Rhythms that Live with Us
A lesson created by Miriam Kopelow
Content Standards:
To improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments (rhythms) students will:
· improvise simple rhythmic and melodic ostinato accompaniments
· improvise short songs and instrumental pieces, using a variety of sound sources, including traditional and nontraditional sounds available in the classroom
Objectives:
· Given a demonstration and classroom discussion on the availability to use household objects as musical instruments, students will use nontraditional objects to create one rhythm on their own.
· Given an emotion or feeling, students will improvise one rhythm to express each of the given moods.
· Given an emotion or feeling, in small groups students will compose and perform one rhythm as a group
Why is it important that students learn my lesson?
For many students, music is something that seems out of reach and absent from their everyday lives. Music may be something that requires expensive instruments and years of intense training. With this lesson, students can see that not only are they capable of creating music themselves, but they have the instruments to do so all around them. Suddenly, music can become a part of their everyday, for either brief moments as they walk by a pot hanging in the kitchen or sitting down with a pair of chopsticks and a coffee tin. This lesson can take music out of the speakers and into their own hands.
Materials:
· Found objects to be used as musical instruments (enough for each student)
· STOMP video
· Computer and power chords
· Speakers
Background for Teachers:
· Stomp Dance Troupe is a group of musicians that use found objects to create elaborate and expressive rhythms. The performers themselves include percussionists, martial artists, dancers, choreographers, and others. They have toured all around the world and they stretch the limit of what music can sound and look like.
· Other groups that create rhythms with nontraditional instruments, including their bodies, are Blue Man Group, street performers, tap dancers, step performers and many more.
Steps in the Lesson:
Introduction:
· Discuss with students they think of when they hear the word “musical instrument”
· What do they think of when they hear the word “musician”? (Make note if there is a trend towards traditional definitions of these terms)
Body:
· Show clip of “Stomp Out Loud: Basketballs and Kitchen” (start at 2:55). As students are writing, ask them to write down the musical instruments used in this video
o After video discuss was this music? What instruments were used? Are these instruments? What did this music make you feel? List some emotions.
· As a group, walk over to pre-arranged collection of household objects and discus what you see
o Each student then picks an “instrument” (including mallets), takes it back to their seat, and begins playing around with it for a minute to discover the different sounds it can make
· Teacher will them write the word “rhythm” on the board and explain its meaning to the students.
o Teacher will play some examples rhythm on their instrument, asking the students to repeat by playing on their own. Repeat a few times
· Teacher will say an emotion and give a few minutes for the students to create a rhythm on their own instruments. Have students volunteer to share theirs. Repeat with a few emotions
o Examples: happy, sad, tired, dancing, walking, running
o Point out the various tempos, pitches, and techniques the students come up with. They are creating so many varieties with just one instrument.
· Next, students are going to get into groups of three or four to combine rhythms. Have students pick a favorite one they composed during the last part of the lesson or create an entirely new one.
o Have students combine rhythms to create a new rhythm with all of them playing their parts at the same time
o Have each group share, followed by support/applause from the rest of the class
Closure:
· Speak with class about the music they just created. Ask them if they would change their definitions for “musical instrument” and “musician.”
· Are the objects we used today musical instruments? What music do we hear each day that do not come from what we normally think of as musical instruments? (Cars, birds, etc.)
· Are they musicians? How are they musicians everyday outside of music class? Do they run their fingers along the fence as they walk by, whistle as they do their chores, etc?
Assessment:
· Can students create one rhythm using their own instruments?
· Can students list five objects that create music that are not traditional musical instruments?
· Can students list three ways that they can create music without a traditional musical instrument?
Adaptations/Extensions:
A lesson created by Miriam Kopelow
Content Standards:
To improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments (rhythms) students will:
· improvise simple rhythmic and melodic ostinato accompaniments
· improvise short songs and instrumental pieces, using a variety of sound sources, including traditional and nontraditional sounds available in the classroom
Objectives:
· Given a demonstration and classroom discussion on the availability to use household objects as musical instruments, students will use nontraditional objects to create one rhythm on their own.
