Full PDF Lesson Plan – Lesson 1
Pre-Class
Listen to the audio example listed here. [Clark Blog Post]
Cultural Background
The final musical style with distinct Colonial/Spanish influence we will focus on during this weeklong unit is the Puerto Rican Bomba. According to Moore, “Bomba is a secular dance form, intended for recreation rather than Devotion.” (Moore, 76) Moore states, “The most common Afro-Puerto Rican genre featuring percussion and voice that continues to be played today is bomba.” (Moore, 76) Moore further states, “… bomba music is often confined to stage performances by folklore troupes or community centers.” (Moore, 76) He does note that in a town outside of San Juan, bomba is performed as part of community festivals. As for the instrumentation of the ensemble, Moore states, “Bomba incorporates at least two drums, wider and shorter than conga drums and more resonant. The lower drum, called the buleador (plural buleadors), plays a relatively static pattern… However, only one player improvises on the more prominent lead drum known as the bomba or primo, at a time.” (Moore, 77) This will be the first lesson completed, and uses audio material from the included CD. Links to the audio are in the online lesson plan, located at [https://andreclark.com/eportfolio/muh6935].
Mastery Objectives
(Bold Type – an Item that is due at end of class)
- Identify the locale for the Music from the Caribbean on a map, and gain an understanding about the culture from which this is observed
- Identify individual rhythmic patterns from the supplied audio examples.
- Write the primary rhythmic idea played in audio example, “Bomba Sica Rhythms,” using the TUBS system. Identify patterns for the sticks, the shaker, and the congas.
- Program the rhythms using a drum machine application on the iPad.
- With a partner, create a video of your hand recorded and programmed rhythmic pattern.
- Provide feedback of your partner’s’ performances in a written blog post.
TUBS System
The () indicates a silent count or half beat. In Eastman, the silent beats are on the te of 2 and the te of 4. Each other beat is struck on the drum.
On Your Own
Find Puerto Rico on a map. Include a screenshot of the map in your blog post at the end of class.
Notate the rhythm of one measure of the following example using the Time Unit Box System described above. Use the notated rhythm to program a drum track with the primary material transcribed above.
- With a partner, create a video of your hand recorded and programmed rhythmic pattern.
- Provide feedback of your partner’s’ performances in a written blog post.
After 10 minutes, groups come back together. Sections will be asked for volunteers to share their recordings.