This album grew out of a workshop I used to give for teachers of young children, after seeing closet after classroom closet of dusty, unused rhythm instruments in the schools where I taught music classes. The full title of the workshop was, “On Beyond the Parade—Let’s Play Rhythm Band!”. So here you have just a few examples of the many ways to engage children with music, using basic rhythm instruments. This is meant to be just a starting point; once you get the idea that you can add instrumentation to almost any children’s song, the sky’s the limit! Who’s That Knocking? We’re using claves here, but any rhythm sticks will do. The song is in ¾ time; we’re playing on the 2nd and 3rd counts only. “Wait, play, play, Wait, play, play,” would be one way to teach this, or just by imitation. Let’s All Play We go around the circle of children and say something about each one, then play for them: 1, 2, 3! Great for any rhythm instruments. Rhythm Name Game We’re clapping twice on our laps, then twice clapping hands. Each person says their own name, then the name of anyone else in the circle, OR you can just name the person next to you and go around that way. Best done with kids a little older than preschool: the primary grades or beyond. With older children, you can pick up the pace and do this double time, it gets fun! Little Miss Muffet We put a selection of instruments in the center of the circle. Kids take turns being Little Miss Muffet, who gets blindfolded. Then a spider is chosen to pick any instrument to play, and Little Miss Muffet has to guess which instrument it is. Play and Stop Everyone gets an instrument of their choice, or you can just use rhythm sticks, shakers, or whatever. The teacher can lead this by playing and singing and stopping at random times, it’s like freeze dance only it’s freeze play. Then the kids can also take turns being the leader. Besides stopping when the music stops, you can use this to teach playing loudly versus softly, fast versus slow, etc. Follow the Banjo I do this with a banjo, but it could be any instrument. It’s similar to Play and Stop, but I focus more on various rhythm patterns in this one. If You’re Happy and You Know It Using a variety of instruments, each child has an instrument and where one usually claps hands in this song, instead you play your instrument (twice). The kids have to listen to hear when it’s their turn to play. To make it more challenging, pick up the pace! They Don’t Allow Based on an old song “Mama Don’t Allow” (but I didn’t want Mama to be the bad guy! so I altered it a little bit). Similar to “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, use a variety of instruments and the kids only play when they hear their instrument called. BINGO Traditionally done with clapping, we’re just substituting playing for clapping. You can of course use any 5-letter name and make up your own variations (“There was a child in our class and EDGAR was his name-o” etc). Old McDonald Had a Band Almost everyone knows “Old McDonald Had a Farm”. We’re just using instrument noises instead of animal noises. Copying Rhythms We’re using rhythm sticks and taking turns being the leader, playing any rhythm pattern and then everyone else joins in with the same rhythm. Dinosaur Knocking at my Door (written by Linda Arnold) Another good rhythm stick song, and just a fun song in general. The sticks are just for “knocking at the door”, though kids sometimes like to play them throughout the song, which is fine too. Rhythm Stick Guessing Game Taking turns being the leader, one person plays a song that everyone is likely to know, by tapping out the rhythm of the song, and everyone guesses which song it is. Bling Blang (by Woody Guthrie) We’re using the type of rhythm sticks that are wiggly, so you can tap them together for the hammering sound, and then rub them against each other for the saw sound.Al Tambor Translation of this song: “The drum of happiness, I want you to take me to the drum of happiness!” That’s the chorus, and we’re using one drum, and passing it around for each child to take a turn playing along with the song. When a new child gets the drum, we sing the verse: “Julie (or whoever) oh Julie, Julie my friend, I want you to take me to the drum of happiness!” Amigo means friend, amiga is a friend who is a girl. Boom Boom Nice song for a drum or drums. You just play along with the “Boom booms”. I usually point out that “crazy” in this song means silly, or as it says in the song, “Giddy and foolish”! Speaking Swahili Learning Swahili words for African animals, playing along with drums. Buffalo Gals The kids are playing limberjacks, little dancing wooden dolls who are made to jump up and down on a wooden board to keep the rhythm. These are ALWAYS a hit with children (adults, too!). I like playing this song for them to dance to, but it can be done with any lively tune. Tingalayo The word Tingalayo just reminded me of triangles going Ting, ting, ting, so the kids play triangles when we sing “Tingalayo”. The other instrument you hear (besides guitar) is a little steel drum, an instrument which comes to us from the Caribbean, where this song is from. My Pony Another song in ¾ time, and again we’re playing on just the 2nd and 3rd counts, until we get to the galloping part, when we play on all three counts. Caballito Blanco Same again; ¾ time, playing on the 2nd and 3rd counts (“Wait, play, play, Wait, play, play….”) Aiken Drum I took this one literally, it says “He played upon his ladel” so I found a nice brass ladel, and the kids take turns banging on it with a spoon or stick when we sing that part. Hambone We’re accompanying ourselves with spoons. Two tablespoons back to back, held loosely in one hand, and played between the other hand held still and the top of your leg above the knee. (Easier to show than describe!) Something in my Shoe (by Raffi) After “little wee stone” we’re clapping our hands twice; after “bouncing ball” we pantomime bouncing a ball and say Boing Boing; after “flying bird” we say Tweet tweet; after “locomotive” we pretend to pull the whistle cord and say Whoo whoo, and in between verses we play along with kazoos. No actual rhythm instruments in this one, but still lots of rhythm. It’s Raining When we sing “Pitter patter” we’re clapping our hands softly to make a raindrop sound, and in between each verse, one child is tipping a big rainstick to make more rain sounds. Rain and Thunder We’re using cymbals to make thunder, and again the rainstick to make rain sounds. La Feria de San Juan Translation: “At the fair in San Juan, I bought a guitar. Tara tara tara, a guitar” and etc with other instruments: Maracas, drum (tambor), pitillo (flute). And the chorus: “Come to the fair in San Juan!” Other instruments can be added as well. Fire Engine (by Harmony Grisman) We’re using triangles for the ding ding dings, slide whistles for the siren sound, and big rainstick for the sound of the fire hoses. Ekamoda A Native American guessing game. One group of children stands side by side, very close together, and behind their backs they are passing a small object (can be anything) from one to the other all the way down the line and back. The other group of children is facing them, standing or sitting, singing and playing “slapping sticks” which are sticks with a slit down the middle partway that you slap against your hand for a nice slapping sound. (But you can also just use rhythm sticks.) When the song stops at the word “Ya!”, whoever has the small object holds on to it, and the facing group tries to guess who is holding it. The Little Mouse A Native American story with lots of opportunities to act it out as we go along. We’re playing shakers when we sing the Scampering Song, and when we’re counting the seeds. Recorded at Grizzly Digital Sound in Petaluma CA, 1997 by Roger Tschann Ingrid Noyes: lead vocals and instruments Simone, Emma and Isabella Oppen, Chelsea and Austin Matthews, and Lacey LaVigna: chorus and additional instrumentation