Schulwerk Springboards

Schulwerk Springboards Presented For The Treasure state Chapter of The American Orff-Schulwerk Association By BethAnn Hepburn Hepburn4Music@aol.com September 24, 2011 1

The Orff Schuwerlk philosophy can be divided into the following categories: The Individual and Group, experiencing: Media, Pedagogy, Musical Components, and Literature. Media Movement Speech Song Body Percussion stamp patschen clap snap Unpitched Percussion Pitched Percussion Recorders Musical Components Individuals And Groups Pedagogy Literature Imitation simultaneous echo canonic Exploration Improvisation Composition Emphasis on Rhythm Pattern and repetition employed Ostinati as primary accompaniment figure Complementary rhythms Gapped scales and modes Limited harmonic language Simple Musical Forms Original Orff/Keetman Source Works Vols. I-V Keetman supplements Other prototype material Folk Literature Cultural Materials Student Improvisation/composition 2

Exploration/Preparation of Meter in 3 Boomfallera Music For Children Volume I Establish steady beat, and meter exploration Students step into the hoops on the Strong beat, can they feel how the notes are grouped? Explore meters, and establish & stay in 3. Non-locomotor: mix moving on each beat, and sustaining over 3. Establish the rhythmic pattern for the melody of Boomfallera 4 4 4 2. 4 4 4 2. 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2. Move and sustain.move and sustain.movin & groovin & move & sustain.. Add the teacher modeling the melody as the students move the rhythm, to aurally connect to the kinesthetic exploration of the movement. Transfer to barred instruments. BP the melodic pattern and transfer to instruments, encourage the sustain movements on the dotted half notes, not to cheat the duration. Add BX to help maintain the steady pulse. Add tambourine: 4 $ $ 2. 4 $ $ 2. 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 $ $ Play wait then shake...play, wait, then shake..play and shake, play and shake, play and then stop! Add other parts, transfer to xylophones, or prepare the next step Add Improvisation on a given text Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, and wealthy, and wise 3 4 4 4 2 4 4 4 4 2 $ 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2. 4 Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy and wealthy and wise Teach the rhythmic speech, either by rote or syllables. When the students can comfortably repeat the speech pattern, they will be more successful when using this rhythm as the basis for their improvisations. Use the 2-level body percussion to help strengthen the ¾ feel, which will be used later to create UPP accompaniment for the B Section Establish the do center o Play the text on do o Begin to gradually add pitches, encourage good melodic habits as they are exploring, using neighbor notes, make do important (start on it, end on it, play it a lot!) o Allow students time to explore variations of the speech. 3

Create a B section using the student generated melodies as the B melody. Add BX and tambourine in a pattern of 3 for the accompaniment, do the students want the BX on 1 or the tambourine. Perform as a Rondo, with the student-created melodies A B A C A etc. Sensory Springboard: Morning Is Come Use the image of the rising sun, how does it feel on your face? Close your eyes, and hear the sun ray. What does that warmth sound like? Can we make a sun ray? How would a sunburn sound? Explore the dynamic difference in the voice. Close your eyes, what else do you hear in the morning outside? Birds etc. Create a vocal soundscape with the students, and then model the song. As students learn the song, remind them not to sunburn the melody as they float to the top. Use the soundscape as an introduction and coda to the song. 4

Springboard: Expressive Speech and Playing This rhythmic speech piece is a good model for a teacher-directed example that students should experience, before being asked to create accompaniments on their own, like the next example Queen of Hearts. Speech to student-composed rhythms Explore expressive speech, how to say the poem? Scared, bold, whisper? Learn main chant and create a sample ostinato with the students: perform together Transfer to Hand Drums: can the expression of the speech transfer to the drums? Expressive speech leads to expressive playing. The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts All on a summer s day The Knave of Hearts, He Stole the tarts!! And took them clean away. The King o Hearts Called for the tarts And beat the Knave full sore. The Knave of Hearts Brought back the tarts, And vowed he'd steal no more. Explore the Newest Gossip in the Kingdom! Like this is a travesty! The nerve of the knave The saddest thing that could occur in this good kingdom Like a 6 th grade girl gossiping What other ways can you explore the words? Can you add actions? Next, students create Complementary Ostinato inspired by Playing Cards in small groups Perform as a Rondo: A B A C A D A (the poem as the A) 5

