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PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
| RECOMMENDED GRADE LEVEL | 2, 3, 4, & 5 |
| ACADEMICS | FINE ARTS |
| TEKS ADDRESSED | 1.a,b; 2.a,b; 4.a; 5.c; 6.a,b,c |
| DESCRIPTION | Students learn to perform a variety of rhythms using everyday items such as wooden dowel rods for drumsticks and 5-gallon plastic buckets for drums. Ensemble precision and teamwork will be emphasized and demonstrated in an applied cumulative performance. Students will use their buckets and sticks to explore different rhythms and timbres (sounds) that can be created through echo, call and response, ostinato, and improvised rhythm patterns. Students will discover how to combine these sounds to reflect a musical aesthetic. Furthermore, students will discover and apply rhythmic elements found in poetry and word/phrase structure in their performance on their “instruments,†and will learn stage presence techniques for performance. |
| TIME REQUIRED | 45-60 minutes 2 times per week, minimum of 5 weeks
Lesson 1: We are One. Students will learn steady beat and group responses through echo and call-and-response activities using plastic buckets and wooden sticks. Individual and group responsibility, focus and precise timing, and individual and group responses are emphasized. Lesson 2: Independence and Reliance. Students learn individual ensemble parts by combining or stacking simple rhythms into simple 2- and 3-part repeating rhythms. Lesson 3: New Flavors to Savor. Students explore different sounds. Students are led to discover at least four different types of sounds and how they can enhance a performance. Lesson 4: Rhythm Stacks and Snacks. Students learn and combine more complex rhythm ostinati. Students use word rhythm syllables to stay on track. Lesson 5: Proof in the Pudding. Students create and improvise rhythms with timbre variety that can be performed in an ostinato fashion. Students formulate word patterns or poems to facilitate instruction to peers. |
| MATERIALS | Two wooden dowel-type sticks (1/2'â€-3/4†in diameter X 10-12†long) and 1 five-gallon plastic bucket for each student. |
| APPROXIMATE COST | $0-$3.00 per student |
| TEACHER TIPS | 1. This activity can be very loud. It is essential that the leader (teacher) develop a stop signal rhythm and teach a class response. Insist that the group freeze after they play the response. 2. To get a tight, unified sound, tell the students to make it sound like a single drum instead of 2,10, or 20 drums playing. Work on one-note responses to your signal rhythm. Insist that timing be exact. 3. Experiment with center, off-center, edge, side, and other sounds and combinations. 4. Often students will come up with their own rhythms. Try to adapt them into a repeating pattern (ostinato) for the group to play. Then add another ostinato that complements it. |
| ADAPTATIONS | 1. Use body percussion instead of instruments (as in hambone). 2. Add a dance group for collaborative experience. 3. Vary the length of the performance. 4. Increase/decrease the texture (number of simultaneous ostinatos) 5. Use softer sticks or buckets for students who stray from the ensemble tempo. |
| CONTACT | Fort Worth ISD |
