This drumming and moving lesson plan from Chris Judah-Lauder is sure to energize your intermediate grade musicians! All you need are hand drums and some space.

Grade Level: 5^th-8^th

Materials Needed

• One 8”, 10”, 12” or 14” hand drum per student
  or
• Use available hand drums to make four groups using like-sized drums.

Objectives

The learner will:

• Experience four-part canon
• Improvise over a four-beat phrase
• Perform creative movement

Formation

• Students begin in self-space.

Teaching Process

• Teach the text to the A Section by imitation.
• Teach the movement with text using body percussion.
• Say and play the A Section as a two-part canon and then a four-part canon.
• Arrange students into four groups according to drum size. 
  8” = Group One
  10” = Group Two
  12” = Group Three
  14” = Group Four 
• Teach the movement as follows:
  • Measure one:
    • Beat one, hit hand drum at waist level, facing front.
    • Beats two-four, move drum from waist level to overhead. 
  • Measure two:
    • With hand drum held high overhead, play rhythm and turn 180° to the right (backs to the audience).
  • Measure three:
    • Play rhythm and lower hand drum back down to normal playing position in front of waist.
  • Measure four:
    • Beat one, twist to the right.
    • Beat two, twist to the front.
    • Beat three, twist to the left.
    • Beat four, freeze in place. 
• Repeat measures one through four. In measure two, after the 180 ° turn, students will once again be facing full front.
• Teach the text of the B Section by imitation. 
• Inform students they will have four counts to improvise with hand drums. 
• Select a solo or small group to improvise on measures six and eight.
• Play A Section as a four-part round, starting each new part every four counts. 
• Play B Section in unison. Designate soloists or small groups to improvise in the B Section. 

Form

• Play entire song in unison. (Be sure to designate improvisational players.) 
• Play the A Section in four-part canon 
• Play the B Section in unison. 
• Play the A Section in four-part canon

Extension Possibility

• For an extra challenge, play song as a four-part round, starting each new part every two counts.

Click here to download a pdf of Chris’s lesson along with the Hit 2 3 4 score

Excerpt from to drum. Copyright © 2004 by Chris Judah-Lauder and Beatin’ Path Publications LLC. All rights reserved. Used with permission.