3rd Grade students have demonstrated their proficiency with rhythm patterns containing quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests. They are learning to identify melodic contour with songs and musical games such as Cut the Cake. We are starting to learn about notes with longer duration, beginning with the half note in the song and game How Does a Caterpillar Go? In World Music Drumming, 3rd graders are working on combining 3 different rhythm patterns on high, medium and low tubanos.

4th Grade students greet each other at the beginning of class with the French song Bonjour Mes Amis, which has also served as an introduction to the rhythm grouping of eighth note + two sixteenth notes. This new rhythm follows successful completion of rhythm patterns including 4 sixteenth notes, 2 eighth notes, quarter note, quarter rest and half note. After learning the shekere, they will have been introduced to all six instrument patterns for World Music Drumming Ensemble 1, which comes from Ghana, West Africa. 

5th Grade students are playing rhythm patterns found in The Russian Dance from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. They are learning to compare and contrast 1 eighth note + 2 sixteenth notes with 2 sixteenth notes + 1 eighth note. This grade level is close to completing Ensemble 1 in our World Music Drumming curriculum, having successfully played 6 different rhythms simultaneously on 3 sizes of tubano drums in addition to shekere, gankogui and cowbell. 

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