Week 3

RHYTHM & STEADY BEAT
- CONSOLIDATION & CREATION -

What you need:

• Music book (blue)
• Pencil case

CHO-CO-LA-TE

A Chilean children clapping game

Teacher resource: Cho-co-la-te handout

Objectives:

• Keep a steady beat through movement (coordination)
• Chant the rhythm of 'Cho-co-la-te' to steady beat actions (psychomotor)
• Create own words and steady beat actions to the rhythm of 'Cho-co-la-te' (ownership) 

Experience 

Action

• In 4, 3, 2, 1 pattern, Teacher pats head, shoulders, knees in steady beat.
• In the same pattern, Teacher now claps front, claps back and fist-punches the air in front of her, in steady beat.

Action + Words

• Teacher adds words in rhythm to these two sets of steady beat actions. Each action will correspond to one syllable respectively, e.g. 'cho-co' = pats head / claps front, 'la' = pats shoulders / claps back, 'te' = pats knees / fist-punches the air.

             Cho-co cho-co la la

             Cho-co cho-co te te

             Cho-co la cho-co te

             Cho-co la te.

• Stop only when pupils have got into a rhythmic and steady groove while chanting.

Pair practice

• Pupils practise the above in pairs.

Concept

• Teacher asks pupils: Which is steady beat? Which is rhythm? Action or words?
• Pupils should also explain why.

Application

Showcase (Change words)

• Teacher models changing words to a set of actions (e.g. the clap front clap back set), on the theme of food. An example:

             Ro-ti ro-ti pra pra

             Ro-ti ro-ti ta ta

             Ro-ti pra ro-ti ta

             Ro-ti pra ta 

• Teacher briefly introduces the word 'syllables' as 'sounds a word has', and gets pupils to guess how many syllables 'cho-co-la-te' and 'ro-ti-pra-ta' have (Answer: 4).
• Pupils brainstorm on their favourite food. Teacher (re)writes pupils' favourite food in the form of four syllables, e.g. if pupil says "chic-ken rice", teacher writes "roast chic-ken rice".
• Children now get into pairs and do the following: (1) Choose a food; (2) Choose one set of actions given by Teacher earlier (e.g. either the clap front clap back or head shoulders set); (3) Practise breaking up the words to their chosen set of actions.
• After 5 minutes, children to perform in front of peers. Teacher to emphasise concert etiquette while performing: (1) Sit up straight; (2) Eyes on performers; (3) Mouths closed; (4) Clap when finished.
• Teacher might also share 'feedback etiquette' with class: (1) 1 positive comment; (2) 1 constructive comment for improvement, in the tone of helping their classmates improve, not to criticise, in line with school values.

Showcase (Change words and actions)

• Now, Teacher models changing actions to the pupils' chosen words, on the theme of food. An example:

             Ro-ti ro-ti pra pra

             Ro-ti ro-ti ta ta

             Ro-ti pra ro-ti ta

             Ro-ti pra ta 

            Ro-ti = twirl RH in the air

            pra = press RH palm down on floor

            ta = press RH palm up on floor

• Children get into pairs and practise changing their actions.
• After 5 minutes, children to perform in front of peers. Teacher to emphasise concert etiquette while performing: (1) Sit up straight; (2) Eyes on performers; (3) Mouths closed; (4) Clap when finished.
• Teacher also shares 'feedback etiquette' with class: (1) 1 positive comment; (2) 1 constructive comment for improvement, in the tone of helping their classmates improve, not to criticise, in line with school values.

Extensions

• Peer teaching: Two pairs get together. One pair teaches the other pair his/her words and actions, and vice versa.
• Check for understanding: Each pair showcases a different pair's words and actions.

Music Book

• If Teacher hasn't already done so, she writes 'rhythm = long and short beats' on whiteboard for pupils to copy into their blue music jotter-manuscript books.
• Teacher to devote last 4-5 min of lesson or real time to the awarding of CIRA stamps to exemplary pupils/pairs.

N.B.: It will suffice for pupils to just write the word 'rhythm', with verbal explanation of 'rhythm', due to pupils' developmental struggle with writing. While waiting for pupils to copy, as a musical/auditory interlude, playing the rhythm and steady beat on the piano on any note with both hands will help pupils internalise what they have learnt in a different musical context. A steady beat can be played with your LH; rhythm, your RH. I've tried this with 'Button You Must Wander' in previous lessons and found pupils humming the melody while copying, even subsequently while walking out of the music room.