Submitted by Connie Herbon, Iowa
Idea posted March 7, 2005
I came up with this activity while thinking of a lesson plan for a mixed-age special needs class. First, we drew and colored rainbows while we listened to the recording of "Follow The Rainbow" from Music K-8, Vol. 15, No. 4. Then we added streamers for rainbow, sun, and wind shapes. We found the following also worked:
- Rhythmic ostinato on drums: half __ half __ quarter/quarter/quarter/rest This worked for the whole song, even though the recorded (and written) bass part includes a second rhythm pattern. Some of the students were able to do this pattern with the streamers in rainbow arcs as well.
- Added pitches to the rhythmic ostinato: (X/X = play together, a lá bordun)
- D/A __ D/A __ D/A D/A D/A Z
- C/G __ C/G __ C/G C/G C/G Z
- D/A __ D/A __ D/A D/A D/A Z
- C/G __ C/G __ D/A C/G D/A Z
- To get through the song, the whole pattern above fits as below:
- Intro: 1X (opt.)
- 1st time through song: (m.9-24) 2X through pattern
- Interlude: 1X (m.25-8)
- 2nd time through song: (m.9-24) 2X through pattern
- Ending: (m.25-32) 1X
We used BX, AX, and SX (bass, alto, and soprano xylophones), a metallophone, and Boomwhackers®. On Boomwhackers®, each student had either C and D or G and A. That way they could play either the upper or lower part of the full pattern. Of course, we sang in there also!