Word Phrases
With samba-style rhythms, learn the details of using word phrases to play your junk percussion instruments.
Honing your rhythmic skills sharpens and improves listening, articulation, coordination and counting - but most of all, it's fun!
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Teacher Pack
The Teacher Pack below contains all the lesson plans associated with this course as a single downloadable document.
This course uses percussion instruments. A class set of percussion instruments can be created by following the Making Junk Percussion course.
All other activity sheets and course materials can be downloaded through the Lessons Tab.
The Curriculum Alignment document below maps this course against the Australian Curriculum.
Maximising outcomes
Teach the class at a pace that is appropriate for their skill level. Students don't have to master all the concepts in the lessons - to be able to play even one of the rhythms coherently as a group should be considered a success.
Stretch the content of the video over two 45-minute lessons in order to fully investigate all the possibilities.
Go slowly. Ensure that students have learned the concepts clearly.
Organise a performance for peers. This gives the students a goal to work towards and a sense of excitement around the activity.
Emphasise the fun factor. Encourage dancing. The act of making music is not a competition to see who reaches the end first, but an enjoyable process allowing for individual expression for all involved (especially the samba genre!).
Show students YouTube footage of samba bands or parades to give them a context for the activity.
A contained and carpeted space like most standard classrooms is ideal for this activity. Where possible, avoid large halls or cavernous spaces to minimise excessive noise volume.
Tips
Using samba rhythms in the classroom will help sharpen and improve:
listening skills
articulation of words
physical coordination skills
counting skills
problem-solving skills
Other advantages of using samba rhythms are they:
require teamwork
provide opportunity for leadership roles
provide opportunity for presentation of performance
develop communication skills
are accessible to students from non English speaking or CALD backgrounds
are fun, giving the class a sense of wellbeing
Arrangement: the order that all musical parts are played in a song.
Bar: this is used in musical notation as a measure of time. Each bar will have a set number of beats (as indicated in the time signature). For example, if the music is in 4/4 time, there would be four beats in every bar.
Bass drum: typically a large drum, which produces a very low sound or "pitch". Junk percussion bass drums can be played on the floor or tied around you at waist height.
Beat: in music this is the basic measure of time or the steady pulse of a song. The amount of beats in each bar of music is indicated by the time signature. In 4/4 time, there are four beats in every bar, so in each bar you count: 1, 2, 3, 4.
Beats per minute (BPM): a standard measure of speed, meaning how many beats occur per minute. If the BPM was set to 60 there would be 60 even beats in every minute (one every second).
Bells: are usually small and very high sounding in pitch. Traditional bells are made of metal, ceramic or glass and have two parts. Junk percussion bells can be made with plastic, or any other object which emits a high pitch.
Crotchet: a musical note which lasts for one beat in duration. In 4/4 time, there are 4 crotchets in a bar. This can also be referred to as a quarter note, as it is played for one quarter of the duration of a bar , or semibreve. The symbol for a crotchet is a closed (coloured in) note head with a stem.
Crotchet triplets: three even notes that are played over the duration of two beats (two crotchets).
Double stroke rolls: a drumming pattern where you hit the drum two times with each of the sticks eg, RR LL RR LL.
Dowel: a solid cylindrical rod which can be used as a drum stick.
Drum kit or drum set: the complete set of drums and cymbals. This is usually made up of a bass drum, snare drum, one or two "tom toms", a floor tom, hi-hat, ride cymbal, crash cymbal and a seat (throne). The Junk Percussion drumset can incorporate any of the above, or none of it depending on the materials you have at hand.
Duration: in music this is the time or length of sound and silence.
Dynamics: the volume or sound of a note or section of a piece of music.
Ensemble: a group of people playing musical instruments together.
Fulcrum: the part of the percussionist's grip that is the main lever for the drumstick to rotate.
Groove: the sense of rhythmic "feel" in a piece of music. A groove can be created through the playing of a concurrent rhythmic pattern by a percussionist. When playing drums and percussion, most of the time is spent playing a groove.
Instrumentation: the instruments playing in a piece of music at a given time.
Metronome: a device that produces a regular beat. This can be used when practicing a musical instrument to ensure you are playing in time with the beat.
