Week 2

STEADY BEAT

What you need:

• Music book (blue)
• Pencil case
• 1 button / eraser

1. BUTTON YOU MUST WANDER

Teacher resource: Button You Must Wander handout

Experience 

• To teach song, *first, chant lyrics of song in rhythm, then chant in rhythm and clap in steady beat, and finally, clap in steady beat and sing in melody.
• Now add actions. Sit in a circle. RH clenched on floor in front of you or stretch out LH with RH clenched on it.
• Sing song and move hand in steady beat like this:

             Front        >      Right               >      Front        >      Right...

      or   My LH     >      Friend's LH    >       My LH    >       Friend's LH... 

             But-ton            you must                  wan                  der...

• Stop only when pupils have become familiar with the steady beat groove while singing.

N.B.: Orff-Schulwerk principles of 'Say > Say and Do > Do'.

Concept

• Now, Teacher puts 1 button / eraser on floor in front of her. She explains that they are now going to do the same actions with the button being passed around this time.
• However, no one should be able to tell where the button is.
• Teacher asks pupils why, and introduces the concept of 'steady beat'.

Application

• Game starts. Teacher starts passing the button to the right in steady beat. Everyone's right hand should be in the same steady motion, passing the button from front to right.
• Introduce one 'catcher'. His/Her eyes must be closed while pupils start singing and passing the button, opening his/her eyes from "bright eyes will find you" to locate the button.
• The catcher makes his guess after three rounds of the song OR the song ends immediately as soon as the catcher catches the 'victim' with the button, who will take over as catcher.
• Extension (psychomotor): Change hands (left hand) and play again.

Music Book

• Teacher writes 'steady beat = does not change' on whiteboard for pupils to copy into their blue music jotter-manuscript books.
• Teacher also gets pupils to divide the centre pages into CIRA, if time permits, and explains rationale.

2. ENGINE ENGINE NO. 9

Teacher resource: Engine Engine No. 9 handout

Objectives: Practise steady beat through movement

                     Bridging activity for next lesson's 'rhythm'

Experience 

• Line game in 'train' formation. Walk to a steady beat.
• Start reciting rhyme (below). After reciting the rhyme, they all clap hands to the rhythm of the response YES, NO, MAYBE SO! YES, NO, MAYBE SO!

Engine engine number nine,
Going down the East West Line.
If the train goes off the track,
Will I get my money back?
YES, NO, MAYBE SO!
YES, NO, MAYBE SO!

Concept

• Teacher introduces the response as 'rhythm', also known as 'a series of long and short beats'.

Application

• Psychomotor: Now, pupils try keeping time to the rhythm of the words with their feet, instead of walking to a steady beat.
• Inner audiation: If pupils can accomplish the above, get them to say the whole rhyme in their heads while keeping the rhythm with their feet. They only say out loud the response YES, NO, MAYBE SO!
• Instruments: Divide class into two groups, A and B, with one leader each. A will play the rhythm of the rhyme up till 'money back'; B will play the response. Both leaders will keep a steady beat on the instrument. Xylophones and metallophones can be used; 'C' can be the steady beat, 'E' can be the rhythm; 'G' can be the response.

Music Book

• Teacher writes 'rhythm = long and short beats' on whiteboard for pupils to copy into their blue music jotter-manuscript books.