Darla Hanley's Music Room
Creative Teaching for Students of Today (& Tomorrow) PK-8
Today’s Teaching Strategy:
Bands of Four
(Instrument Exploration and Composition)
Upper Elementary (4-5)
This teaching strategy is small group instrument exploration and composition that goes with “Moments of Happiness” by Audiosphere and “Rockit” by Herbie Hancock. I chose these tracks because of their strong beat foundation and similar tempos.
These tracks are available on multiple streaming audio platforms. (Like many of my teaching strategies, you should feel free to find other audio tracks to anchor the learning experience using music that works in your setting or new tracks to simply “mix it up.”)
Hi! I’m Darla, an experienced PK-12 music educator, college professor, and former Berklee College of Music Dean looking to connect with teachers, parents/caregivers, and others seeking to advance creative music making for today’s students—and their teachers. In Darla Hanley’s Music Room you will find teaching strategies, advice and teaching tips, playlists, and more.
Bands of Four
Show pictures of a baseball and baseball mitt; peanut butter and jelly; and a hammer and nails. Lead a discussion about things that go together.
Today we are going to explore combinations of instruments to form bands that sound good together. You will have the opportunity to choose instruments as we make bands of four players each, led by a band leader!
ProTIP: Prepare the classroom with instrument stations that each have a variety of unpitched percussion and lots of choices for students.
(OPTIONAL: Have decks of rhythmic pattern cards (1-beat per card, i.e., ta cards; ta-di cards; ta-ka-di-mi cards: quarter rest cards) at each station for students to use to create their ostinato.)
Select one student to be the first “band leader” to choose four players and invite them as a group to go to an instrument station. Continue with other band leaders until all students are assigned to small groups (i.e., “bands”).
ProTIP: Put student names in a hat to select bandleaders. Have each band leader draw names from this same hat to form the four players of their band to reduce elements of peer pressure.
All band leaders will work with their band members to choose instruments together to create a distinctive band sound.
Band members have the opportunity to suggest instrument choices but the band leader will make the final decision to accept the suggestion or ask for something else.
Within a band, you may all play the same instrument (e.g., four drums), all play instruments in the same category like shakers (e.g., maracas, bells, tambourines), or select any combination of instruments.
You need to name your band based on the instruments you choose—the instrumentation.
ProTIP: Music vocabulary is essential to music learning. This is a good opportunity to formally teach the definitions of instrumentation, compose, and ostinato—and remind students of the names of the instruments they are playing.
Play the recording of “Moments of Happiness” and invite all students (“bands”) to compose an 8-beat ostinato to perform with the track.
An ostinato pattern repeats over and over. Within your band you need to compose an 8-beat ostinato.
Have fun creating! Note: You may have all instruments play the same rhythmic pattern or have multiple patterns happening.
Remember to use the rhythms you know like ta, ta-di, and ta-ka-di-mi, along with rests to create your band’s composition.
ProTIP: Provide time for exploration and practice with the recording for students to make decisions and reach consensus as an ensemble.
ProTIP: This is student-led learning. Offer guidance to band leaders and/or bands during the creative process, only as needed.
Once all groups have finished composing, invite individual “bands” to come to the front one at a time. Ask each bandleader to share the name of their band, and have the group demonstrate their ostinato with the recording.
How did you choose instruments and compose your ostinato?
EXTEND the Learning:
Have bands perform their 8-beat ostinato with “Rockit” by Herbie Hancock (beginning at 0.26 following an introduction).
Which music did you prefer for your ostinato composition? Why?
Repeat with new band leaders—so the band leaders get to be band members and play instruments, too.
Ask band leaders to feature one student in their band as a soloist performing an original 8-beat ostinato that alternates with the band’s 8-beat ostinato to create 16-beat ostinato compositions.*
🎵 Audiosphere “Moments of Happiness” Link to Track on Spotify
🎵 Herbie Hancock “Rockit” Link to Track on Spotify
Materials
Pictures of baseball and baseball mitt; peanut butter and jelly; and a hammer and nails
Variety of Unpitched Percussion Instruments
Optional: Decks of 1-Beat Rhythm Cards
Learning Targets
Compose, Lead, Play
Learning Outcomes
Respond with a variety of familiar rhythmic patterns
Create original 8-beat ostinato compositions
Perform in a small ensemble
Assessment
Informal Observation/Formative Assessment
Formal Observation/Summative Assessment*
Thanks for checking this out. If you use this teaching strategy, be sure to leave a comment to let me know how it resonates with your students!