Sixth Grade

First Quarter

We were drumming up a storm in music this quarter. The year started off with a world drumming unit. The students had the opportunity to participate in a drum circle, create rhythm patterns, and watch some incredible drummers.

Class started out in a drum circle. The students would echo rhythm patterns played by the leader. Students also improvised their own patterns. The highlight for many of the students was watching the video "Pulse: A STOMP Odyssey". The video was created by the world-famous percussion ensemble STOMP. It took the students around the world to see how different cultures use music in their everyday lives. They got to see musicians from Africa, Asia, England, Brazil, and many others locations.

The final project for the unit was a composition. The students worked with a partner to compose a 12-measure rhythm composition, that they performed for the class on drums. I was very pleased with the end result!

Our next unit will be chorus. The students will continue to build on concepts we discussed last year, such as: tone production, ensemble singing, and note reading. It will be great to hear them sing!