Walking Rhythm Squares

About:

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The purpose of this lesson:

Understand, read, play and compose written music in an embodied physical way.

Master moving from relaxation, to attention, to action, to celebration and back to relaxation.

Be able to appreciate and celebrate work done.

Be able to start composing, writing, reading, playing and performing simple rhythms. Then build these simple rhythm in to evolved organized forms.

Preliminaries:

Sticks Ready

Count off to a Rumble. Or Count off to a Pulse

Conducting a Stop

Balloon conductor with steps.

Mover in the Middle (show a steady rhythm vs moving in a chaotic rhythm)

Directions:

Have students sitting in a circle or in two lines

In the center, lay out a line of rhythm squares.

Leader walks the rhythm square and show the difference between "steady" and "unsteady" or "variable".

Sticks asleep or Sticks to bed.

"I want you to walk down this line so that you step on each square."

Most people will walk with one feet on each square. Some younger kids will lead with same foot then step on each square with two feet. (this is fine)

Encourage a moderate pace.

Insist that the rhythm of the walk is steady and that student steps on each square.

This first walk is to get students in moving center. This reduces anxiety. And this gets students feeling more of the sense of the pulse of a rhythm.

You can have students come up one at a time or you can make a line to walk the rhythm squares.

Next-

Lay out this pattern.

Sticks Ready - Count off - Rhythm - Sticks Ready - Celebrate - Sticks Asleep

Now each time I step on one of the notes or dot’s, I want you to play one note on the center of your bucket drum. (students can play their drum with two hands or one hand. They can alternate hands or use the same hand. Initially it doesn’t matter.)

Step on the 1st square call "Sticks ready".

Be sure students have a clean, clear "sticks ready".

Move to the next square

Count off, "1", "2", "Read- dy", "Go"

Make sure the count off is steady and is at the tempo that you will walk the squares, drummers play the center of their drums. ( they can initially use 1 or 2 hands,)

Choose students to walk the rhythm squares while all the students play the rhythm.

I use the dot to indicate playing the center of the drum head.

They land on "Sticks Ready"

"Celebrate is a time to dance around"

Then the last square is "Sticks Asleep"

I expect all students to If they are not contributing by playing they don’t earn the turn to be the leader.

Once the group demonstrates that they understands the game, have students lead and walk the squares.

Depending on number of students, age and interest you can have each student walk this level.

Have two or three walk the squares, then I introduce 'the rest'.

For the 'rest', I just flip the square over and have the blank side up.

When drummers play the rest, I have them pull their arms back, sort of like chicken wings. Having a movement for the rest helps give students the feeling of time!

As tempos get faster, 'rest' movements can become much smaller. Time is a function of movement.

Once students show that they understand the rhythm square process, they can start to rearrange the notes and rests. Emphasise to them that, this is Composing. Composing is about seeing what options you have, and what choices you make. What choicess bring about the best outcome for the situation at hand.

In many contemporary methods, composition doesn’t happen until much later in a students career, if at all. In this method they are composing from the beginning.

Students compose by creating the pattern of notes and rests. Then they walk the squares, the group plays the rhythm.

Here is a place to really see the student and their innate genius. As they compose, study why do they make the choice they are making. Here is an opportunity to know them uniquely. And to know them not as a unchanging – fixed being but rather as a being that is continually growing changing adapting inventing, re creating and being recreated!

From here, there are many directions you can go!

1) Write the notes on the white board, have students play the rhythm.

2) Write the notes on the white board, have students punch the rhythm.

3) Have students write the notes on the white board, have the whole class play the rhythm.

4) Give students a 5 note composition worksheet and write their rhythm.

5) Introduce the Edge.

6)Introduce the Side.

7) Extend to 9 notes compositions.

8) Do Walking Square Duets.

9) Do 4 + 4+1 duets.

Next add in edge tones. The edge tone is played on the far edge of the bucket drum. It approximates a snare drum sound. The dot is played in the center of the drum and approximates a bass or kick drum.

As the class becomes fluent with this game, write the rhythm on a black board or white board. Depending on the class you can either include or exclude having the squares for "sticks ready" "count off" and "celebrate". Either way these steps should be included in playing the rhythm.

Print out rhythm squares sheets and have students write their notes. Before having the students write on the sheets, draw a center note ‘dot’ and draw a ‘edge circle’ then draw some shapes that are between a dot and a circle. Point to each figure and say "What is that?" [add examples]

Insist that students make their symbols be understandable by the rest of the class.

Glitches

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Response- []
Take over the problem. I often make a rule about not throwing the shaker in the air. Sometimes we discuss if it is a good idea to throw the shake.

Problem

Response- []]
Take over the problem. I often make a rule about not throwing the shaker in the air. Sometimes we discuss if it is a good idea to throw the shake.

Students stay very small and restrained in the movement.

Needs Met:

Be attentive and attuned to another. Develop leadership skills

Be able to understand how rhythm is a procession or progression of sounds organized over a silent regular pulse.

Metaphor To Explore:

What activities in your life involve preparation, completions, doing things in order?