What’s after snare & bass drums?
Dana Sylvander
dana.sylvander@verizon.net
Tenafly (NJ) School District
TI:ME Technology Areas Addressed:
Electronic Musical Instruments
Notation
Sequencing
Information Processing
Level:
Elementary
Class:
Instrumental
Equipment:
Computer with MIDI keyboard. Sibelius.
Duration:
30 Minutes
Prior Knowledge and Skills:
In third grade the percussionists learned to play simple snare & bass drum parts in their lesson book. They briefly tried some accessory parts (tambourine, sleigh bells, triangle, rim) but snare & bass were concentrated on the most. (This lesson is for 2nd. year percussioists.)
NAfME Standards of 1994 Addressed:
NAfME Standards of 1994: Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
NAfME 2014: Performing
NAfME Standards of 1994: Composing and Arranging Music within specified guidelines.
NAfME Standards of 1994: Reading and notating music.
NAfME 2014: Creating
NAfME Standards of 1994: Listening to, analyzing and describing music.
NAfME Standards of 1994: Evaluating music and music performances.
NAfME 2014: Responding
Materials:
Standard of Excellence – book one for percussion
Objectives:
At the conclusion of this lesson: Students will understand how other percussion parts are notated.
Procedures:
5 minutes: review what was learned last year (e.g. how to play & read music for snare & bass drums. “What other kinds of percussion instruments are there?” “How do you know which printed notes are for which instrument?” 10 min.: Sound using Sibelius. “The computer can also play percussion sounds.” The teacher sets up a percussion ensemble composition. Through the MIDI keyboard the students play different keys. We listen to the sounds & compare them to the ‘real’ thing. “If the computer doesn’t sound real, is this a bad thing?” “Why?” “Where does the sound come from?” 15 min.: Notation. “Notice how the computer writes the notes.” “Different lines & spaces mean different instruments.” “How does this differ from notes the violin or piano play?”
Evaluation:
We look through the pages near the end of the book. “Find a triangle part.” “Find something written for suspended cymbal.” “Are these notes written the same way the computer wrote them?” Students are evaluated on their answers & on questions they may have raised.
Follow Up:
Every orchestra piece we play offers challenges in reading & performance. Throughout the year we will learn how pitched instruments are notated as we learn timpani, marimba, temple blocks, etc.
