Submitted by Louise Eddington, Muncie, Indiana
Idea posted September 30, 2005
Here's one of the favorite back-to-school lessons I always did with my older kids. I did it with fifth or sixth grades, but I'm sure it would work with middle school also.
This wouldn't be the very first session with a class, but quite soon after the enrollment settles in for that class.
On my own prep time, I took the class list and counted up how many "ta-ta" first name rhythms there were (i.e., all the Johnny's, Mary's, etc.), how many "ti-ti-ta" (i.e., Jessica, etc.), how many half notes (Bob), etc. I made another list of the last names the same way. For names starting on an unaccented beat (such as Jelani, Regina, etc.), I used a grace note followed by two quarters, or grace note followed by a half note (i.e., DaShaun).
The day of the actual lesson, we started with echo clapping. Then I would clap one of the name rhythms and ask how many people did that fit for THEIR OWN first name? I made sure we got everyone who fit. We went on to the other name rhythms, one at a time, making sure they KNEW which was theirs when they heard it. (This may seem obvious but not everyone did.) Then we did the same process with the last names. At that point, I turned around my moveable chalkboard where I had already made two lists, one headed with the word "FIRST" and the other headed with the word "LAST." Each list consisted of the written form of each of the first or last name patterns. They were to find the name rhythms for each of their two names that they had already selected. The last thing we did that period was to take a strip of paper I passed out, about 3" x 6", and fold it in half like a book. They took a pencil I passed out, and wrote the correct name rhythm for the first name on the first square, and the last name rhythm in the last square.
On the second class period, I returned their papers (corrected as needed) and moved the kids so they were sitting with all the others who shared their exact first AND last name pattern. (Mary Smith would be grouped with Bobby Brown. Richard Patterson would be in the group with Mrs. Eddington; Joe Jones with Sue White, etc.) I had prepared a little rhythm composition using these patterns, an eight-measure phrase usually, trying to put the patterns into a pleasing sequence. If the class had too many patterns, then the phrase had to be longer or become an ABA form with the most unique rhythms forming the middle section. We clapped the form a couple of times, reading it from the board as I pointed. Students had to watch carefully and come in and clap only on THEIR OWN pattern! Finally, it was transferred to unpitched rhythm instruments, each group playing their own pattern at the appropriate time in the sequence. For practicality, the pattern which had the most members (usually four quarters), got the rhythm sticks because there were a LOT of those, and the really unique pattern that only had one kid got something "special" like the slit drum. I tried to end the phrase on a half-note last name and usually gave that group the triangles. A bunch of eighth notes in a pattern usually got the maracas.
The kids enjoyed this. It was not only a good exercise in getting acquainted but a good review of rhythmic notation as well.