Rhythm Archtypes

1. Follow the Drummer- In this exercise the kids are lined up in a single file line behind one or more of the leaders. The leader(s) then distributes the sticks to each participant. (see note) As a steady rhythm begins to play the leader starts to go around the room drumming on anything he/she sees in a cadence—stomping his/her feet in a steady rhythm. Once the leader has drummed on something it is then the task of each student to copy the leader. Everyone in the line follows this act until the teacher can then move on to something else. This process is continued until the train has gone around the whole room and drummed on everything that can be drummed on.

2. Bodily Movements/ Sarah Says- Combining the ideas from ‘Simon Says’, ‘Follow the Leader’, and ‘The Hokey Pokey,’ this exercise uses no instruments except the body, arms, eyes, and legs. As a steady rhythm begins to play, the children are put in conglomerate formation (a conglomerate formation is one whereby the participants form one group and the leader forms another) the leader goes through a series of exercises that are then mirrored by the children. Examples might include sticking your arm in the air and shaking your leg, etc.

3. Fast-Slow-Fast-Stop- Using shakers or some easy percussion instruments the children are again put in a conglomerate formation. Using the limberjacks the teacher explains that one of the limberjacks represents a fast beat and the other represents a slow beat. When the fast beat limberjack dances the kids shake the shakers as hard as they can, and, similarly, when the slow beat limberjack dances the kids shake their shakers as softly and quietly as they can. Once this dynamic has been established you can begin to bring in the third element/cue, which is that of a rest. Once you have all three components in place this exercise works on the dynamic qualities important to recognizing and assimilating to music.

4. Shake it Up- This is a very loose lesson plan that essentially amounts to free dance. Kids form a circle and we play an assortment of different musical styles allowing/showing the kids where the beat and rhythmic pattern lies during each one. When the music stops, the kids are to freeze. Those not frozen go to some sort of penalty box in the middle of the circle for the duration of one musical snippet. This exercise intends to expose kids to a variety of rhythms and styles while working within the ideas of rest and movement.

Pow-Wow Druminators- Split the group into two and have those groups form circles. Once this is done give the kids beaters and place a drum in the middle of each circle so that each kid has a place to beat the drum. Once in this configuration, play a simple rhythmic track and have the kids beat on the drums in basic ways. Depending on how good one feels, the teacher can try to bring in more poly-rhythmic beats. The key here is to try to get the whole class to land on the top beat together, in effect creating one tone for each beat.