyeachgroup.

GoToBed,Tom!

Fromtheupcomingpublication,PercussivePlay,byRogerSamsandMichaelVasquez

UsedwithPermission

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

Speaktherhythmsyllablesasyouclapthepatterns.Askthestudentstosaytherhythmsyllablesastheyecho.

• Repeat.Thistimedonotsaytherhythmsyllablesasyouclapthepatterns.Askthestudentstodecodethepatternsandsaytherhythmsyllablesastheyechoclap.

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

• Studentsaddtexttotherhythmoftherhyme.

• Invitethestudentstoexploredramaticplayasiftheyaretheparentoradultcaregiver.ExploredifferentwaystousethevoicetoconvinceTomtogotobed,suchassweet,whispering,frustrated,orangry.

PATHWAYTOPartwork:RhymewithBPtransferredtoUTP

• PerformtheBPostinato.Askthestudentstowatchthepatternatleastthreetimesandjoinyouwhenthey’vegotitfiguredout.

• Dividetheclassinhalf.HalfperformstheBPostinato.Halfperformstherhythm.Tradejobs.

• ADVANCEDCHALLENGE:Askthestudentstoperformbothparts.Alwaysestablishtheostinatobeforebeginningtherhyme.

• TransfertheBP(bodypercussion)totubanoorconga.Keepthesnap.Playalow

basssoundinthecenterofthedrumonbeat1,thensnaponbeat2,thenplaybeats3and4oftheostinatoashigherpitchedtonesontheedgeofthedrum,saying,“bass,snap,tone,tone,tone,tone.”

• Putdrum/snapostinatotogetherwiththerhyme.Rotatethestudentsthroughthedrummingpart,sothatallhaveaturn.

• Addtriangleorfingercymbalsonthetworestsattheendofeveryamotive.• Transfertherhythmoftherhymetorhythmsticksorwoodblocks.

PATHWAYTOComposition:Creatingcontrastingsectionsbymakingexcuses

• Studentsperformamotivicanalysisoftherhyme,discoveringthattheformisaaba.

• Askthestudentstonotatetherhythmofthebmotive.(4. 4. 4. 4. )• Givethebmotiveanewtextwiththesamerhythm,“I’mnotsleepy.”• Modelspeakingthefollowingnewrhyme,usingthesameaabaform.

• DividetheclassinhalfandperforminABAform.Theparentstellthechildrento

gotobed(ASection)andthechildrenprotest(BSection).Tradeparts.• RepeatABAform,butthistimeeachgroupperformstheBPostinato,whilethe

otherhalftheclasssaystheirrhyme.• ADVANCEDCHALLENGE:Makethethirdsectionoftheformanargumentwith

boththeparentsandthechildrenperformingtheirpartatthesametime.Thisisgreatfun!

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

• Dividethestudentsintosmallgroups.Eachgroupcreatestheirownexcuserhymeinaabamotivicform.Thebmotivestaysthesameforallgroups;“I’mnotsleepy.”Remindthestudentsthattheamotivemustbefourbeatslong.

• Oncethegroupshavecreatedtheirtext,askthemtocreateadramaticinterpretationoftheirtext.Encouragethemtodemonstratethemeaningofthetextwiththeirbodiesandtheirvoices.

• StudentsperformaGrandRondo,withtheparentsbeingtherecurringASectionandsmallgroupsofchildrenperformingtheirexcusesascontrastingsections.

PATHWAYTOOrchestration:CreatingBodyPercussionorPieces

• ConverttheASection(poem)toaBPpiece.Havehalfoftheclassmaintainthepat/snapostinatowhiletheotherhalfclapstherhythmoftherhyme.

• Smallgroupsconverttheirspeech/dramaticcontrastingsectionstoBPpieces,transferringtherhythmoftheirspeechtovariouslevelsofBP.

• StudentsperformaBPGrandRondo.