Springboard: word chains Speech structured Improvisations Music Concept Focus, improvisations containing: H Song: Shake Them Simmons Down, an American Play Party folk song Manipulatives used: plastic fruits and veggies from any craft store (many other items can suffice for manipulatives for speech rhythm patterns for beginners, such as foamies cut outs, die cuts, rhythm cards, candies, etc.) Begin by reviewing the known folk song, in this case, also do the dance. When the class is familiar with any particular folk song, they are ready to add their own special touch to the song through rhythmic, body percussion interludes. Reinforce that each item given to the students represents one beat by categorizing the items under their proper notational value together as a class, and with the teacher modeling. The students will discover the answers by IMITATING the teacher s model. 4 h H Squash apple watermelon The teacher models an eight beat rhythm pattern with the class, allowing students to change the pattern, and the class time to practice matching the syllabification with the correct rhythm. The teacher then models how to transfer the rhythm pattern to the body. Explore several possibilities with the students: clapping, patting, stamping, clicking After the students have had practice by IMITATION, allow them time to EXPLORE combinations on their own in small groups, using the fruit words to create different rhythms. When the groups have found a rhythm they are happy with and can successfully clap, allow them time to EXPLORE body percussion combinations with their created rhythm. To culminate, create a rondo form performance of Shake Them Simmons Down A: Song B: Group 1 Improvisations A: Song C. Group 1 etc. 6

h h H 4 h h H 4 Shake Them Simmons Down Some Suggestions for Transferring Body Percussion to Pitched & Unpitched Instruments Body Percussion Level Unpitched Percussion Instrument Pitched Instrument Snap High-pitched ringing metals Glockenspiel (Finger cymbals, triangles) Clap Small wooden instruments sop. xylophone/metal. (wood block, tick-tock, claves) Pat two-handed instruments (bi-lateral alternating) alto xylophone/metal. (bongos, temple blocks, maracas) Stamp Large, Lower-Pitched Instruments Bass xylophone/metal. (Large hand drums, tubanos, congas) 7

4 Beat pattern Improvisations within a song context TONGO When the students are comfortable with the song, they can add another musical task Students create canoes for the work song in a boat (each will have a different timbre) Sing the song through as a group, have the students Echo the teacher 4 beat patterns, 4 times Next, let each student in the head of the canoe play 4 rhythms for the canoe group to echo. Continue repeating the song & the patterns until all students in the boats have had a turn as the leader. Students can hop boats while playing the singing game, so they can play several instruments in one class. LEADERS: 8

Springboard: Expressive Speech Rhythmic Rondo #1, Music for Children vol. I Murray Edition Begin by exploring different tempo variations through walking o How does the walk change based on the situation? At the park, late for work, etc. o Bring the group to a consensus with the hand drum Rhythmic Rondo #1, p. 67 *Music For Children Volume I Murray Edition Room set-up: scattered formation around the room Explore various tempo markings & establish common beat Begin simply with walking, students interpret the pace o A nice stroll in the park, Monday morning, late for work etc. o Chose a student s pulse close to moderato tempo, and match with hand drum o Bring an awareness to the students to be mindful of other s as they are traveling, make eye contact, and plan ahead for walking o Students match the beat of the drum, walking with the new set tempo o Prepare the rests in Part I, by having the students stop when the drum stops for 3 beats: 4 4 4 Introduce the rests through movement, by isolating the rest: Rhythm of the drum student response 4444 4 $ $ $ step, step, step, step, step, wait, wait, wait (repeat) 44 4 $ 44 4 $ step step step pause, step step step pause 4444 4 $ $ $ step, step, step, step, step, wait, wait, wait Part I: Clapping Rhythm rhyme Dr. Seuss Connie VanEngen arr. As your walking, please watch where you re going $ $ $ As your walking, please watch where you re going $ $ $ Chose--- your--- steps--$, care ful--ly! $ As your walking, please watch where you re going $ $ $ Part II: Clapping & Stamping words for rhythm.you re in my way!.you re in my way! Right turn, left turn, I will not turn! Right turn, left turn, I will not turn back! You re in my way! Teacher adds rhythmic rhyme to introduce the rhythm of the instrumental piece, students keep walking on the beat. When students hear wait they are to pause, and travel again on the beat. h h h h h $ $ $ as you re walking, please watch where you re going repeat 9

