Writing "Hidden" Xylophone Songs After learning some rules about playing xylophones respectfully, each student was asked to discover a "hidden" song that no one has ever heard before. Below, listen to sme samples. Come visit if you would like to hear more or try to find a song yourself. While watching and listening, think about these questions: Do you notice any rhythms or notes that are repeated? Are there any patterns in the song? Can you feel a beat in each song? Does this song remind you of any other songs? What's the same and different about each song? What does the music make you think of/how do you feel? Have you ever written a song? | |
Mallet Techniques
We have been practicing two types of mallet techniques on the xylophone. One is hands together (playing both hands at the same time) and the other is alternating hands (playing one after the other). To practice, each student got to be a "foot" conductor. The class had to watch the conductor's feet for jumps (hands together), walks (alternating hands) and stops (no playing) and try to play what was shown. A sample is here:
We have been practicing two types of mallet techniques on the xylophone. One is hands together (playing both hands at the same time) and the other is alternating hands (playing one after the other). To practice, each student got to be a "foot" conductor. The class had to watch the conductor's feet for jumps (hands together), walks (alternating hands) and stops (no playing) and try to play what was shown. A sample is here:
We have also been using xylophones and metallophones to play along with a steady beat and to tell stories during class. Come visit and you can join in as well.