UNI T
The Orchestra Rocks with Drumlines
and Body Percussion
Focal Work: Thomas Cabanisss Drumlines
03
AIM: How can we rock with percussion and dialogue?
MATERIALS: LinkUP! student guide; LinkUP! CD; CD player; pencils; chart paper
STANDARDS: US 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; NYC 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
SUMMARY: Students explore the groove that comes from a dialogue between different rhythmic
voices.
VOCABULARY:
Dialogue: more than one voice or instrument talking or playing together in a conversation
Drumline: a group of percussionists from a marching band
Repetition: doing exactly the same thing over and over
Rhythm: a combination of sounds and/or silences
See Appendix B on page 86 for composer information.
Activity 1: Discovering Dialogue
Brainstorm as a class: What is a dialogue?
Set up a fishbowl. Student observers form a circle and observe four volunteers sitting in the
center having a conversation. Try to choose a topic of discussion that students are comfortable with
and that can ignite a heated dialogue (such as taking tests, sports teams, favorite television shows;
or even fictional controversies like a city-enforced bedtime of 7 PM for all students or a six-day
school week). The purpose of the observation is to listen to how the voices are used and how they
interact throughout the dialogue.
As this is happening, facilitate observation and discussion about the dialogue from inside the
fishbowl.
Create a chart titled Elements of Dialogue, which could include:
o taking turns / question-and-answer
o interjections and accents
o imitation and echoing
o changes in volume and dynamics
o changes in speed and tempo
o pauses and rests
Students can document their observations on SG17.
As a follow up, show the class the YouTube video of Sid Caesar and Nanette Fabray having
a dialogue, set to the first movement of Beethovens Fifth Symphony.
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SG
17
Elements of Dialogue
Some elements of a dialogue are:
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Activity 2: Rocking with Percussive Dialogue
Ask student volunteers to create different kinds of sounds by using their hands (such as clapping,
snapping, patting, or knocking). Create a chart of their ideas titled Hand Percussion Sounds.
Form a seated circle and rehearse all the sounds listed on the chart in unison. Try putting each
sound into a groove or with a steady pulse. Ask students:
Do certain sounds lend themselves to a rhythmic pattern?
Next try different groupings of the sounds. For example, divide the circle into halves, quarters,
girls and boys, or solo versus a whole group with different groups performing different sounds.
Now go back to the Elements of Dialogue chart (SG17), and try different ways of having a musical
dialogue between the various sounds and groupings.
STRING EXTENSION
Revisit your class list of extended techniques on page 34, focusing on those that have percussive
qualities (such as gently tapping on the wood of the violin). Brainstorm and experiment with any
new percussive techniques, then add one or two body percussion sounds to the Hand Percussion
Sounds list from Activity 2 (above).
Assign one group of students to play the percussive violin sounds and another to do the hand
percussion sounds. Ask students:
What does it sound like to have the instrument percussion in dialogue with the hand percussion?
Continue the activity as above.
Audience Rehearsal Score
Activity
3: copy
Using
Body Percussion to Learn Drumlines
Audience
members
all snare
drum rhythms by clapping and all
bass drum rhythms by stomping.
Drumlines - Interactive Portion
Steadily; with a groove q = 126
44
Audience
(Kids)
44
Fo-cus
Chal-lenge!
(snare..........) (bass dr.)
(snare drum)
Percussionists shout:
The Drumline
Percussionists
Thomas Cabaniss
..
Con- cen - tra - tion!
(audience claps)
..
(Clap, clap, clap, clap)
..
4 The drumline percussionists will shout:
Yo!
ChallengeWe
go, then you
go!
Challenge &
Game:
Orchestra
>
Students
copy
all
snare
drum
rhythms
by
clapping
and
all
bass
drum
rhythms
by
stomping.
The
(Piano)
> . should
> their . bestto. imitate.
> Eventually,
. . >
. try
drummers?
will
and audience members
44 play a rhythm
..
the rhythms may get too fast and complicated to imitate, but that will be half the fun!
6
Kids
(Continued on next page.)
etc.