Add vocal expression and perform again with inflection & clapping matching the voice Students perform Part I, and teacher models the words to Part II Teacher maintains the steady beat on a hand drum, while students echo the words & clap the word rhythm, while walking the steady beat, encourage a two-finger clap Choose your steps $, carefully $ echo words, while clapping rhythm and walking the steady beat like above. (4 4 4 $ 4 4 4 $) Transfer to Rhythm Works Hand Drums*: add dynamic changes on the instrument, based on speech inflection: the vocal expression prepares the students for playing the crescendo and the accents. Ask the students to divide up, ½ the class on the Poly Spots* o Ask the students on the Spots to say and clap the words to Part I o The Teacher models part II again, and has the rest of the class Echo the words Add both groups together: As your walking please watch where you re going As your walking please watch where you re going you re in my way! you re in my way! Chose your steps, $ care- ful -ly $ Right turn left turn, I will not turn, right turn left turn, I will not turn As your walking please watch where you re going Back! you re in my way! Create a new B section, with partners: have the non-spot dot students pair up with another person standing on a poly dot. The spot person is going to improvise a rhythmic Question on the drum, and the partner will be the Answer. To set up the Q & A improvisations, establish the 8 beat phrases, have the students move the 8 beat phrase, by moving the steady beat with their drums. Ask the partner to count the sets of 8. Perform 2 question and answer sets for the B section Teacher adds words of part I, as the students walk the pattern. Rote echo teach the words, and add expression, what happens when you are annoyed? Model the crescendo & dynamic changes in the voice: transfer to clapping, then drums. Add two: question and answer improvisations (8 beat Question & 8 beat Answers) 10

Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb! By Al Perkins Children enjoy creating the rhythms and playing on hand drums, or clapping! The Teacher can control the difficulty level by which rhythm cards may be used The teacher sets the parameter on how long the rhythms the students create may be: 4 beats, 8 beats etc. Read the book and ask the students to keep a steady beat, however add dynamics: if the teacher is reading softly, play softly, loudly play loudly etc. *This simple exploration will plant the seed for various dynamics to be used in the groups final performances. Cut out the boxes, to enable students to easily manipulate the cards, and explore various rhythmic options before they create their final ostinato pattern. h 4 H 4 Monkeys Drum Alligators Whack! Ostinato Rhythm: Can be adjusted for grade level by limited card choices 4 4 h 4 j j h 4 Hand hand fingers thumb, dumb ditty dum ditty dum dum dum One Beat Boxes for Rhythmic Ostinati Compositions H ditty ditty h Monkey H Alligator 8 66 dumditty 4 > WHACK! 4 drum h shake hands 6 8. Hello! h banjos h fingers 4 thumb h hum drum 11

My favorite inexpensive movement tool. Debussy: Flashlight Follow: Moving SLOWLY Music Concept: Legato, or phrase lengths Music: Libera Luminosa or Debussy Claire de Lune Night at the Museum: Movement Accents: moving fast & sudden Mannheim Steamroller Halloween CD In the Hall of the Mountain King This is a game where you take a museum tour. The teacher calls out a location and you have 8 beats to morph into an appropriate statue or museum item (i.e. dinosaurs, Neanderthals, Modern Art, Air and Space). Once we have practiced morphing into shapes, we play the game. q K e t m One person is the night watchman, who moves through the museum. If the watcher is not watching you, you quickly morph into another shape. If the watcher sees you move, they call out your name. The goal is to try and not have your name called out. How does the change of music effect the movements? What if we were at the Art Museum and Debussy was playing? Sudden vs. Sustained: Connect to staccato or accents and Largo o Hill n Gully Rider Sing the story of the Hill and Gully Rider to the class, focus their listening: is this a person you would want to see, who might this be? Listen again with a partner, one person Taps the beat, the other the rhythm Where do they not line up? On which words This can be done while rote teaching the words to the song. Label the syncopation. Students can create B sections, or accompaniments to the song, utilizing elemental phrase forms with one measure blocks, to focus on syncopation, the constant can be utilizing 8484 $ for one of the phrases. Hill n Gully abba abab abac 8 4 84 $ Hill n Gully 4 4 h h Look out! Swinging sickle 2 2 Dark skies 4 $ 4 $ Duck now! hh4 4 Horrifying banshee 4. 8 4 4 Time is up now h 4 h 4 Boney feet chasing me! 4 4 h $ Haun-ting specter 4 4 8 4 8 Dis-mal Grim reaper 12

