Table of Contents List of Music Games
Shadowing-also known as 'Mirroring', also know as
'Follow the Leader'. is a profound human activity in
which one or more persons reflects what an other is
doing, saying, emoting. Mirroring is a vital and
essential part of the development of an infant and
important throughout one's whole life time.
Note- the difference between 'Call and Echo' and
'Shadowing'. In Call and Echo a player plays a music phrase. The
group then echos what was played. This requires much
more encoding decoding and short term memory. Young
students and anxious new students can easily get
overwhelmed with this.
In many of my early attempts at facilitating
drumming, I used Call and Echo as one of my main
processes of engaging with students. I came to
notice that I would loose connection with a lot of
students. I have come to see that shadowing is a far
more accessible. If the movements are simple enough
and slow enough even young children can mirror them.
Teach and explore different movement, sound rhythmic possibilities. This is a good game for expanding the vocabulary and repertoire of sounds and rhythms and textures that a students make. Each student teachs and learns from each other student.
Call a 'Sticks Ready' or
hands ready or shakers ready" (this is a clear way
for the leader to show that the game is starting.)
"Do whatever I do". Lead with very simple patterns
that have a lot of movement to them. Use big
gestures. Work to 'telegraph' what you will do next.
Model a sense of regulated movement and rhythm.
Have assistant or more centered student go next. It
is helpful to model a sense of regulation.
Set up a norm of how to finish. I think it is good
to end with Sticks asleep, or shakers asleep. This
gets players used to down regulating at the end.
Encourage students to bring there leading to a
natural ending.
"What is a shadow? It is a shape that follows you and
does what you do. We are going to play a game that
is called the drumming Shadow."
"As I play the drum, I want you to play exactly what
I am playing." This is a chance to introduce the
range of possibilies of an instrument.
Model:
Scratching, with finger nails, finger
tips
Differant dynamics: loud, soft, medium.
Differant tempos: fast, slow, medium.
Rubbing the palm on the drum
Finger tips on the edge of the drum
Big full arm movements
This is also a chance to use various vocalizations
I change between different phrases and also use
textures like circling the edge of the drum with the
stick or rubbing the sticks together. Try to keep
a rather predictable flow.
Sticks Asleep. This is a
clear way for the leader to show that he is
completed his/her.
Assistant leads, does some similar to me and some
different.
Ask a student to be the next leader. "You play what
you want and we will shadow you."
Go around the circle and have each student lead."
Significance- by showing leadership with good
contact
Connection- playing together.
Dr Edward Tronick- Still Face Experiment. This game supports and attends to the movement, body language and nuance. Also by being mirrored, students can be come more self aware. What we call self conscious is getting stuck in the default network with a lot of anxiety. Self awareness is being in the salience system.
Discuss the theme of leaders and leadship.
Whats it like to lead?
What it is like to follow a leader?
What qualities make for a good leader?
Who are the leaders in your life
When are you a leader?