Music Education Learning Plan

LESSON #2 – Creating BEATS

Lesson Time Required: 50 minutes (maybe more)

**NOTE: By this time students have already, in ELA, developed poetry and lyrics/rhymes for individual identity rap songs: known here on out as Identity Poems.

Required Resources and Materials:

-  Percussion instruments (as available): snare drums, congas, bongos, metallophones, triangle, mbira, found object instruments

-  10 “Beat Sheets”

-  Found object instruments created from resources found on: http://www.rhythmweb.com/homemade/, an option is to have student make these instruments themselves later but I prefer the idea of introducing them to the sounds and the timbre of these different instrument to determine whether or not they want to create them.

Grade Level & Conceptual Focus: Grade 6 - Identity

Key Inquiry Question: How can rap be used to positively express identity/who we are?

Arts Education Components Addressed: Creative/Productive, Critical/Responsive, Cultural/Historical

Proposed Music Learning Outcomes &Indicators:

CR 6.3 – Expanding arts vocabulary of various percussion instruments.

CH 6.3 – Listening to and playing a range of cultural instruments.

CP 6.7 – Experimenting with instruments to create compositions and to build upon compositions. Prepare, rehearse, present and assess own musical performances. Use of repetition and variety: layering voices with instruments, verse/chorus structure. Collaborate with peers to document their rhythmic phrases for their rap piece.

Planned Learning Activities:

  1. Return to the list created by the students in LESSON #1 – 4. We have already used a beat created for us by someone else. Today we will be making our own beats using percussion instruments to perform with their rap songs.
  2. What is beat? (definition: the basic unit of time in music; the pulse of the music) How do we keep the beat in music/song? What type of instruments is predominant in rap/popular/hip hop songs that keep the beat that we know?
  3. “Beat Stations” – Around the room there will be about 10 different “Beat Stations” with different percussion instruments (if possible, create sound proof “cubicles” with heavy curtains, as well, make sure you have multiples of instruments for later on in this lesson):
  1. Snare Drum
  2. Metallophones
  3. Bongos/Conga
  4. Triangle
  5. Clave
  6. Body percussion: clap, slap, tap, or stomp
  7. Mbira (“thumb piano”)
  8. Found Object instrument
  9. Found Object instrument
  10. Found Object instrument

Before each student travels out in their pairs, demonstrate how to use each instrument and give a brief history about each – ie: country of origin. Students will form groups of two and travel around to each station with their Identity Poems. At each station there will be a “Beat Sheet” (a sheet with a short percussive line of music, organized in a staff – just simple quarter and eighth note rhythms in 4/4 time will be used). One student will play and repeat the percussion line and the other student will try to rap along to their Identity poem. Students switch roles. After both have had a chance to rap and play, students will travel to the next station. Have students make note about the percussion instrument that they liked the most with their Identity poem.

  1. After every student has had a chance to work with the instruments they want they will stand at the station with the instrument they like. Groups will them be formed around these likings. If groups are uneven, ie: there is only one student at a station, ask the students to collaborate with one another; form groups with more than one percussive instrument. If groups are too large (more than five) ask students to form smaller groups of 3-4. If groups wish, they can use more than one instrument but no more than three.

5.  Students will now create a super-Identity rap with their percussive instrument forming the backing. But before each group works together everyone must learn a chorus (definition: the part of a song where a soloist is joined by a group of singer):

Lyrics for Chorus (see attached sheet for rhythm)

This is who we are

This is where we come from

We’re talkin’ ‘bout Identity, you and me

Rappin’ to the beats of our ID

This chorus will be rapped out in between each group member’s identity poem. After practicing students will move into groups

  1. Now, student must either use the beats from their station (or another station if they liked that one better) and rock out to the beats of their ID. Students will determine an order for their Identity poems and determine a basic percussive beat (is there someone in the group who can rap and play or will everyone take turns playing the percussion?). Give the students about 20 minutes to create these super Identity raps. If students need more time, use another class period to work these out to perform for the class. As well, ask students to notate their rhythm that they have decided to use or their product, which needs to be handed-in before this three week project is over.
  2. Before class ends, ask the students to write a short reflection about their experience thus far to bring to class next day.

Guiding Questions:

-  Name three elements of music have you learned about and how did we apply them (beat, texture, dynamics, repetition, and structure - verse/chorus – ABA)

-  What are some things connecting the members of your groups? What in their identity poems are similar or different to yours?

-  What did you think about rapping before this experience?

Plans for Assessment: see LESSON #3