In my general music classes, I have been successful with the following
management strategies:
- In our drum circles, we usually have two players per part. Once all of
the parts have been learned, we rotate the circle by two seats each time we
play the ensemble. This gives everyone the chance to develop their skills
and technique on each of the parts in the ensemble.
- I use body percussion all of the time as we are learning and reviewing
parts.
- I try to create or have the students create body movements that are
similar to the technique and movement used to play the instrument. This
gives them the chance to develop muscle memory as they learn the parts.
- It's fun to play the ensembles completely with body percussion,
vocalizing the parts, or both.
- I make sticks for my students from oak dowels. Here's how I do it:
Dowel Sticks 101
- I have Seņor Kelley shakers for the students
to use. I love the interchangeable sleeves, but they tended to fly off when
the students were playing. I put a strip of tennis racket grip tape on the
inside surface of each ring. This creates a more snug fit, but the sleeves
can still be interchanged with ease.
- Here are some patterns and signals I use:
- For my 2008 project, I created a sample set to use with sequencing
software. More information about it is available here.
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