Table of Contents Music Games

Break

About:

I use the word 'Call', as in 'Call a Break', or 'Call the Celebration Rhythm'. It means to start or to signal, to conduct.
In western European classical music for the most part the written music tells you when to make certain transition in the music and when to end. The conductor helps by giving signals of precise tempo and exact stopping points. However in much the tradition of folk and world music, stops, starts and changes are called on the fly.

A good parallel of this is, in certain sports like basketball where the leader calls an 'Audible' while live action is taking place.

The name of this signals is a 'Break'. A Break is an important part of many drum and dance traditions. Breaks allow more meaningful leadership as the event is taking place.

Breaks function to mark a beginning, transition or ending.

Breaks can serve to give direction to a group while improvising.

In set written music pieces, the sections lengths and number of repeats is set by the composer. This allows for great complexity yet dictates the form.
With using breaks, a leader can, on the fly, set the number of repeats.
The group can be more attuned to when a dancer finishes an improvised section.
Also the leader can on the spot adjust if a section should end more quickly or be repeated more.


Breaks can be useful in managing 'crowd or group attention'. Typically when a group of students is talking or shuffling, the leader asks everyone to be quiet, waits, gets frustrated then gradually escalates the demand for quiet. By using a Break instead of going for quiet, you move to gets active and move together, then get quiet. You re-synchronize the group.

Purpose of this lesson:

Learn to install the 'Break' into the group culture.
How do you respond to a break,
How do you call a break,
Who gets to call a break and when.
Learning and practicing the Break is a good way to assess how the group is doing. Is the group ready for instruments? I generally don't like to hand out drums until the groups shows that it can work cooperatively with me and each other.

Prerequisites:

Sometimes this is one of the 1st games we learn. It can be done with voices, claps, shakers, or drums.

Directions:

"Who can count to 3?"

Usual response.- "1", "2", "3"
Now lets do it in rhythm
repeat after me
(said with steady beat and some extra body movement) "1", "2", "3"
"Let's add an 'asleep' at the end". (hands go into lap)

Do that a few times.
"Now I am say 'Got ta play on the right beat now' then you will say the response of '1, 2, 3' 'asleep'".
Sometimes this takes a few tries to get through the having the students listen through the call then play their response.
For young up to 8 yrs, I usually use the '1 2 3 response'.
For older students, I use 'I- got it down'
Call Response
"What is the first beat we're gonna play?" "1, 2 , 3"
"Where on the drum are we gonna play?" "On - the - top" or "1, 2, 3"
"Where on the drum are we gonna play?" "On - the - Edge" or "1, 2, 3"
"Where on the drum are we gonna play?" "On - the - Side" or "1, 2, 3"

Once students can play this, I have them play the response on the drum surface that I played the call-
I play the call on the bass; they play on the bass.
I play on the sides; they play on the sides.
I play on the edge; they play on the edge.
I play hitting the sticks; they play with their sticks.

Once the group can successfully play the response, I have them learn the call.
I have them always start with saying Sticks Ready and having them look at the group to see if their group is in fact ready.

Glitches:

• Students repeat the Call instead of the response.
1. A way of explaining this to student is questions answer. If someone asks you "What did you have for breakfast?", do you say "What did you have for breakfast?"
2. Have assistant or student model the correct response.
• Screaming. Sometimes students start screaming the Response too loudly.
1. Take over the Problem. I have dragon scream,(he usually carries on a bit an gets quite indulgent). Then dragon uses a strong but centered voice. I ask, "Which sound do you like better?"
2. Note Sometimes kids say I like the loud scream better. I respond with "For now I insist you do it this way. Strong clear voice. If you scream, that is over the line. If you break the rule, you will be asked to sit out of the activity.
• Students sometimes keep counting. "1, 2, 3 , 4, 5, 6" Occasionally this is from nervousness or impulsiveness, often it is a subtle or not so subtle rebelliousness or they are able to get a laugh and attention from the group but in a way that can become destructive the the fabric of the group.
1. Find one or more student who is counting to three correctly and say,"It is really cool that you are able to follow my direction and play the part, even when other people have so much trouble doing it. How do you do that?"
2. I have dragon 'take over the behavior'. Then ask others in the group, how to you think the effects the group when dragon keeps counting even when I asked him to count to three?
3. Or I can go frontal- and just say "that's not Ok. I asked you to count to three. You need to do what I am asking."
• Student(s) hit drums too hard
1. Take over the problemFocus on disregard for intrument and for others.
• Inattention. With inattention, it is worth trying to understand why?

Neuroscience and Psycho-Physiology Basis:

Not hearing well when in sympathetic system.

Do Deal system vs Salience

Blocks to Attention

Blocks to Cooperation or Compliance

Metaphor to Explore:

What are leaders?
Why do we have leaders
What do good leaders do?
Who gets to be leaders?
What is the responsibility of a leader?

Extensions:

Have Each student learn and Call the Break

Additional Breaks-

"Now its time- to wake up- here we go." - "Boom"

Break to a Start

Break to a Stop-1 2 3 - Asleep