By Kristin M. Pugliese
“I encouraged the activation of the students by the playing of their own music, that is, through improvisation and composing it themselves. I therefore did not want to train them on highly developed art instruments, but rather on instruments that were preferably rhythmic, comparatively easy to learn, primitive and unsophisticated.
My idea was to take my students so far that they could improvise their own music (however unassuming) and their own accompaniments to movement. The art of creating music for this ensemble came directly from playing the instruments themselves. It was therefore important to acquire a well-developed technique of improvisation, and the exercises for developing this technique should above all lead the students to a spontaneous, personal, musical expression.” Carl Orff
TALA is THE easiest and fastest way to create space for kids to move, improvise and compose!
SONGS
- Apple, Apple Round and Fat
Learn chant: “Apple, apple red and fat, turn into a yummy pie, just like that!”
- Say it as a class.
- Create an 8 beat Tala (rest for 8 beats. Move your hands palm to palm, palm to back of hand, then palm to palm again and so forth signaling each beat.)
- Say it again (so that you create an ABA form where the Tala is B)
- Practice this for a bit
- During the Tala, kids can:
- Strike a pose
- Wiggle
- Go for a walk
- Stomp
- Find a partner and shake hands to the steady beat
- improvise on an instrument. I passed around a glock so that every person had an improv solo, but anything you have in the classroom will do!
- Echo a rhythm (you can add as many beats to your TALA as you need)
- Get into small groups and create a 4/4 beat rhythm in Note Knacks to play
- Combine compositions to create one longer classroom piece
- Chatter with the Angels
- Learn song
- Echo some basic rhythms
- We created rhythms to practice further
- Students got into groups, and each created a rhythm
- Each group copied their rhythms onto sentence strips
- We combined their rhythms, but we needed to decide on an order ~ we played around with switching measures 2 and 3
- This is what we ended up with!
- Next week we will orchestrate it….. and learn about repeat signs!
- Then we will have finished our B section, while the song will be our A section.
- This is perfect for a concert! Parents will hear their children sing, as well as a beautiful instrumental interlude that their kids composed!!
LITERATURE:
- The Napping House by Audrey Wood (Author), Don Wood (Illustrator)
I love this book!! One night my husband and I were putting our 4-year-old to bed and I had an idea! As I read it, my husband and my daughter acted it out. My husband was the sleeping “Grampy” (instead of Granny), my daughter was the dreaming child, and I used her stuffed animals for the dog, cat and mouse. The flea was my finger. We had so much fun that she asks for it almost every night now!
As we were doing this, I had a thought about my classes ~ wouldn’t it be fun to use instruments for each of the components to the story:
- The house ~ tubano drums
- The bed ~ gourd shakers
- The granny ~ jingle bells
- The child ~ tambourines
- The dog ~ sand blocks
- The cat ~ glocks
- The mouse ~ triangles
- The flea ~ I large tubano drum (play 1 loud beat to signal the bite)
The story starts out stating that “There is a house, a napping house, where everyone is sleeping”. When I read the word “house” the assigned student(s) plays the tubano drum(s). The next page mentions the cozy bed. After I say the word “bed”, the assigned student plays the gourd shaker.
When I read “granny”, the assigned student plays the jingle bells, and so on. Throughout the story the components are mentioned in an order and the kids play in that order. They have to pay attention and listen for their word. This week the kids couldn’t wait to do it again!
I did this with my kinders and first grade. It took the kinders a couple of tries to get the gist of it but were fine once they got going. The first graders got it immediately! Next week I am looking forward to the students creating a 2-measure composition for their parts. They will create a rhythm using their Note Knacks and play it when it is their turn!
- The Three Little Pigs vs. The True Story of the Little Pigs as told to Jon Scieszka (told from the wolf’s point of view)
If you haven’t had a chance to read The True Story of The Little Pigs As told by Jon Scieszka, here is your chance! It is hilarious!! It is the story of the three little pigs from the point of view of the wolf…..he claims he was framed and that it was a simple misunderstanding over a cold and some sugar… It is not only a fun book to read, but also perfect for highlighting points of view and how instrumentation makes a difference in a piece of music!
Here is a lesson that can create a bridge between you and the classroom teachers while answering the question “Does instrument choice make a difference when composing?”
(NOTE: Throughout the year, I bet you have highlighted instrumentation in pieces that you have listened to with the kids. You can either review those pieces and what was discussed or choose new ones.)
Objective: Create a composition
- A Section ~ using “Little pig, little pig, let me in!” and “Little pig, little pig, are you in?”
- B, C and D Sections created by small groups
Methods
- Read both books
- Discuss similarities and differences
- Why “point of view” matters ~ can link to school incidents and why teachers need to hear from all who are involved
- Have kids notate “Little pig, little pig, let me in!!”/ “Little pig, little pig, are you in?”
- (M I M I | I I I Z)
- Discuss the difference in tone between these 2 very similar phrases
- Have kids choose different instruments for each
- Discuss why instruments like the triangle may not be the best choice for the angrier version
- Decide on order and put them back-to-back ~ this will be your A Section
- Next, put kids into small groups and have each create a 4 mm composition paying special attention to instrumentation.
- Each group can create a story around their composition and choose instruments and creative elements accordingly. Example: one composition could be about the first pig running around his house in fear. What is he thinking? Does it make sense to use short sounds or long ones? Several or just a few? Would it be loud or quiet? What instrument in the classroom will create the desired effect? Etc.…. Each group needs to have this discussion and choose how they want to proceed. Then when they present their composition to the group, they can explain either before or after it is performed what it is about. (Can the others guess?)
- Each group will create the B, C, D etc.… Sections for the piece, as it will be in rondo form. (Discuss as a class what order they like. Also, it doesn’t have to be in rondo form. Maybe they want to put it in a specific sequence ~ it’s up to them!!)
- Perform the final composition!
MUSICAL LINK
- Orchestration ~ why this matters/ what are you trying to say and how can instrumentation help you say it?
- Here are 2 examples of the same song with different points of view! ~ and different orchestrations!
- Take 5 (Brubeck vs. Puente)
- Night and Day (Frank Sinatra vs. U2)
