Song Notation

Now That’s Tap

Interactive Learning and Presentation Options:

Song Notation (Projectable)
Song Notation (Interactive Performance)
Song Notation (Animated)
Song Notation (Printable)
Instructional Activity (Interactive)

/ Audio Options:

Song Vocal Track
Song Accompaniment Track

Integrated Curriculum: Related Arts

Students will learn about tap dancing.

Display Slide 1 of Song Notation (Projectable): Now That's Tap. Call on a volunteer to read the text aloud. Then share additional information about tap dancing with students:

Tap dancing originated in the United States before 1800. The dance form evolved from a combination of African drumming and European clog and step dancing. Tapping became popular when vaudeville's Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and John Bubbles refined the steps. Later, films featuring Fred Astaire, Eleanore Powell, and the Nicholas Brothers helped to establish tap dancing as an art form. Today, the world-famous Rockettes of Radio City Music Hall in New York City always include tap-dancing routines in their performances.

Inform students that there are three terms familiar to all tap dancers: stealing steps, where one dancer copies another dancer's steps, and challenges or trading fours, where one dancer tries to top, or outdo, another dancer's steps to four measures (16 beats).

Integrated Curriculum: Social Studies—Culture

Students will explore the African-American cultural experience, as expressed in dance.

Display Slide 2 of Song Notation (Projectable): Now That's Tap. Ask students to read the first two paragraphs of text. Then share additional information about the Broadway show Bring In Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk with students:

The contemporary Broadway musical Bring In Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk, traces the history of tap dancing through many different places and styles, and, in doing so, relates the African-American experience through music, dance, and song. The selection "Now That's Tap" contains lyrics that proclaim to the listener that this dancer is leaving thoughts of money trouble and a hard life behind. Premiering in November 1995, in New York City, the show won four Tony awards in 1996: Best Director, musical (George C. Wolfe); best Choreography (Savion Glover); Best Featured Actress, musical (Ann Duquesnay); and Best Lighting Design, musical (Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer).

Reading and Notating Music: Reading Rhythm

Students will read and perform a speech piece from a Broadway show that contains syncopated rhythms.

Display Slide 3 of Song Notation (Projectable): Now That's Tap. Have students

Pat the rhythm shown, alternating hands.
Add the lyrics and speak in rhythm.

Display Slide 4 of the projectable, and call on a volunteer to read the first paragraph aloud. Discuss ties with students, pointing out that ties essentially "tie" note values together. Explain that in 4/4 time, normally the accent falls on beats 1 and 3 of a measure. In this example, however, tying notes together causes accented rhythms that are “off” the beat. This is syncopation.

ASKWhat is different about the rhythms on this slide from the rhythms on the previous slide? (On the previous slide, the accents were all on the beat.)

Display Slide 5 of Song Notation (Projectable): Now That's Tap. Ask students to identify any measures that contain even rhythm patterns (measure 3), and measures that contain syncopated patterns (measures 1, 2, and 4). Lead students in patting selected examples of syncopated and even rhythm patterns, alternating hands. Then perform the entire speech piece in rhythm.

Use one of the interactive or audio options—Song Notation (Interactive Performance) or Song Vocal Track—to have students speak "Now That's Tap." Then use the following questions to lead a discussion about students’ experience with syncopation.

What effect does adding syncopation to the rhythm have on a piece of music?
How does the syncopated music make you feel?
Does the syncopation make the music easier or harder to listen to?
Does the syncopation make the music easier or harder to read?
Does the syncopation make the music easier or harder to perform?

Once students have performed the speech piece with Song Notation (Interactive Performance) or Song Vocal Track, challenge them to perform the piece with Song Accompaniment Track.

Assessment: Activity

Students will demonstrate their understanding of syncopated rhythmic patterns by reading and performing syncopated patterns to accompany the song.

Project Slide 5 and play the Song Vocal Track.

Divide the class into two groups. Have

Group 1 say the syncopated speech piece “Now That’s Tap” while group 2 claps and counts the syncopated patterns. Switch parts so both groups have the opportunity to say the speech piece or clap and count the syncopated patterns.
Each groupwrite a one or two-measure syncopated pattern and create a body or small percussion ensemble to accompany the speech piece.

Play the Song Vocal Track and invite one group to say the speech piece while students in the other group perform their syncopated pattern to accompany the song.

Observe that each group accurately claps or plays the newly created syncopated rhythms with the Song Vocal Trackwhile the other group performs the speech piece with rhythmic accuracy.

Song Notation (Interactive Performance): Now That’s Tap

Use the Interactive Player to have students match their speech to the audio vocal line. Consider adjusting the tempo slower to aid students with rhythmic precision. As students gain confidence with the rhythms and lyrics, increase the tempo. Encourage them to continue visually following the tracking to help them keep from rushing the syncopated rhythm patterns.

Instructional Activity (Interactive): Now That’s Tap

To explore syncopated rhythms in a variety of genres and styles, use Instructional Activity (Interactive): Now That's Tap and the accompanying Teacher Notes.

Online Learning Exchange Interactive Music powered by Silver Burdett published with Alfred Music Publishing Co., Inc.