Body Percussion Intro
Lesson 1
In this series of music lessons, students will explore how the body can be used as a musical instrument through body percussion. Inspired by the performances of Body Avlaia Group and Barbatuques, students will develop body percussion skills, learn and perform an arrangement of Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King, and explore how composers use ostinato to create excitement and momentum. They will then compose and perform their own original body percussion pieces using repeating rhythmic patterns and ensemble performance techniques.
Preparation:
Check and watch each of the video links and check they work and you understand each task.
Lessons involve movement so ideally a sports hall with the ability to display the videos.
Have a workbook downloaded and printed for each member of the group and pens/pencils.
Activity 1 - Warm up
Beat 1 (Metre) Tag – 5-10 mins
You should already be familiar with this game from previous lessons. If not, watch with Rob’s Kitchen tutorial as a reminder. Remember that everyone can only move on Beat 1 while listening carefully to the pulse of the music. Once the group is moving confidently in time, a tagger is introduced, who can also only move on Beat 1. If tagged, players either become the new tagger or join the tagging team. Focus on keeping movements in time with the music and matching the tempo rather than speeding up with excitement. The aim is to feel the pulse and metre of the music through movement.
Everyone gets into a space in the hall and choose someone to be on.
Start playing a piece of music of your choice or use the Beat Tag for the Music Classroom video.
Get everyone to count and feel the beat.
Then begin to play.
Activity 2 - Be Inspired
Body Avlaia Group – In the Hall of the Mountain King Body Percussion Performance – 5-10 mins
Body Avlaia Group are a body percussion ensemble who create music using claps, stamps, pats, clicks, and coordinated movement. In this performance, they use body percussion to perform Edvard Grieg's famous piece In the Hall of the Mountain King, transforming a classical orchestral work into an exciting rhythmic performance.
Watch the video.
Use Section 1 of the workbook to make notes.
Discuss your observations with the group.
Consider the following questions:
How are the performers creating different sounds?
Which body percussion techniques can you identify?
How does the performance build excitement as it progresses?
Can you identify any repeated rhythmic patterns (ostinatos)?
How would you describe the structure of the performance? What happens at the beginning, middle and end?
What stood out or impressed you most about the performance?
How do the performers work together as an ensemble?
Activity 3 - Give it a go!
Body Percussion for Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King (Rob's Kitchen Tutorial) – 10 mins
This tutorial breaks down the body percussion performance step by step, helping you learn the rhythms, movements, and patterns used in In the Hall of the Mountain King.
Watch the video and join in.
Pause and replay sections as needed.
Focus on learning the first two sections of the rhythm notated below. We will relook at this pattern in the next session, so don’t worry if the group don’t quite get it.
Activity 4 - Reflection Time
Body Percussion and Ostinato – 5–10 mins
Ask the group to use Section 2 of their workbook to reflect on the following questions:
Body percussion has been used in cultures around the world for hundreds of years. Why do you think people might use their bodies to make music instead of instruments?
Which body percussion sounds did you find most effective? (Claps, stamps, pats, clicks, etc.)
What is an ostinato?
Can you think of any music you listen to at home that might feature an ostinato?