LESSON PLAN Teacher: Asa Furst Grade: 9-12 Period: 3 Course/Unit: All Things Hip Hop Date: 2/23/2012

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NATIONAL STANDARD(S): MA Arts Framework Standard(s): Artistic Process(es) Engaged:

Performing

Responding

Behavioral Objective: The student will learn how to play the drum beats to Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks. They will listen to musical examples of artists who sampled the beat to "When the Levee Breaks. Materials Needed: sheet music, music stands, stereo, paper, and tape

PACING 5 minutes

PERCEPT or SKILL intro

SEQUENTIAL LESSON STEPS

EVALUATION, DIAGNOSIS, REMEDIATION

3 minutes

listen and read

4 minutes

playing and speaking

students will wrap a piece of paper around their right leg towards the knee, and then tape it so that the paper is taut. they will put their right hand on their left leg and their left hand on their right leg. the left arm must go under the right arm. explain that the left leg will be used to represent the hi hat cymbal of a drum kit. the right leg is the snare drum, the right foot is the bass drum or kick, and the ball of the left foot is lifted off the ground to represent the open hi hat. explain that this set is very similar to how it would feel to actually feel if they were playing a drum kit. pass out the sheet music and vocalise the sounds of the hi-hat, bass drum, and snare E-watch sounds. play the beginning to Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and have them try follow D-are they able to isolate along with those parts in the recording. the parts? R-vocalise just the hi-hat, just the bass drum, and just the snare have them play the hi-hat part while vocalizing (1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and). have them E-watch and listen vocalize the same way, but play the snare on beat 2 and 4. repeat exercise for bass on D-is it too difficult for beats 1 and 3. explain that people usually clap on beats 2 and 4 because clapping them to speak and play at sounds similar to a snare and the snare drum is usually played on beat 2 and 4 in the same time? popular music. R-tell them they can try it without the vocalization if that is easier. slow down

the tempo. 5 minutes playing and speaking have them start with the hi-hat part, then and add snare and bass drum, so that they will eventually be playing all parts simultaneously. start at a slow tempo, and gradually increase the tempo as they're playing, have them speak 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and, but have them speak 1, 2, 3 and 4 with an accent. E-watch and listen D-are they able to keep a steady beat? R-slow down the tempo to the point where most of the class can play the drum beat successfully. E-watch and listen D-is it easier for them to play along to the recording? R-make sure the recording is not played too loudly, making it difficult to evaluate the students playing. E-listen D-are they able to detect the syncopation in the bass drum part? can they hear the strong reverb effect on the drums? E-watch D-do the students seem confused about terms like "reverb" and "backwards echo"? R-explain these terms more clearly.

3 minutes

playing with a recording

have them play along with the recording. use the ipad app "anytune" to slow down the tempo of "Billie Jean."

4 minutes

comparing drum beats

explain how "Billie Jean" was sampled by rapper L.L. Cool J in 1991 in his song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf." Segue into playing Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks."Ask them for any initial reactions to the recording. ask how the beat compares to "Billie Jean." Have them look at the sheet music if they can't articulate differences between the two drum beats.

4 minutes

background of "When the Levee Breaks"

5 minutes

talk about Headley Grange, where "When the Levee Breaks" was recorded and all of the popular groups that recorded there. explain how Zeppelin drummer John Bonham was given a brand new oversized drum set for the recording. He played on the first floor stairwell, while a stereo microphone was placed on the second floor of the stairwell. This allowed the recording to capture the natural reverb (echo) of the space. They took that recording and added extra reverb by using guitarist Jimmy Page's Binson Echorec Delay Unit. Singer Robert Plant used a backward echo effect for his harmonica. Because the song was so heavily produced, it was difficult for them to perform the song live. Show pictures of Headley Grange. speaking and have students play the hi-hat part and speak the bass drum part (one ee, a, and a). once playing the they can speak the part, have them play the bass drum part. add the snare part, which is drum beat simple enough since it's just on the 2 and 4.

E-watch and listen D-can they keep a steady beat? is the bass drum part being played accurately? R-play a click track as they

5 minutes

listening and analyzing

play examples of music that samples the beat for "when the levee breaks"-Bjork's "Army of One," Beastie Boys- "Rhymin and Stealin" and "So What'cha Want,"and Enigma-"Return to Innocence." Ask students why they think the beat was sampled so often.

play. make sure it's at a slow enough tempo at first. gradually increase. model for the students if they aren't playing the part accurately. E-listen D-do they realize that because the drums are isolated from the rest of the ensemble during the intro, it made the beat easy to sample? Do they think the syncopation of the bass drum and the interesting reverb effect made the beat more appealing than others? R-explain that the beat to "Billie Jean" wasn't sampled even though it is isolated from the ensemble. explain how the beat to "Billie Jean" is very simple and lacks character, however is a vey common pattern in popular music.

PACING

PERCEPT or SKILL

SEQUENTIAL LESSON STEPS

EVALUATION, DIAGNOSIS, REMEDIATION

REFLECTION AND FORESHADOWING: 1 minute 1 minute reflection foreshadowi ng what did you learn today? do you know of any other drum beats they have been sampled? during our next class we will be working with garageband and creating loops. you can use the beat to "when the levee breaks," but I will also provide other songs you can use to create a loop. you can bring in your own music if you wish.