Parades
What is it?
Students move together in a line, teach leads with a drum playing a stabilizing beat.
Students can play instruments, and sometimes costumes or props.
Parades can be organized around a theme, event, or simply for fun.
They can involve marching, dancing, and playing musical instruments.
Why are parades important?
Parades let students participate in a full embodied celebrative experience
Students are learing to:
Parades are a simple, joyous way to celebrate and enjoy movement, music, and community.
Parades can be done with simple, shakers, sticks, bucket drums.
Parades can be done with little structure or highly choreographed.
Parades can give student time to get into a groove with their instrument, their movement and with other students
Parades can also incorporate masks, costumes, and props.
Parades can be used to honor, learn about various events, holidays.
stay oriented in space as they move,
keep a stable beat with their feet and legs,
play an instrument
and be related to peers and the whole group and perhaps an audience as they parade.
Level 1 Shakers:
Just give student has a shaker.
Teacher plays an organizing beat on a bigger deeper drum that students can gradually synchronize with.
Level 3:
Just give students a drum and 2 sticks. Students can play a boom chick rhythm alternating hands and try to keep a stable beat. Teacher plays the same beat. Teacher walks backwards to show the beat and steps.Level 3:
Just give students a drum and 1 stick. Students learn to play "Right, Left right" also known to kids as the 'coconut' rhythm.