Teaching East Asian Music in the Elementary Classroom

Lesson Plans from 2005 Workshop

“Chinese Music”
(Grades 3-5)

Teacher: Lindsey Ratner

Focus/Concept: Chinese rhythms used in Luogu Ensemble

National Standards for Music:

Standard #2: Playing instruments alone and with others
Standard #5: Reading and notating music
Standard #9: Understanding music in relation to history or culture

Materials:

Handout of materials from workshop
Large Tubano Drum/s
Gong
Small Cymbals

Objectives: Students will be able to:

Read the Chinese notation after teacher instruction and practice.
Play their instrument part independently.

Previous Knowledge:

Chinese instrument names and picture identification
Classification of instruments by material
Instruments that make up Luogu Ensemble

Process:

Day 1:

Review the term Luogu Ensemble and identify the instruments that belong to the ensemble: Daluo, Xiaoluo, Bo, and Gu.
After looking at pictures of the original instruments, show the students how they are going to play instruments from our classroom that will act like the instruments from above

Daluo and Xiaoluo – Only one size of gong will be used
Bo – A pair of cymbals will be used
Gu – A large tubano drum will be used

Now it's time to compare rhythms.
First, do a basic rhythm review with quarter notes, eighth notes, half notes, whole notes, and sixteenth notes. Slowly transfer these rhythms into the letters used in Chinese notation. Begin very simple and then move to something more complex.

Start with just D, C, and K (Prelude A from our handout). Begin by using letters only like chant.
Next, transfer on to body percussion: D pat legs and C clap hands. Have students practice K as a pat and the K as a clap so they can do both.
Finally, show students how to play the rhythms on the instruments allowing all students a turn on each instrument.

• i. Start with only one instrument and slowly layer each into the ensemble.

Day 2:

Review the rhythms again in our classroom style. Review the Chinese rhythms and use chant and then body percussion to practice. Begin with Prelude A only using chant and body percussion.
Introduce Prelude B in the same order as Prelude A was taught.
Instead of putting all students on each instruments like day 1, put the students that will perform the best at each instrument. They will still have to take some turns so that everyone has a chance to play.
With the students assigned to an instrument, allow them time to practice together on Prelude B and then perform together.
Go back and perform A and B together as a group.
Finally, add the form AA BB AA in the performance.

Extension:

I would extend this lesson with the Lion Dance I. I would involve the art teacher to integrate the lesson into her classroom by making the lion's for the students to use. I would then assign students different roles: dancer or musician. The students would practice and possibly perform for other students or parents if there was an event for it like Flex Class or a Cultural Festival.

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