Chapter Graphic : Beat the Beat
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  Level: Year 4 and year 8
Approach: One to one
Focus: Identifying a beat in a piece of music and hitting a drum in time with it.
172k
Resources: Drum, beater, video recording on a laptop computer.

Questions / instructions:
In this activity you will be playing the drum to the beat of some music.
Let's watch the video. It will tell you what to do.
Ensure that the drum is visible to camera — the view is not obstructed by the computer screen.
Click the Play button to start the video.

The video shows a student identifying the beat in a musical example and hitting a drum in time with it. Subsequently, three pieces of music are played and the student is asked to hit the drum in time with a beat in each piece.

This task contains music samples (see answers)

 
     
% responses
y4
y8
1. "Dharpa Tree" from Yothu Yindi's "Tribal Voice" establishing a steady beat
achieved quickly
43
58
 
eventually achieved
30
23
not achieved
27
19
did beat fit with music ?
yes
68
78
no
32
22
2 "Soulflower" from Emma Paki, "Tribal Stomp" establishing a steady beat
achieved quickly
33
48
 
eventually achieved
34
24
not achieved
33
28
did beat fit with music ?
yes
60
65
no
40
35
3. "Spring" from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" establishing a steady beat
achieved quickly
13
28
 
eventually achieved
17
18
not achieved
70
54
did beat fit with music ?
yes
26
42
no
74
58
Commentary: On average, about 10 percent more year 8 than year 4 students succeeded in establishing an appropriate beat. Students had considerably more difficulty with the excerpt from "Vivaldi" than with the two other pieces.
 
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