Lesson Plan
The Language of Drums - A SMART Board Lesson by ECSDM
Grade Levels
Intermediate, 5th Grade
Description
Students learn basic drumming techniques and develop a basic understanding of the function of drums in different cultures. Rhythmic concepts and rhythmic reading skills are reinforced and developed through the language of drumming.
Website(s)
Drum Language of the Congo
World Music Drumming
Drum Language of Ghanaian Schools
David K. World Percussion Videos
Wikipedia Drums
Making-a-Drum.pdf
Making Drums and Percussion Instruments
Materials and Resources
Note, names and shapes - smart notebook file
Note value matching exercise - smart notebook file
Duration
Five to six 40-minute classes
Learning Objectives
Students will:
1. play hand drums using high and bass tone drumming technique.
2. perform musical echoes, questions and answers while maintaining the pulse beat.
3. read simple rhythms and perform on the drums, maintaining the pulse beat.
Materials
-Drums as available:
------Tubanos
------Conga Drums
------Dumbeks
------Djembes
------frame drums or
------home-made drums
(see web link below for information on making your own drums).
-shakers
-SMART Board, projector, computer, SMART Notebook software (Latest software available as a free download from SMART DRUM NOTEBOOK
Step by Step Procedure
LESSON ONE
- Introduce the drums and tell the students that they will learn how to make the drums talk.
- Set up the experience by introducing the different types of drums available. Using page 1 of the Drum Notebook as a guide, begin a class discussion about the origins of the drums and the uses of the drums in culture. Explore some of the web sites and videos found on pg. 1 of Drum Notebook.
- Using the letters of the word DRUM, engage students in a discussion about appropriate behavior when performing as a member of a group. D=discipline; R=respect; U=unity; M=music. (Refer to pages 2-7 of Drum Notebook)
- Drum Circle Game (to reinforce the feeling of phrasing and pulse). With the class seated in a circle, place one drum in the center of the circle (a tubano works well). Using page 8 of Drum Notebook as reference, ask the students to begin patting an 8-beat pulse; clapping on the first beat of each eight beat phrase. Each student, in turn, hits the drum on the first beat of each 8- beat phrase, moving around the circle until all have had a turn. Once everyone has hit the drum, vary the activity as follows: Everyone must find a creative way to get to the drum while still hitting it on the first beat of each 8-beat phrase.
- Introduce high tone drumming. Tell the students that they will be playing using their fingertips on the edge of the drumhead. (pg. 9) Depending on how many drums are available, you may decide to arrange the class seated in a circle with drums in front of them (two students sharing a tubano works well) or place a few drums in the middle of the circle, assign the students a number and have them go to the drums in turn. (e.g. You have 25 students and five tubanos, you assign students numbers 1-5 then have them move to the drums in groups as you call their number). Using a lead drum, teacher plays a simple rhythm pattern for the students to echo. Repeat until all have played using the high tone drumming.
- Introduce bass (low) tone drumming. Tell the students that bass tones, or low tones, are made by using the hand on the drumhead in a different way. Demonstrate how bass tones are playing using the palm of the hand. Ask the students to close their eyes and listen for the difference between the two types of drum tones. Using a lead drum, play a variety of rhythm patterns using bass and high tone drumming while students echo. Repeat until all have had a turn.
LESSON TWO
- Discuss how drums are used in different cultures to communicate. Through-out the drumming unit you may want to refer back to page 1 of the Drum Notebook for playing examples and other information related to what the students are discussing. Using the activities on the web sites (Pg. 10 and 11 of Drum Notebook) lead students to understand how drums are used for communication in these cultures.
LESSON THREE
- Musical Questions and Answers. (Page 12 of Drum Notebook). Review the two drumming techniques learned previously: high and low tone drumming. Review with the students how drums are used to communicate. Tell them they will be using the drums to perform musical questions and answers. Introduce a question such as "What's for dinner?". Instruct the students to think of a possible answer to this question but don't say it out loud. Using a lead drum, play the question on the drum. "What's for dinner?", played on a drum would be dotted quarter note+eighth+two eighths. Demonstrate for the student some examples played on the drum. "Spaghetti and meatballs", "Chinese food", "We're having pizza", or even "I don't know" are all possible answers. Give students the opportunity to respond in turn to the question played on the drum. Their response should be played within a two-beat measure of time; maintaining the pulse beat and continuing from one to the next. Alternate question/answer/question/answer, etc.
LESSON FOUR
- Teach the poem, Play Your Drum, by rote (Pg. 13 of Drum Notebook). Prompt students to pat the pulse beat while speaking the words. Once students are able to recite the words independently, have half the class clap the rhythm of the words, while the other half of the class pats the pulse beat. Switch. Display page 13 of the Drum Notebook. Have students come up to the SMART Board to notate the rhythm of "Play Your Drum". (The notes at the bottom of the page are set to "infinite cloning").
- Once students have finished notating the poem, have them clap the notation again. Give students the opportunity to play the rhythm on the drum.
- Show page 14 of the DRUM Notebook. Have students notate the poem on two lines. Notes placed on the bottom line will be patted, notes placed on the top line will be clapped. Once finished, have students try performing using two levels of body percussion. Next, transfer the patting and clapping to high and low tones on the drums. (Clap=high; Pat=low). Students perform the patterns that they have created by playing them on the drums.
LESSON FIVE
- Introduce Drum Ensemble #1. Review briefly, the high and bass tone techniques, how drums are used for communication and musical questions and answers. Explain to students that they will perform a musical piece together as an ensemble. Remind them of the DRUM standards discussed previously and the importance of working together cooperatively - listening to one another in order to produce a good performance. Divide the group into three sections, giving each section similar instruments. Refer to page 15 of the drum notebook. Teach each section the parts as suggested. Keep the steady pulse on the cowbell. Experiment with layering and dynamic contrasts, varying the performance as suggested by students.
- Use the fill-in-the-blank exercise on page 16 of the Drum Notebook to review what has been learned. Assess student skills using the drum rubric below. The rubric also appears on pg. 17 of Drum Notebook for review with students.
Assessment
* Working in small groups, give students the opportunity to create a web to stimulate discussion and review what has been learned.
* Using the drum rubric below, assess student learning.