Minim: a musical note which lasts for two beats in duration. In 4/4 time, there are two minums in a bar.This can also be referred to as a half note, as it is played for half the duration of a bar or semibreve. The symbol for a minum is an open (not coloured in) note head with a vertical line called a stem.
Paradiddles: a drumming pattern where you play two single strokes followed by a double stroke, eg, R L R R L R L L
Percussion fill: a short musical passage or "riff" played towards the end of a 4, 8 or 16 bar sequence. Generally a quick rhythm, a percussion fill is almost anything that is not the main groove/ melody of the piece.
Pitch: the relative high or low frequency of a sound.
Quaver: a musical note which lasts for half of one beat in duration. In 4/4 time, there are 8 quavers in a bar.This can also be referred to as an eighth note, as it is played for one eighth the duration of a bar or semibreve. A quaver note looks the same as a crotchet note, but with an extra tail. When two or more quavers are placed next to each other on the stave, a thick, black horizontal line joins them.
Quaver triplet: three even notes that are played over the duration of one beat (one crotchet).
Repetition: repeating sounds or sequences of sounds in a piece of music.
Rhythm: a recurring beat or pulse.
Riff: a brief phrase of musical notes or rhythmic pattern.
Semibreve: a musical note which lasts for four beats in duration. In 4/4 time, there is one semibreve in a bar. This can also be referred to as a "whole note" because it lasts for the whole duration of the bar. The symbol for a Semibreve is an open (not coloured in) note head.
Semiquaver: is a musical note which lasts for a quarter of one beat in duration. In 4/4 time, there are 16 semiquavers in a bar. This can also be referred to as an sixteenth note, as it is played for one sixteenth the duration of a semibreve. A semiquaver note looks the same as a quaver note, but with an extra tail. When two or more quavers are placed next to each other on the stave, two thick, black horizontal line joins them.
Shaker: a percussive instrument which produces sound when moved back and forth. The instrument is shaken instead of struck.
Single stroke rolls: a drumming pattern where you alternate hitting the drum once with each of the sticks, eg RLRLRLRLRLRLRLRL.
Snare drum: is smaller in size and higher in pitch than the bass drum. Junk Percussion snare drums can be played on the floor or tied around you at waist height.
Stave: the five horizontal lines that music notation is written on. In pitched instrumentation, these lines will represent the different notes to play. In percussion and drum notation, these lines represent the different percussive instrument parts.
Structure: the plan or design of a piece of music and the ordering of ideas in the piece. Tempo: the speed in which the music is played. This will be indicated by the BPM.
Texture: the layers of sound in a musical work and the relationship between them.
Time signature: a notation convention, used to show you two important things when reading a piece of music. The top number tells you how many beats are in the bar. The bottom number tells you what kind of beat it is.
For example, 3/4 time means there will be three "quarter notes" (crotchet beats) in each bar.
3 = the number of beats in each bar.
4 = the note value of the beat (this example has a quarter note value - or crotchet).
This is a valuable resource for the Music curriculum in the upper primary years. It is particularly relevant to content descriptions in the Making strand that emphasise organising music ideas, creating music, and playing music from other world cultures. The activities involve students using different elements of music to create and arrange music, as well as digitally recording music arrangements. The resource has significant pedagogical value for Music in the curriculum. The three videos and accompanying learning activities are scaffolded to demonstrate how to create rhythm and word phrases, and to guide students through creating their own music arrangements. The videos provide clear demonstrations and the accompanying activities give students a number of opportunities to work independently and in small groups, as well as share their music with peers and online. It also contains a range of suggested activities for a number of other learning areas and subjects, including mathematics and geography. Some of the activities provide ideas for exploring the cultural and historical influences of music while others focus on literacy and numeracy.
Produced by The Song Room with Chris Lewis, with support from Education Services Australia on behalf of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
Video created by X:MACHINE Productions
Additional Talent in Video: The students from Rockbank Primary School
Learning Focus
Students use word phrases to help them learn new rhythms.
Learning Focus
Students learn how to create their own rhythms using word phrases.
Learning Focus
Student participate in arranging a whole group musical composition.
Students work as an ensemble.