Boom, Chick

About:

Rhythm is one of the things that gives our lives stability. Get up at a certain time, go to bed at a certain time. Attend a class at a certain time. Observe holidays on certain dates. Maintaining a steady rhythm in a group is like building a solid floor. With that floor, you can stand on it, you can build things on it.

Purpose of this Lesson:

Many peoples association to drumming is wild excitement and passion!
Yet drumming be is participatory or performance can make some students and groups increasingly dysregulated- basically they get too amped up!
This game provides good way to down regulate a group- to bring about more calm and stability.
As you progress, add in loud sets and teach the group to go directly from very loud right back to quiet. Also go from quiet to loud. Go fast with out loosing control.
Enable the group to maintain a steady rhythm together. This steady rhythm builds a base of stability and security.
Often when a group starts playing, they find a rhythm together, but many groups have a tenancy to quickly speed up until the rhythm becomes unsustainable. Why? I think there is a seeking excitement, novelty and perhaps avoiding making more contact with self and others.
This game also helps students to learn to make changes while still holding a steadiness. Students get to practice down regulating from the excitement of playing loud to the control of bringing it back to quiet.

Prerequisite:

Ready

Asleep

Directions:

First teach the principal of 'changing' vs 'steady'. Showing examples helps.
I like to use my dragon puppet.

"Dragon we are going to play the center of the drum then the edge of the drum going back and forth. We are going to keep our rhythm steady. Dragon quickly speeds up. I ask the group of students, "Was that stable?" Dragon varies between speeding up and slowing down. "Was that stable?" Who can show me a steady beat?
"Now join me in this Rhythm - Boom, Chick, Boom, Chick". I play center edge - center - edge.
Work on the steadiness.

Quiz the students, "Listen, I will play 'boom chick'. Tell me if I the rhythm is 'steady', 'speeding up', 'slowing down', or 'speeding up and slowing down'.

"Now lets play four 'boom chicks' on the drum. Let's play four 'in the air.'
Having a group move this rhythm without making a sound is quite beautiful! Also alternating from on the drum to in the air helps keep students present.

On the 4th beat call the direction for the next cycle.
Boom chick - Boom chick - Boom chick, "in the air"
Boom chick - Boom chick - Boom chick "on the drums"
Boom chick - Boom chick - Boom chick "whisper now"
Boom chick - Boom chick - Boom chick. "twice as fast"
Boom chick - Boom chick - Boom chick "twice as slow now"
Boom chick - Boom chick - Boom chick "really loud now"
Note after getting really loud- insist the group get right back to silent "in the air"

Glitches

Student(s) start to play a different rhythm.

Acknowledge, and celebrate those the students who are staying with the assigned rhythm.
Take Over the Problem particularly doing your own thing when something else was assigned. A game to address this is Boom,Boom - Play What You Want.

Student(s) scream when asked to be 'Really Loud'

Model 'Really Loud' that is not screaming.
Ask individual students to demonstrate 'Really Loud' that is not screaming.

After playing 'Really Loud' students don't go back to playing silently 'in the air'.

Take Over the Problem particularly getting stuck in being really loud.
Ask individual students to demonstrate. "I want to see who can play 'really loud' then play silently in the air, by themselves. Raise you hand if you want to try."
Take Over the Problem particularly getting stuck in being really loud.

Needs Met:

Safety- from the group steadiness.
Mastery- from developing ability to remain steady.

Connection- Students can develop more of a sense of becoming part a team.

Neuroscience and Psycho-physiology Basis:

[text] Executive function

Metaphor to Explore:

What are some of the steady rhythms in your life? What are some changing rhythms in your life? Look at: meal times, bed times

Extensions:

Identify the 'Boom - Chick' in recorded music.

Play 'Boom Chick' to recorded music.- Play the Down Beat- Back Beat.

Performance - This game can be used part of a performance.