Hill n Gully Rider 2. Oh the moon shone bright down, 3. Oh, my knees they shake down Ain't no place to hide in down, An' a zombie come a ridin' down 4. That's the last I set down, Pray the Lord don' let me down. Ain't nobody goin' to get me down. An' my heart starts quakin' down An' I run 'til daylight breakin'down. 13

SASHA Sanna Longden s CD No. 1 ½ : Even More Folk Dance Music for Kids and Teachers Track #11 Sashay the Donut: New England Dance Masters Folk Dance Steps: Find a partner. Partners face each other in scattered position. Point at your partner while saying Sasha, Sasha, Rrrrraz (1), sdva (2), Trrrree (3) (Hand clapping) Right, right, right Left, left, left Both, both, both Knees, knees, knees (repeat) (elbow turn) Elbow turn with right elbows for 8 counts hey! Elbow turn with left elbows for 8 counts hey! (travel) Travel around the room and find another partner (repeat) Repeat the entire dance with a new partner each time. Sashay The Donut American Folk Dance New England Dance Masters: or any other jig or reel Formation - double circle Section I with partner 8 beats - do-si-do 8 beats - right hand turn 8 beats - left hand turn 8 beats - two hand turn partners 1 st head couple 2 nd head couple Section II Sashay the Donut head couple sashays through the alley with each couple falling in behind. When the each couple returns to their starting place, they drop hands and open up allowing the following couples to come through. The next time (after a repeat of section I), the next couple acts as the head couple. 14

Mittens author unknown h h h 4 Stripes or dots or sparkling white, J h h 4 Mittens in winter fit just right. h h h h Wool and cotton, maybe leather- Patschen Exercises and Word Chains Any schulwerk volumes clapping & patting exercise can be transferred to the sandpaper mittens. Just turn the claps into scrapes. For younger grades create words chains from picture cards, to create patterns: h h h h Mittens warm us in cold weather. Process Teach poem by rote Add body percussion one layer at a time Start just with patting Add claps on designated words, let your students choose Rhyming words, two syllable words, etc. Practice with new body percussion pattern Add sand paper mittens Perform the claps as scrapes with the sandpaper. Now you have an A section. In groups, let the students create B sections. Options: partner question & answer sets of four circular groups If doing groups of four or more, Utilize building blocks of word chains related to mittens, cold, winter or snow. How to make sand paper mittens Make a pattern for a mitten, larger than regular mittens, because the paper & fabric will need to open to fit a hand inside. Trace the mitten on the back side of sand paper, the larger the grain, the more sound you will get. Cut fabric in the same manner, fabric stiffener or starch will help your mittens hold up longer over time. Staple the two pieces together. *remember to flip the pattern for the opposite hand, or you will end up with sandpaper not meeting sandpaper on the palm side. 15