PiccadillyTravelFromPurposefulPathways1,

byBethAnnHepburnandRogerSamsUsedwithPermission

PATHWAYTORhythm:Experiencingnotevaluesagainstthesteadybeat

• Studentswalkthetempoofthesteadybeat,whichyouestablishwithyourlefthandontempleblocksorpiano.

• Onahigherpitch,playchangesusing4,h,andH . (InDalcroze,thesearecalledquickreactionchanges.)Thestudentsrespondtotheserhythmicchangesbyclappingtherhythmicvaluesyouplay,whilemaintainingthesteadybeatintheirfeet.Theirtaskistoquicklyrespondtoyourrhythmicchanges,strivingtostayinsyncwithyourrighthandonthepianoortempleblocks.

TeacherTalk:Time,spaceandenergywhileclappingQuickReactionexercisesrequiretotalmentalandkinestheticawareness.Throughthesequickreactionexperiencesthestudentsbegintounderstandhowphysicaladjustmentsinenergy,flowofbodyweight,andsizeofmovement(space),needtooccurinordertophysicalizethemusic.Thisawarenessoftherelationshipoftime,space,andenergyneedstobebroughttotheattentionofthestudents.Forexample:thequarternoteclapwillreboundhigheroffthepalmofthecontacthand,physicallyshowingalongerlengthoftimethroughspacethananeighthnote,whichrequireslessspacebutmoreenergy.Sixteenthnoteswillutilizeevenlesstimeandspace,butsignificantlymoreenergy.

• Beginwiththequarternotepulseandchangetoeighthnotes,thensixteenthnotes.Studentsrespondbychangingasquicklyaspossibletothenewnotevalues.Varytherhythmicvaluesinunpredictableplaces.Example:

TeacherTalk:AdvancedchallengeForanadvancedchallengeputthesteadybeatinthehandsandtherhythminthefeet.Iftheclasscanmasterthatchallenge,consideralternatingtherhythmbetweenthehandsandthefeetusingawordcue,suchas“switch.”

PATHWAYTOCreativeMovement:Exploringpathways

• Returntothesimplequarternotepulseasthestudentsexplorepathways,whileyouspeakthetextoftherhyme.

• Examinedrawingsofpathwaysmadefromcircles,lines,andsquares.Havestudentsdrawthepathwaysbypointing,showingwherethatpathwaymaytakethemacrossthefloor.

Students respond to the high-pitched rhythm by clapping the rhythm.

Play the steady beat in your left hand to accompany changing rhythmic values. Students keep this beat in their feet.

• Studentstravelagivenpathwayfollowingthequarternotepulse,thenreversethepathwayandcomebacktotheirstartingplace.

• Explorethesamepathwayagain.Cantheychangehowtheytraveledthepathway?Perhapssideways,backward,low,orhigh?

• Createanewpathwayontheboardwiththeclass.Repeattheprocess,exploringthenewpathwayanddifferentwaystotravelonthatpathway.

• Askthestudentstocreatetheirownindividualpathways.Whiletheyaretravelingtheirpathways,youspeaktherhyme.Encouragethemtoexplorediversepathwayswithpromptssuchas,“Canyoumakeapathwaythatiscurved?”or“Createapathwaythatismadeupofstraightlinesandsharpturns.”

• Continuetoletthestudentsexploredifferentpathwayswhiletheylearnthe

rhymethroughechoimitation.• Whenthestudentsareabletorecitetherhymewithoutyourhelp,askthemto

travelwiththesteadybeatintheirfeetandclaptherhythmoftherhymewhiletheychantit.

