Title – Roots of Rock

By – Diane Hamilton

Primary Subject – Music

Grade Level – 5-8

This lesson focuses on helping students discover the common element of rhythm in multi-cultural and rock music

Objective: Perform rhythms with multi-cultural music

Materials: Small strips of paper, pencils or writing utensil, audio player (CD, cassette player) for recordings of multi-cultural music with a steady beat, non-pitched percussion instruments

Procedure:

Introduction: On small pieces of paper, ask students to write a definition of multi-cultural music.

1. Play recording of multi-cultural music. Ask students to tap a rhythm as it plays.

2. Notate one or more of the rhythms that the students create.

3. Ask students to play those rhythms as you play the recording again.

4. Play a recording of rock music. Ask students to play the same rhythm they played with the multi-cultural music with the rock music.

5. Ask students to create a new rhythm to accompany the rock music. You can use another example if desired to vary the activity.

6. Notate a few or all of the rhythms they create and teach them to play them.

7. Play the rhythms along with the rock recording.

8. Play the excerpt of multi-cultural music again (or another example). Ask the students to perform the same rhythm they created for the rock music with the multi-cultural music.

9. Discuss why the rhythms fit with both kinds of music.

10. Ask students to define multi-cultural music again and compare their answer to the first answer they gave.

11. Take students to the computer lab if available and allow them to listen to popular music played on traditional instruments. (Search for real audio multi-cultural music) or traditional instrument sounds (

www.davidahmed.com

has making music sound samples)

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Diane Hamilton

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