Perc.
49
(Clap, clap,
6
clap, stomp)
(Clap, clap, stomp, stomp)
(Clap, stomp, stomp, stomp)
49
4
44& 4
UNI T
The Drumline
Percussionists
Orchestra
(Piano)
03
Fo-cus
. .
. .
Con- cen - tra - tion!
>
. >
.
.. ..
Chal-lenge!
?4
44 4
Audience
(Kids)
(snare drum)
Percussionists shout:
(snare..........) (bass dr.)
(audience claps)
. . > . .
>
>
(Clap, clap, clap, clap)
& 44
..
Perc.
Orchestra
>
(Piano)
>
>
>
>
.
.
.
.
.
.
Drumlines
44 BodyPercussion to Learn
.. (continued)
Activity 3:?Using
by stomping.
Kids
Students
copy
all snare drum rhythms by clapping and all bass
drum rhythms
6
Perc.
O.
Kids
clap, stomp)
etc.
&
. .
?
(Clap, clap,
6
(Clap, clap,
6
etc.
(Clap, clap, stomp, stomp)
>
>
> .
J
clap, stomp)
>
>
O. Perc.
. . >
.
?
J
>
(Clap, clap, stomp, stomp)
& 11
Kids
(Clap, stomp, stomp, stomp)
>
. .
>
j
>
>
.
.
(Clap, stomp, stomp, stomp)
j j
The
preceding
passage
is
played
twice.
That
is
followed
by
>
>
> twice,
.. a The
preceding passage is played
"challenge" game, outlined below. When the
>
.
. cuea again,
.
Drumline
gives theby
. the> passage is. game
outlined
performed
followed
challenge
J forona third
and final time.
the previous page. When the drumline
gives
the cue again, the passage is
..
performed for a third and final time.
(Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp)
&
11
Perc.
O.
Kids
11
? . .
..
.
.
Challenge Game: The Drumline percussionists
preceding passage is played twice. That is followed by
..The
shout:
a "challenge" game, outlinedwill
below.
When"Yo!
the Challenge - We go, then you go!"
The
will play a rhythm and audience
Drumline gives the cue again,
the drummers
passage is performed
for a third and final time. members should try their best to imitate. All snare
..
drum rhythms should be clapped and all bass drum
rhythms should be stomped. Eventually the rhythms
may get too fast and complicated to imitate, but that
will be half the fun! (TC)
(Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp)
&
11
O.
? . .
..
2009
..
2009
50
50
50
Challenge Game: The Drumline percussionists
will shout: "Yo! Challenge - We go, then you go!"
The drummers will play a rhythm and audience
members should try their best to imitate. All snare
drum rhythms should be clapped and all bass drum
rhythms should be stomped. Eventually the rhythms
may get too fast and complicated to imitate, but that
will be half the fun! (TC)
&
>
>
O.
>
.
.
.
?
J
Drumlines by Thomas Cabaniss
SG .
18
You will be clapping and stomping in this cool piece. You will be listening and responding to
the drumline as they play. Below is an example. You will have to listen carefully because this
game gets harder as it goes along.
Drumlin e part:
..
11
Perc.
Kids
(Stomp,
stomp,
stomp,
stomp)
T
a
D
fo
..
(Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp)
11
&
O.
? . .
Your part
..
..
2
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MUSICAL EXTENSION
Review some rhythmic patterns from Drumlines with the class, and experiment with your own
challenge game of dialogue while keeping a groove going.
CREATIVE EXTENSION
Revisit and practice your classs melodic phrases and ostinato from unit 2 on SG16.
In this part of the revision process, experiment with musical dialogue. If necessary, refer to
your Elements of Dialogue chart on SG17.
Ask students:
Is there already a sense of dialogue between the ostinato and layered fragments?
Can your melodic fragments be ordered to create interplay?
Do you need or want to compose new melodic material to get a sense of dialogue?
Do you want to only use your existing ostinato or create a new ostinato to enhance a sense
of dialogue?
Document the classs revised piece on chart paper.
Practice, record, share, and upload.
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