Today’s vocabulary

Let’s get started!

There are lots of ways someone might choose to make music.

Examine the following video and think about how the sounds are made.

Did you know the human body is an instrument?

Body percussion is sound created by using different parts of the body as an instrument.

This might include clapping hands, stomping feet, patting the thighs, and snapping fingers (or clicking the tongue).

We can put these body percussion sounds together to create a rhythmic pattern. Check it out!

Here is an audio clip of someone performing that rhythm pattern. Follow along if you can!

Get ready, get set…

We can use songs to create rhythmic patterns.

Let’s explore the song “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”

Let’s explore an audio clip of this song.

Is this lullaby familiar?

Explore it again!

If possible, sing or play along. You can choose to keep the beat, speak the words, or sing along!

Creating a rhythmic pattern

The following table has words from "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

Some of the words make 1 sound. Others make 2 sounds.

Let’s create a rhythmic pattern using the words from “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”

Explore the following pattern on this grid. Each box in the grid is one beat. There are 4 heartbeats altogether.

Now, let’s explore an audio clip of the pattern.

If possible, point to the heartbeats on the grid and speak the words as you follow along!

Playing with patterns

If the word has one sound, do your body percussion action one time.

Example:

If the word has two sounds, do your body percussion action two times.

Example:

Let’s explore some more examples.

How many claps would you need for each word?

(Hint: think about how many sounds each word makes!)

Go!

Add your own body percussion

In this activity, you will add body percussion to the following rhythmic pattern:

Now it’s your turn to add percussion to the musical phrase!

You can add a snap, stomp, or pat to the words that make one sound.

If a word makes two sounds, add two claps!

Try it yourself in the following interactive chart!

You can also complete this activity by using the following fillable and printable Musical Phrase Chart document.

Try it out!

Putting it all together

Create and play your own rhythmic pattern using the words from “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”

You can choose from one of the following options or try them all!

Option 1 – Add body percussion

Add body percussion to the following rhythmic pattern.

You can add a snap, stomp, or pat to the words that make one sound.

If a word makes two sounds, add two claps!

Try it yourself using the following interactive chart!

You can also complete this activity by using the following fillable and printable Option 1: Body Percussion Pattern document.

Option 2 – Add words

The following rhythmic pattern uses body percussion, but it does not have words!

Add words to the following rhythmic pattern.

Add a word that makes one sound for each “snap” and “pat.”

Add a word that makes two sounds for the “claps.”

Try it yourself in the following interactive chart!

You can also complete this activity by using the following fillable and printable Option 2: Body Percussion Pattern document.

Option 3 – Add body percussion and words

Make your own rhythmic pattern and add body percussion!

For this activity, you will add words and body percussion to a musical phrase.

Here are some words you can use:

Access an audio version of these words.

Use the following fillable and printable Option 3: Body Percussion Pattern document to create your rhythmic pattern. You can also make your pattern using another method of your choice.

Tell me about it

Today you explored how to create a rhythmic pattern using words from "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Then, you played your rhythmic pattern body percussion!

Answer the following questions using a method of your choice.

• Did you use clap, stomp, pat, or snap?
• What worked well when you added your body percussion sounds? What do want to continue to practice?
• What else could you use to create body percussion?

Share what you learned about today using the words rhythmic pattern and body percussion. You can choose to:

• draw and label the important parts using the words rhythmic pattern and body percussion
• tell someone using the words rhythmic pattern and body percussion
• write about it using the words rhythmic pattern and body percussion
• make a recording using the words rhythmic pattern and body percussion

Reflection

How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity? Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.