Teaching East Asian Music in the Elementary Classroom

Lesson Plans from 2005 Workshop

“Korean Music”
(Grades 3-5)

Teacher: Lindsey Ratner

Focus/Concept: Korean rhythms using a form of P'ungmul instruments

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
Talking Drum
Round Indian Drum
Gong

Objectives: Students will be able to:

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

Previous Knowledge:

Korean instrument names and picture identification
Classification of instruments by elements: thunder, wind, cloud, and rain

Process:

Day 1:

Review the P'ungmul instruments and what each instrument stands for: Soi – Thunder, Jing – Wind, Puk – Cloud, and Chang-goo – Rain
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(this lesson will be mainly a drumming lesson).

Chang-goo – talking drum with two mallets

Now it's time to compare rhythms.
First, do a basic rhythm review with quarter notes, eighth notes, half notes, and whole notes. Slowly transfer these rhythms into the Korean rhythms. Begin very simple and then move to something more complex.
Change the rhythms and continue to practice only through chant and body percussion. Even allow the students to change the rhythms.
After adequate practice, begin allowing students to explore using the drum. Allow all students a turn and have the other students continue practicing on body percussion and chant. This will also help the person drumming.

Extension:

I would extend this lesson by adding in the other instruments that belong to the ensemble. I think that it would take a few lessons to allow students to get comfortable with playing two heads of the drum because it would be a new technique. Once they were comfortable I would begin adding other instruments to the ensemble. Again, I would allow the students to try the different instruments and then decide who plays the best on each instrument.

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