Movement Springboards Disappearing Beat Moving Starting with duple, play the disappearing beat game in 8 beat phrases. Soldier s Joy Rhythmically Begin by counting Eight beats Repeat and speak 1-7 and clap on 8 Repeat process until you get to one, ending up with clapping all 8 beats Try again, this time adding locomotion, changing direction after claps, on each new beat one. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 clap change direction 2 3 4 5 6 clap clap clap clap clap 5 4 3 2 change Reverse the cycle Clap on ONE then walk 2-8 Clap on One, Two then walk 3-8 ect. Add music, also repeat activity with various styles. Another Day Explore the dance formation cards. Students practice for 8 beats at a time Have students create their own Barn Dance by chosing cards to create their dance. The teacher can pre-set choices: Limit number of choices in younger grades! Be sure to include 2 formation changes for visual interest Also include some sort of body percussion for auditory interest. 16

Develop Rhythmic Speech from natural word prosody Many skills needed for music reading, overlap with the components of reading as defined by the National Reading Panel report to Congress in February 1999. After a two year study for Congress, the panel s findings define these five components for reading: 1. Phonemic Awareness 2. Phonics 3. Fluency 4. Vocabulary 5. Comprehension There are other skills also necessary, and related to reading, so in addition to the main areas, you may also integrate by working on skills related to reading, as sub-categories of the areas listed above. For example, story sequencing, cause and effect, left-right tracking, rhyme, and so on. Rhythmic Building Blocks with Non-Readers: Developing Literacy Visual Icons can be used with k-2 for beginning ostinato creations *Same/different identification is a reading readiness skill, distinguishing between items visually, and also aurally Students can create patterns in squares and travel to other team s rhythms for reading practice (also use in upper grades with actual notation cards) 848h4 Beginners to well with some groups on the steady beat h H h H 4 Upper grades can play with more challenging rhythms 4 j J h h hjh4 17

CANONIC FORM CANONIC FORM Echo Clapping Canon Game (delayed imitation) Early improvisation activity Begin with the teacher as the model T. claps a 4 beat rhythm the class echoes Chose student leaders Increase to 8 beats when the students are ready Over time, turn into canon clapping, by not delaying the next 4 beat pattern Visually, it helps the kids to see the pattern travel first 4 3 1 2 send the rhythm around the square as a delayed imitation, then in canon. g u i r o wood blocks maracas d r u m s Various timbres will help students hear the next rhythm, and provide aural interest Practice rhythms in canon, begin with 4 beat phrases and increase as the students are sucessful Over time repeat the canonic rhythmic exercise with instruments of various timbres, with different student leaders Other verses: When you sing a canon it goes sol sol When you move a canon it goes (motion k, motion s etc) When you clap a canon it goes (clap) (clap) Students can make up additional ways 18

Visual Springboards: POP UP with your hand drum! Inspirations for group drumming performances David Carter Pop Up books: One Red Spot 600 Black Spots White Noise Yellow Square Movement Exploration Students explore individually, how the body can move with inspiration from various words in the book: Coiling Curly Cues, Tipsy Teeters etc. Encourage the students to move on various levels, use space around them, and put the movement in various parts of the body: for example: can you coil with your elbow? Head? Coil low? Or sideways etc. Now explore new phrases with a partner, and a hand drum. Now begin to set-up the musical phrase lengths: can they create a movement that is 8 beats, and repeat it for an additional 8 beats. Add vocal or rhythms to the movement with the drums and their partner Share with an additional partner set, encourage the students to discuss what they are seeing, and label the movement concepts that are happening: o I see mirroring I like the levels changes etc. Set up a longer elemental phrase structure: a b a b : one group is the a the other the b: perform as a group to give the students an experience performing within a phrase structure. Next combine the groups into 8 or 12, and give each group a book to use as their inspiration to create an instrumental composition inspired from their movement. Rhythms can come from the body movements, or by creating ostinati from the words in the book. Teach an interlude: to model how to use the words, and also to use as the transition between the group s performances. 19

Low drums: one red dot444 $ Med. Drums & small: one perplexing puzzle box twirlygigs Allow the groups time to work: GIVE A CLEAR STRUCTURE for the students to create: A B Final Performance Interlude: Group: Interlude Group etc. FREE!!!!! RESOURCE FOR ALL Kodaly Index at Holy Names College: http://kodaly.hnu.edu/ Over 300 Folk songs, search by music concept (For Example, looking for SML D and 848 all songs containing that will list!) Play party directions and field recordings are also there! 20