Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play in a band or in an orchestra? When I was about your age, I dreamed about being a rock star singer or a drummer in a band. There is just something really neat about playing and making music with others!
What do you think? If you were to be a part of a band, what part would you like to do? There is often a conductor who waves his arm or baton to help keep the music together and in time…
…There can be a singer, or a drummer, or others playing another kind of musical instrument like a guitar or violin. So let’s go on a musical adventure! Let’s start our own Boom Whacking Rookies Band and play together! We will need a conductor, some singers, and some Boom Whackers. We will talk about Boomwhackers in a minute.
What is a Beat?
First we need to feel the beat in the music we are playing. Let’s practice and figure this out. Watch the video below.
Stand up for this next video (below). This will feel like exercise and should get your heart pumping to a faster beat! See if you can master all the movements in this video. Ask your mom or dad to listen to you. Are you staying right on the beat? Now switch! Listen to your mom or dad and figure out if they are clapping, stomping, etc. right on the beat.
In class we are going to be using Boomwhackers to keep a steady beat. We will also need a conductor to follow and keep us all together. The Conductor waves his baton or arm to the beat. We will also need some singers. The singers will be singing a melody which will have a particular rhythm.
What is the Difference between beat and rhythm?
The video below will explain more, but remember, a beat is constant which means it doesn’t change. The rhythm in music can have some quicker notes and longer notes. Check it out below:
Find the beat in our song: This Land is Your Land
Okay! Now you know what the difference is between beat and rhythm in music. Sing the song we have been learning this last month: This Land is Your Land. You are singing the melody which has a particular rhythm made up of some quicker notes and longer notes. (Click here to print out and/or see the words).
Now listen for the beat being played on the piano to This Land is Your Land. The piano part is playing right with the beat. The melody is being sung. Clap right on the beat as you listen. Let’s not worry about finding the beat in the first three words “This land is.” Just clap the first beat beginning with “Your.” Need help? Look at the Tips below.
Ask your mom or dad to clap the beat while you sing.
CHALLENGE: Let’s go to Youtube (see video below) and listen to the version in the Rookies Music Playlist. This particular version only has some guitars and some singers. There is no drummer or piano pounding out the beat, so it’s a little more tricky to find the beat. It’s there, though! See if you can find the beat as you listen to one or two verses!
Tips to get you started:
Below are the words in Bold and in CAPITAL letters that you will clap on, if you are clapping on the beat. Sometimes you are clapping on the dash ( – ) also:
This land is YOUR LAND – this LAND is MY LAND, – from CAL i FORN IA….
Ask a parent to help you if you are not sure you are clapping on the beat. It will help you become a Boom Whacking expert if you get good at this!
Boomwhackers and other percussion instruments:
You can make some pretty cool music with Boom Whackers. Check these videos out below:
Practice makes perfect:
Let’s assume you can find the beat very easily now in our song This Land is Your Land. We are ready then!
Let’s start practicing now for some Boom Whacking fun in class! Right now, you just need two things: Your two hands and your lap. You can sit down for this. Look at the colorful diagram below. Pick one to look at.
Each rectangular box is a beat. You are either tapping Left hand ( L ) on your lap, or Right hand ( R ), or CLAP hands Together ( T ), or you are not tapping at all on a particular beat if you see a white box with a dash inside it like this [ – ]. You can tap in the air or nod your head when you see the white box [ – ] , but don’t actually clap or tap to make a sound. UPDATE: Here is a video demonstration below.
Once you can keep a steady beat by tapping and clapping according to the diagram below, you are then ready to do it along with the music (I would do it with your parent singing (just the parent) very slowly then gradually increase the speed. Look ahead when you have to start a new line). This is not easy. Be Patient! . The key is start your first clap or tap on the word “Your” and then keep the beat going. When you can do this somewhat fast and it’s feeling easy, it’s time to do it full speed:
Pick the video with the piano above or try this version for more of a challenge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDlGxwarACQ&list=PLkmgKO78x81zQCXHzdEI8PmXqvF14oL7Z&index=30
Below are the parts: [A E ] or [ F ] or [ C ] or [ D ] or [ G B ] If one goes well, try another one, then maybe another that looks harder. Practice them all if you want to.
Percussion Instruments:
Boomwhackers are a percussion instrument. Another example of a percussion instrument is the drums. A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that you play by hitting, either with your hand or with an object. Can you think of other types of percussion instruments? Trick question: Is a piano a percussion instrument or a string instrument? If you’ve ever looked inside a piano you will see lots of strings, but is it a string instrument?
More Homework:
Search around your house and find one or more types of percussion instruments. It can be a toy version of maracas, or cymbals, or a tambourine, or a bell, etc. Bring these to class. If you can’t find any be creative: a bucket and a wooden spoon maybe ?
BONUS: We will always allow you to perform music with us in class! Any way that you would like! If you want to perform something for us in class, come prepared to do that. You can even drum along with your favorite music. If you don’t have a drum, get creative and use something you have in your house or that you can make. Have fun!
Checklist of all homework:
- Clap the beat to This Land is Your Land in the two examples and review singing the words to the first verse.
- Watch all videos above (and participate)
- Practice one or more Boomwhacker parts (the colorful diagrams) without any music and then with the music
- Bring in one or more Percussion instrument(s)
- BONUS: Come prepared to perform
