‭Tyler Long‬

‭EDSEC 477ZA‬

‭9 October 2023‬

‭Culturally Responsive Instruction Lesson‬

I‭ ntroduction:‬
‭The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the music of Africa, specifically the‬
‭Ghanaian drumming culture. The music classroom contains students of vastly unique and diverse‬
‭backgrounds, possibly more than any classroom at a given point. Therefore, it is important that‬
‭each cultural background is studied and celebrated, so students develop a deeper understanding‬
‭and appreciation for that culture. This lesson is designed with visual, aural, and tactile elements‬
‭to support ELL students. Additionally, due to the varying abilities of students, since this lesson is‬
‭designed to have students compose using typical Ghanaian instruments, students will have the‬
‭ability to compose to their ability, whether it be at a higher or lower capability. I also have taken‬
‭into consideration students’ previous knowledge, assuming they will have knowledge of‬
‭composing using the table I have provided, as well as knowledge of how to navigate the‬
‭instruments that will be used throughout this lesson.‬

‭ tandards Addressed:‬
S
‭MU:Cr2.1.5a:‬‭Demonstrate‬‭selected and developed‬‭musical‬‭ideas‬‭for‬‭improvisations‬‭,‬
‭arrangements‬‭, or‬‭compositions‬‭to express‬‭intent‬‭, and‬‭explain‬‭connection‬‭to‬‭purpose‬‭and‬
‭context‬‭.‬
‭MU:Cr1.1.5a:‬‭Improvise rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic‬‭ideas, and explain‬‭connection‬‭to‬
‭specific‬‭purpose‬‭and‬‭context‬‭(such as‬‭social‬‭,‬‭cultural‬‭,‬‭and‬‭historical‬‭).‬

‭ aterials:‬
M
‭Ghanaian drumming video:‬‭https://youtu.be/uOkRdcTxZko?si=L2APJzfO29cCqOXF‬
‭Ghanaian drumming presentation:‬
‭https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1vTbp-v0AREblYUYdwC6ZgaHriBdCzfFzev26ODRPK‬
‭vU/edit?usp=sharing‬
‭High Drums‬
‭Low Drums‬
‭Gankoguis‬
‭Axatses‬
‭Composition sheets (notated in lesson sequence)‬
‭Lesson Sequence:‬
‭●‬ ‭As students enter the room, they will be instructed to sit by an instrument of their choice.‬
‭The instruments will be set up in groups, which will help with the composition and‬
‭improvisation activities later on.‬
‭●‬ ‭I will begin by asking students the following questions:‬
‭○‬ ‭“Who has heard African drumming music before?”‬
‭○‬ ‭“Who can tell me some instruments they think are used in African drumming?”‬
‭●‬ ‭I will present the attached Ghanaian drumming‬‭video‬‭to the class. They will be asked to‬
‭do the following as they listen:‬
‭○‬ ‭Teacher: “We are going to listen to a Ghanaian African drumming video. As you‬
‭listen, try to see what instruments you can pick out.”‬
‭○‬ ‭The students will listen and answer the question of what instruments they can‬
‭hear.‬
‭●‬ ‭The video will be played again, and students will be asked to respond to what they hear‬
‭by doing the following:‬
‭○‬ ‭Teacher: “Let’s listen one more time. Can you move in some way to the beat? If‬
‭you find any rhythm that you can tap out, can you do that? Or can you find‬
‭another way to move your body to the beat?”‬
‭○‬ ‭The students will listen one last time and respond accordingly to what they hear.‬
‭●‬ ‭I will now present the attached presentation of Ghanaian drumming to the class.‬‭This‬
‭presentation contains images that will be helpful for ELL students.‬
‭○‬ ‭Within this presentation are two maps of Africa, one showing where Ghana is,‬
‭and the other showing Ghana itself. It also contains images of the typical‬
‭instruments used in Ghanaian drumming to help students make connections.‬
‭When it gets to the instruments, the students will be asked the following:‬
‭■‬ ‭Teacher: “As I talk about the instrument on the screen you have in front of‬
‭you, can you hold it up?”‬
‭●‬ ‭Students will now use these instruments to compose a drumming sequence. They will use‬
‭the following table to do so:‬
‭1‬ ‭2‬ ‭3‬ ‭4‬ ‭5‬ ‭6‬ ‭7‬ ‭8‬

‭Axatse‬

‭Gankogui‬

‭High Drum‬

‭Low Drum‬
‭ his table provides students with each typical instrument used in traditional Ghanaian‬
T
‭drumming. The numbers at the top provide them with each eighth note subdivision in a‬
‭4/4 measure. They will work with their group to fill in a box for where they want each‬
 i‭nstrument to play on any given subdivision. A more complex table will be given to‬
‭students to are more advanced, with sixteenth note subdivisions. This will be available‬
‭and given as an option only if students feel comfortable in using it.‬

‭1‬ ‭2‬ ‭3‬ ‭4‬ ‭5‬ ‭6‬ ‭7‬ ‭8‬ ‭9‬ ‭10‬ ‭11‬ ‭12‬ ‭13‬ ‭14‬ ‭15‬ ‭16‬

‭A‬

‭G‬

‭HD‬

‭LD‬

‭○‬ T ‭ he numbers at the top will help ELL students to better understand where each‬
‭beat is placed.‬
‭○‬ ‭Students will be given 10 minutes to complete this task.‬
‭ ‬ ‭Students will now perform their group compositions for the rest of the class.‬
●
‭●‬ ‭After students have performed their compositions, they will now practice improvising in‬
‭groups on these instruments while another group plays their composition. One group will‬
‭play their composition while the rest of the class improvises with their instrument, using‬
‭the instrument they have used for class. Groups will switch after each composition.‬
‭●‬ ‭After the class has improvised together, they will individually improvise to another‬
‭group’s composition. One group will perform their composition, while the class goes‬
‭down the line and performs a four bar improvisation. Groups will switch after each‬
‭performance.‬

‭ eflection:‬
R
‭This lesson is culturally responsive because students are learning how to make music that is‬
‭traditional to another culture. Students are being exposed to instruments they would not typically‬
‭play, and listening to music they would not more than likely not typically listen to. The students‬
‭throughout this lesson are engaging with the topic even more by learning about Ghanaian culture‬
‭and what African drumming music is. Students are given opportunities to share what they have‬
‭composed, as well as improvise their own ideas over other compositions, giving them a feeling‬
‭of accomplishment and success when they have the chance to perform their original works.‬