The facilitator can assist the participants to place their chairs and djembe drums out of the way. The participants all form a large circle, and everyone receives a large wooden scraper frog. The facilitator can assist all participants with the correct playing technique. It is important that the frogs are placed upon the players open hand with the palm facing up (it should be placed in the left hand if the participant is right-handed, and on the right hand if the participant is left-handed). If the frog is gripped or held by the sides, the sound will fail to resonate. The sound is further produced most effective when the wooden stick is scraped starting from the bottom to the top of the ridges. The sticks should be held loosely in the hand as it is dragged against the frog’s ridged back, as this will prevent the dampening of the sound or the loss of resonance. The participants can then return to the circle, and the facilitator can initiate a discussion about where frogs normally live…near ponds, waterfalls, in marshes, etc. the light in the room can be dimmed, or the curtains drawn. Ask the participants to close their eyes and to imagine themselves under a leaf, besides a pebble or on the water’s edge. Further suggest to the participants that they are frogs talking to one another across a small pond. They may use only “ribbet” sounds as they talk to one another. The facilitator describes the process to the participants as follows. The activity starts with a moment of complete silence. One participant opens the song with soft “ribbeting”, or gentle scraping of the frog across the ridges of its back. Suggest to the group that one participant at a time should enter the song. This should be a gradual process. Encourage the group to listen to the individual frog calls and to the frog-pond dialogue that is slowly emerging.
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Gradually the frog dialogue should develop into a groove of its own. Suggest to the group that they should experience the changes in texture and volume as each of the frogs is layered into the music. Encourage them to listen to the whole song, as well as to what each of them are playing, and to contribute a part that adds beauty and interest to the group composition. Explain to them that they need not play all the time, but they can layer their instruments in and out of the composition, in order to experiment with timbre, tone colour, texture, volume, etc. Allow the participants time to listen, play and fully experience the music being created around them. The music should eventually, naturally come to a close. Guide one participant at a time to stop playing, or simply fade out the entire group until there is complete silence.
Encourage the group to pay close attention to the “song space” – thus to be aware of where the different sounds are coming from, the balance that is achieved in the group, the overall volume, the quality of the texture, and the musical dynamics that are at play in their
improvisation. Questions that can be addressed to the participants can be, “does your own voice fit into the musical conversation, or is it overly loud and dominating, or too soft to be heard?”; “does your part fit in with the rhythm of the piece?”; “does a steady rhythm emerge within the group?”. Allow the group to experiment for a while with the balance and texture of their music (Hull, 2006).
Objectives
This activity represents an exploration of tone colour, timbre, and texture. The participants gain an awareness of how sounds can be patterned, layered, or arranged in different ways on a tonal “canvass”. Although the music is structured spontaneously, the participants still learn a valuable lesson in orchestration. They learn that the overall sound of the
composition can be light and transparent, or dense and cluttered. They further learn that certain timbres and rhythms sound better together than others. They also learn that their own contribution can either enhance or spoil the effect being achieved by the group as a whole. Social skills such as listening, thoughtful collaboration and sensitive participation are all enhanced with this activity.
175 3. Fireside Sing-Along
Folksongs
The facilitator can assist the group to move back into circle with their djembe drums in front of them. Explain to the group that they will be singing a few African folk songs. Folksongs are usually ideally suited to children and adolescents of all nationalities and ages. When the facilitator introduces the songs, he/she should emphasize the rhythmic patterns that are present. The songs should be taught to the participants, line by line.
The facilitator can start by chanting the words of the first song to the participants. This activity works well if a song with a call-and-response format is used. The facilitator starts by stating the first line of the song rhythmically, and facilitate the group in echoing what has just been called. The facilitator may need to guide the group in their response.
Next the facilitator continues to chant the words while providing a rhythmic
accompaniment on his/her drum. Encourage the group to continue reciting the words while they play appropriate beats on their djembe drums. This method will ensure that the
members play in unison, even if the volume levels becomes so high that it drones out their voices. The result will be a highly effective call-and-response composition inspired by the rhythms inherent to the particular song. Folksongs often offer different, interesting and complete rhythmic phrases in each line. When this concept has been mastered, divide the group into two, and allow the one group to play a steady pulse, while the other group plays the rhythm of the song. Afterwards give the two groups the opportunity to exchange roles. The facilitator can also use other songs.
Examples of African songs: Yoo, Yoo (A Kenyan lullaby)
Nanu, Nanu (An Ethiopian work-song) Tekele Lomeria (A Kenyan war-song)
176 Objectives
This exercise demonstrates the intimate connection between rhythm and music. A rhythmic composition is inspired by each folksong, where the participants do not have to learn different rhythms. The call-and-response format provides participants with a non-technical way of ensemble playing. This exercise further offers the opportunity to be exposed to the richness of different cultures.
4. Grandmother’s story