TEACHERTALK:BackgroundinformationThePiccadillylineispartoftheLondonrailsystem.ThePiccadillyCircusisabustling,busycirclewithcarsandpeoplegoingheretothere.Theterm“it’slikeaPiccadilly

Circus”referstoalotofcommotionandnoise.LeicesterSquareisanotherstopalongtheroute.PATHWAYTOLiteracy:H

• Wordsarevisibleonthewhiteboard.Speaktherhymewhilethestudentslisten.• Askthestudentswhattheynoticeabouttherhyme.(Lotsof“Piccadilly.”Moves

quickly.etc.)• Studentsclaph 4,readingfromtheboard.• Speaktherhymewhilethestudentslistenforh 4 .Itoccursthreetimes.• Notateh 4 abovethewordseachtimeitoccurs.“Travelon”twotimes,and

“heretothere.”• Studentsspeaktherhymeandclaph 4 eachtimeitoccurs.• Studentsworkatdecoding“Piccadilly.”TEACHERTALK:AskingleadingquestionstosupportdiscoveryofsixteenthnotesSupportthestudentsindiscoveringthattherearefoursoundsonasinglebeat.Askquestionslike,“HowmanysoundsareinthewordPiccadilly?”and“Howmanybeatsdoesittaketosaythosefoursyllables?”Helpthestudentsarticulatetheirgrowingunderstandingwith,“Oh!So,you’resayingthattherearefoursoundsthattakeplaceonthisonebeat.”Introducetheconceptofsixteenthnotesandtheappropriatenotation.ThereareavarietyofsyllablesusedforH intoday’smusicclassrooms.Welike“ti-ka,ti-ka.”Pickasystemthatworksforyouandbeconsistent.

• NotateH aboveevery“piccadilly.”• Havethestudentswalkthesteadybeatwhilesayingtherhymeandclappingthe

rhythm.AskthemtolistenforotherplaceswheretherearefoursoundsononebeatandnotateHabovethosewords.

• Fillinthenotationforanyplaceslefttodecode:“circle”and“square.”• Studentsreadthenotationfortheentirerhymewithrhythmsyllables.

PATHWAYTOPartwork:PoemwithBP/UTPostinato

• PerformtheBPostinato.Studentswatchandjoininwhenready(simultaneousimitation).

• Dividetheclassinhalf.HalfperformstheBPostinato.Halfperformstherhyme.Tradeparts.

• TransfertheBPtovariousvocalsoundsorUTP.• Vocalsoundscanbeimitativeofautomobilesorotherformsoftransportation

(honk,beep,doorsclosing,etc.).Transfereachbodypercussionleveltoadifferentvocalsoundforafunvocalostinato.

• TransfertheBPtoUTP.Stamp=drum.Clap=woodblock.Snap=triangle.• PerformtherhymewiththeUTPostinato.

PATHWAYTOComposition:aabcformusingH • Analyzetheformoftherhyme,labelingeach4-beatmotive:aa’bc• Forpurposesofourcompositionprojectwe’regoingtoworkwithaabc.

(Studentsmaychoosetomakeana’attheveryendoftheprojectiftheywish.)

h 4 TravelStop

H 4 PiccadillyStop

4 hStopTravel

H h PiccadillyTravel

4 $Stop

h HTravelPiccadilly

• Usingthecollectionofrhythmicbuildingblocks,composea4-beatmotivebycombiningtwocards.

• Repeatthatmotive,creatingaa...• Createthebmotivebycombiningrhythmicbuildingblocksandaddthisnew

motivetotheform:aab• Createathirdmotive–c.Thisisagreattimetoreviewcadence.Theircmotive

shouldhaveastrongcadence.• Speaktheentirecompositiontogether:aabc• Playitonthefloor,usingrhythmsticksormalletsasthedrumsticksandthefloor

asadrum.• StudentsworkindividuallyorinsmallgroupstocreatetheirownPiccadillypieces

inaabcform,usingrhythmicbuildingblocks.• Sharethecompositionswiththeclass,eitherasspeechorfloordrumpieces.• Considercombiningthesecompositionswith“PiccadillyTravel.”Onegroup

playstheirfloordrumpiecewhiletherestoftheclassspeakstherhyme.

H H PiccadillyPiccadilly

h h TravelTravel