Musical Learning in February!

Drums, Chickens and Pizza

Kindergarten and Grade One students started the month working with The One World Drum Company, learning about the oral traditions, geography and music of Africa.  Students practiced several drumming phrases, and learned about the “secret code” that tells us when to start and stop our music.  After all this work, we ended the week by inviting our families in to drum beside the students, and it was wonderful to see our young “experts” share their new-found skills!  On behalf of our staff and students, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to School Council & our Parent Fundraisers for providing this wonderful opportunity!   

Mortimer and his crazy song!

In the weeks that followed our drumming residency, Kindergarten students explored different ways to use instruments and our voices to retell our favorite stories.  First we used our voice and instruments to retell the story of Mortimer, the little boy who kept singing a crazy song instead of going to bed.  Then we retold the old poem, Hickory, Dickory Dock.  As we created sounds for these two stories, students explored how different instruments and different tones of voice can express feelings and ideas.

Grade One students filled the room with chickens!  Using the folk song, Chicken on the Fence Post, the chickens (students) kept the beat on their wings (arms), and then used movement, voices, djembes and xylophones to represent the  rhythm of their chicken voices.  After reinforcing their sense of beat (the steady pulse in every song), students composed their first rhythmic phrases using icons of chickens and eggs.  By speaking, clapping and playing the syllables of text, students are learning to distinguish between one and two sounds on a beat which will soon evolve into rhythmic notation.

Grade Two and Three students worked in groups to build a rondo, which is a piece of music that has one repeating section (A) that is performed between contrasting sections (B, C, D, etc.)  Grade Two students visited Rico’s Pizza Restaurant, where groups worked together to create and perform their very own musical pizza.  Then the waiter went from table to table as we sang, stopping at each table to take each group’s “musical pizza” order.  Grade Three students also worked in groups to create and perform contrasting sections for the songs “Grandma Grunts” and “Backwards Town”. 

Putting It All Together!

The two Dunduns used in our drumming session today

On our third day of drumming, Kindergarten and Grade One students learned a few new drumming patterns, including “Eight Big Beats” and the very exciting “Drum Roll”!  Then we put these new ideas together with the “Goon Doe” pattern from yesterday to create our final piece of music.  As we practiced our projects, our instructor Roger played along on his two Dunduns, which are closed double-headed cylindrical wooden drums.

Roger also shared the “Secret Code” that drummers use to communicate with each other.  When we hear this special rhythmic phrase we know it's time to start our music, or bring it to close.  Unfortunately, it really is a secret - so all I can say is that it has something to do with milk and potato chips.  If you would like to know the details, you'll just have to ask the student drummer in your family! 

After of all this hard work, Roger treated us to a Didgeridoo performance. Click on the video below to hear the rich and powerful sound of this Australian instrument.  

Our First Drum Word

In today's drumming session, Kindergarten and Grade One students reviewed the first four sounds of the "drumming alphabet".   Here's what we learned:

When we bounce our strong hand (the hand we use to write) in the center of the drum, it makes a low bass tone called Goon.  When we bounce our weak hand in the center, we play the other bass tone called Doon.   

Hands ready to play Goon Doe

Then we pull our hands to the edge, so that only our fingers rest on the head of the drum.  When we strike the drum here we make the two treble sounds of the drum, called Goe (strong hand) and Doe (weak hand).

After practicing these sounds in isolation, students then put these drum "letters" together to form our first drum "word" - Goon Doe.  If you look carefully at the picture, you'll see a strong hand ready to play Goon in the center of the drum, and a weak hand on the edge ready to play the Doe.  

So much to remember!  But once we were settled into the pattern, each pair of hands began to move in time with the other hands around the circle.  Each time we play, we work towards moving as one - one drum, one voice, one heart.  Together we can forge a connection that goes beyond words, and experience the power of belonging to a community!

African Drumming with Kindergarten and Grade One Students

A Djembe  (left) and a Tar Drum (right)

The One World Drum Co. will be working Kindergarten and Grade One students from February 5-9, exploring the sounds and culture of West Africa!

Today, students learned about two different drums.  First, our instructor Roger played an Elephant song for us a finger drum called a Tar from North Africa.  We noticed that the frame of the drum used only a little bit of wood, and decided that it must be made in a desert where there are not many trees.  As well, the desert people were traditionally nomadic, constantly traveling in search of food and water, so these drums were also very light-weight for easy transport.  

Then the students examined and played the Djembes in front of them, made with a lot of wood and very heavy.  These drums are from the rain forests of West Africa where wood is plentiful and communities can settle in one place.  We sure can learn a lot about a community by examining the drums they play!

NOTE:

On February 8^th – 9^th, parents and caregivers are invited to join us for a sharing of the student’s work from the week.  Families are encouraged to attend the class that their child(ren) is in.  The schedule is:

Thursday, February 8th				Friday, February 9th
Time	Grade	Teacher		Time	Grade	Teacher
9:10	K	Ms. Mercer AM		9:10	1	Ms. Daniels
9:40	K	Ms. Power AM		9:45	1	Mr. Pereira
				10:20	1	Ms. Plaxin
1:00	K	Ms. Power PM		10:55	1	Ms. Quesnel
1:30	K	Ms. Dixon PM		11:30	1	Ms. Cook
2:00	K	Ms. Mercer PM		12:05	1	Ms. MacDonald

We are very grateful to the Royal Oak School Council and the Parent Fundraising Committee who provided the funding for this residency.  We know that our students are in for an exciting week of drumming and music instruction!