· Given an emotion or feeling, students will improvise one rhythm to express each of the given moods.
· Given an emotion or feeling, in small groups students will compose and perform one rhythm as a group
Why is it important that students learn my lesson?
For many students, music is something that seems out of reach and absent from their everyday lives. Music may be something that requires expensive instruments and years of intense training. With this lesson, students can see that not only are they capable of creating music themselves, but they have the instruments to do so all around them. Suddenly, music can become a part of their everyday, for either brief moments as they walk by a pot hanging in the kitchen or sitting down with a pair of chopsticks and a coffee tin. This lesson can take music out of the speakers and into their own hands.
Materials:
· Found objects to be used as musical instruments (enough for each student)
· STOMP video
· Computer and power chords
· Speakers
Background for Teachers:
· Stomp Dance Troupe is a group of musicians that use found objects to create elaborate and expressive rhythms. The performers themselves include percussionists, martial artists, dancers, choreographers, and others. They have toured all around the world and they stretch the limit of what music can sound and look like.
· Other groups that create rhythms with nontraditional instruments, including their bodies, are Blue Man Group, street performers, tap dancers, step performers and many more.
Steps in the Lesson:
Introduction:
· Discuss with students they think of when they hear the word “musical instrument”
· What do they think of when they hear the word “musician”? (Make note if there is a trend towards traditional definitions of these terms)
Body:
· Show clip of “Stomp Out Loud: Basketballs and Kitchen” (start at 2:55). As students are writing, ask them to write down the musical instruments used in this video
o After video discuss was this music? What instruments were used? Are these instruments? What did this music make you feel? List some emotions.
· As a group, walk over to pre-arranged collection of household objects and discus what you see
o Each student then picks an “instrument” (including mallets), takes it back to their seat, and begins playing around with it for a minute to discover the different sounds it can make
· Teacher will them write the word “rhythm” on the board and explain its meaning to the students.
o Teacher will play some examples rhythm on their instrument, asking the students to repeat by playing on their own. Repeat a few times
· Teacher will say an emotion and give a few minutes for the students to create a rhythm on their own instruments. Have students volunteer to share theirs. Repeat with a few emotions
o Examples: happy, sad, tired, dancing, walking, running
o Point out the various tempos, pitches, and techniques the students come up with. They are creating so many varieties with just one instrument.
· Next, students are going to get into groups of three or four to combine rhythms. Have students pick a favorite one they composed during the last part of the lesson or create an entirely new one.
o Have students combine rhythms to create a new rhythm with all of them playing their parts at the same time
o Have each group share, followed by support/applause from the rest of the class
Closure:
· Speak with class about the music they just created. Ask them if they would change their definitions for “musical instrument” and “musician.”
· Are the objects we used today musical instruments? What music do we hear each day that do not come from what we normally think of as musical instruments? (Cars, birds, etc.)
· Are they musicians? How are they musicians everyday outside of music class? Do they run their fingers along the fence as they walk by, whistle as they do their chores, etc?
Assessment:
· Can students create one rhythm using their own instruments?
· Can students list five objects that create music that are not traditional musical instruments?
· Can students list three ways that they can create music without a traditional musical instrument?
Adaptations/Extensions:
- If students are not comfortable or able to create and perform a rhythm, students will be allowed to share an improvisation or play at the same time as the whole group or a small group. This way they are still playing music on a nontraditional instrument
- If students are visually impaired, their classmates can shout out instruments being played while watching the video or while playing their own instrument
- Students can improvise rhythms to help memorize formulas or other materials in any subject
- Now that they have been exposed to various types of things that can make music, they can have an open mind in approaching the instruments in cultures they are learning about in Social Studies. They could also try to make their own version of other instruments using found objects.
- In language arts, students can write about the music they hear all around them everyday. This can be a topic to practice whatever literacy skills they are exploring, including reading about the sounds around us.
