This is a wonderful game, because you can teach and practice important social skills, learn and practice a particular rhythm and have fun playing a game all at the same time!
Adding the excitement of getting to a new drum, can support learning and mastering a particular pattern by not staying so directly focused on it.
I like to use the Respect Rhythm with this game because you actually get to practice respect in a first hand experience rather than just as a concept.
Provide some novelty movement, and excitement.
Help student learn to stay grounded under pressure. They have to learn to be present and not knock over a drum.
Keep large muscle movement in the lesson.
Develop team work.
Develop social skill of sharing resources, not fighting over a chair
Help the person who is lost in the center.
Stop and Go- get students used walking around in the group, moving faster, moving slower, walking backwards in the group.
Call and Echo -Students need to understand hearing a part, then playing it back.
"I will say a line, you repeat it back."
It is the rhythm of the line that is important, not
just the words.
Leader: "When you give respect,"
Group: "When you give respect,"
Leader: "Then you earn respect,"
Group: "Then you give respect,"
Do this a few times.
Listen- Now I am going to make the phrase longer.
Leader: "When you give respect,
then you earn respect"
Group: "When you give respect, then you earn respect"
Now, as we say it. we are going to play it on the drum.
You can split the group into 2 halves. And have each side play the rhythm antiphonally.
Once group can play the rhythm well enough:
Show how to get up from seat and get around drum with out knocking it over.
With assistant, show "My assistant and I both want to get to this chair, should we fight over it like this?(demonstrate a fair amount of tussle) Why not, what if I really want the chair- then should I fight for it?
What else can we do if we both want the chair?
What if someone is out in the middle and can't find an open seat, what should we do?
The right answer is let the person who can find a seat know where an empty seat is.
"Now we play the rhythm then you have 8 beats to get to a new seat." We play the rhythm, leader counts out 8 beats.
Reinforce successes
Show 'two people fighting over a drum'.
Show 'Someone is lost in the middle and can't find a chair/drum'.
If you are in a hurry, how should you get around the drum you are playing?
What if you and someone else get to a chair at the same time? Should you push them out of the way?
Novelty
Safety - Being part of a group
Growth - by problem solving and learning self control
Contributing to others, by helping them find a seat or giving up your seat for them.
[text]
How do you handle conflict over who gets something.
Have you ever been lost?
Have you ever helped someone who is lost?
As a group matures, you can add different hand percussion in. That adds tension to having to share resources.