Summary

Mix and match activities to create a fun lesson in which students will learn to play the rhythm tracks of the song “As It Was” by Harry Styles, exploring different percussion instruments and playing techniques.

🎲 Activities included:

• Analyzing the song (artist, genre, mood, tempo);
• Analyzing the rhythm section of the song;
• Learning the 3rd rhythm line and playing it in a popular song;
• Learning the 2nd rhythm line and playing it in a popular song;
• Learning the 1st rhythm line and playing it in a popular song;
• Combine and play all rhythm lines in a popular song

💻 Materials:

• Solfeg.io web app best used with Chrome browser
• Projector or computer and access to WIFI
• Simple percussion instruments, such as shakers, maracas, guiros, tambourines, claves, wood blocks, hand drums, buckets, drumsticks etc.
• Alternatively, body percussion can be used

Let's play Harry Styles!

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Get familiar with the song and its rhythm section
• Describe and reflect on different musical elements and their function

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Open the song “As It Was”.
• Select “Notation” under “Tools” - “Visuals” on the right side of the screen.
• Click on the beginning of Verse 1 on the timeline.
• Listen to Verse 1.
• Discuss with students what you heard.

Do you know the song?

Do you know the artist?

What is the genre/mood/tempo of this song?

What adjectives would you use to describe this song?

How would you describe the rhythm section of the song?

Analysis - on!

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Recognize and analyze the rhythmical values in the song

🎶 Recommended Songs:

‍

🎲 Activity:

• Tell your students to try to spot every rhythmical value they see in the rhythm tracks of Verse 1. Play it once more! Ask them:

Which rhythmical values did you see? (1st rhythm line - eighth notes, quarter notes; 2nd rhythm line - quarter notes; 3rd rhythm line - half notes, dotted quarter notes, eighth notes)

• If the students are shy to answer, pause the Verse 1 at any place so you can analyze just this specific snapshot. It helps to see the notes visually!
• Next, ask your students to choose their instruments. Anything will do - from shakers, maracas, guiros, tambourines, claves, wood blocks, hand drums, buckets, drumsticks to simply using your body percussion!

3rd Rhythm Line

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn the 3rd rhythm line
• Play the rhythm part along to the song

🎶 Recommended Songs:

‍

🎲 Activity:

• Tell your students that you will learn all the rhythm lines one by one, starting with the one at the bottom.
• Click on the beginning of Verse 1 on the timeline of the song player and listen to your rhythm track. You can solo it under “Controls” - “Volume” - the 3rd rhythm track is represented by the kick drum and is right above the metronome track. Press on the speaker on the right side of the kick drum icon and it should mute all the tracks except that one!
• Play Verse 1 again and ask your students to try to play or clap along.
• Here are some tips depending on the level of your class:

You can loop Verse 1 by pressing 🔁 on the right side of the “Play” button.

If the tempo is too fast, you can slow it down by pressing the “﹣” button up to 4 times on the left side of the “Play” button.

When you're comfortable with the slower tempo, you can try playing the verse at a faster speed and try to reach the original speed!

• When the students feel comfortable with the rhythm, unmute all the other tracks again. Try to play the same rhythm while Verse 1 is playing in its full sound!

2nd Rhythm Line

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn the 2nd rhythm line
• Play the rhythm part along to the song

🎶 Recommended Songs:

‍

🎲 Activity:

• Again, click on the beginning of Verse 1 on the timeline of the song player and listen to your rhythm track. You can solo it under “Controls” - “Volume” - the 2rd rhythm track is represented by the snare drum and is right above the kick drum track. Press on the speaker on the right side of the snare drum icon and it should mute all the tracks except that one!
• Play Verse 1 again and ask your students to try to play or clap along.

Tip: Playing the 2nd rhythm line should be easier than the 3rd rhythm line, so you can tell the students that the most challenging part is already past them to cheer them up!

Again, you can loop Verse 1 by pressing 🔁 on the right side of the “Play” button.

• Next, unmute all the other tracks again. Try to play the same rhythm while Verse 1 is playing in its full sound!

1st Rhythm Line

🕐 Time: 8 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn the 1st rhythm line
• Play the rhythm part along to the song

🎶 Recommended Songs:

‍

🎲 Activity:

• Once more, click on the beginning of Verse 1 on the timeline of the song player and listen to your rhythm track. You can solo it under “Controls” - “Volume” - the 1st rhythm track is represented by the cymbals and is right above the snare drum track. Press on the speaker on the right side of the cymbals icon and it should mute all the tracks except that one!
• Play Verse 1 again and ask your students to try to play or clap along.

Tip: The 1st rhythm line consists of eighth notes mostly, so the students should use both their hands interchangeably (left-right-left-right) on whatever surface they are playing to ensure that their hands don't get too tired or tense.

Again, you can loop Verse 1 by pressing 🔁 on the right side of the “Play” button.

• Next, unmute all the other tracks again. Try to play the same rhythm while Verse 1 is playing in its full sound!
  

Put it all together!

🕐 Time: 7 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Play different rhythm tracks at the same time
• Play the rhythm part along to the song

🎶 Recommended Songs:

‍

🎲 Activity:

• Explain to students that in the next activity groups will play together and combine different rhythm tracks.
• Divide your students into 3 groups. Ideally, the ones playing on deeper sounding instruments (bigger drums, buckets, cajon, conga, foot-stomping) should play the 3rd rhythm line, the ones with the higher sounding instruments (guiro, cabasa, tambourine, small hand drums, bongos, claves, wood blocks, drumsticks) should play the 2nd rhythm line and 1st (shaker, maraca, hand-clapping) rhythm line. Also, keep in mind that the 3rd rhythm line is a bit harder than the other rhythm lines while dividing students.
• Click on the beginning of Verse 1 on the timeline of the song player and listen to all 3 rhythm tracks at once (with kick drum, snare drum and cymbal icons) - mute all the other tracks. Tell your students to try to hear the specific parts that they have to play while listening.
• Play Verse 1 again and ask all 3 student groups to try to play or clap along.

Again, you can loop Verse 1 by pressing 🔁 on the right side of the “Play” button.

You can try combining the groups one by one.

• Next, unmute all the other tracks again. Try to play the same rhythm while Verse 1 is playing in its full sound!
  

Reflection

🕐 Time: 3 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Reflect on the learning process

🎲 Activity:

• Ask these questions to the class and have a short discussion

What was the most challenging/ fun part of the lesson?

What were the differences between your rhythm track and the other ones?

Homework assignment

🕐 Time: 3 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Practice the rhythm track students learned in the class
• Learn other parts of the song and combine them
• Encourage independent music making

🎲 Activity:

Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by…

• Practicing their part at home by playing along to the song;
• Learning other parts of the song (chords, lyrics, etc.).

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