Teaching a
Quintuplet.
One of the problems in
Western Music is the fact that most young students cannot feel notes in a group
of five. Our ears are more comfortable with the feel of two, three, and four.
Children in India can feel and sing quintuplets at a young age, why can’t we?
It is time to start teaching this so young musicians can feel quintuplets as
easy as two and three.
Subject- Music Theory
Topic- How to play and feel a Quintuplet (five)
Objectives- The lesson is aimed at breaking the habit of only feeling
two and three, and the misconception that feeling a quintuplet is difficult. In
actuality, it can be as easy as what the students are used to and comfortable
with. By the end of the lesson, the students will at least be able to
understand a quintuplet and where it fits within a measure of music. Hopefully
most of the students will be able to play a quintuplet correctly by the end of
the lesson. Also, they will know the origin of a quintuplet from listening to
Indian and Chinese music, which uses a quintuplet often and is a common feel to
most people from that culture.
Procedures- The lesson has to be taken at a somewhat slow pace, since
the material is odd to most high school students. First, I will start by
notating a quintuplet on the board, therefore giving them the visual of what
the lesson is first. Since a tuplet can be notated in many ways, four to five
different examples will be drawn. Second, I will play two different samples of
a quintuplet, one being from American music, and one from another culture. Once
the students have a visual and aural example of the quintuplet, we will begin
to learn how to play one. Using practice drums to keep the same sound, very
slowly I will tap quarter notes. I will instruct the students to place 5 equal
notes in between the quarter notes. I expect the first time to not be right,
since the rhythmic ability of all students is different. This is all right.
While keeping a steady tempo, I will go around the room and see which students
understand the quintuplet by having them individually play one. I will then
repeat the last procedure a few times, and hopefully more students will grasp
the concept. This should take up a quarter of the class time. After that, I
will break the class into groups; making sure in each group is at least one
student with a firm grasp of the knowledge. While walking around the room, I
will check each group, and seeing how the students can teach each other. By
doing this, I hope to have more students with a grasp of the concept by the time
the next activity is to begin. In the last half of the class, I will have a
full ensemble of the students playing quintuplets in different times, feels,
and split parts. By the end of the lesson, the students should be walking out
of the class feeling a quintuplet as easy as they feel two and three.
Evaluation- Before- The students had a sense of straight time. They
can tap quarter notes in their heads or with their foot, and play different
rhythms on their instruments.
During- Hopefully I will
see the students understand the lesson more and more as they play it over and
over. Most will not “get it” the first time it is explained.
After- After the lesson
the students should have a larger understanding of rhythm. Not only should they
be able to play and feel a quintuplet, but their sense of common time should be
stronger, since they had to rely on that more to accomplish the quintuplet.
Materials- I will need a chalkboard with a staff on it, snare drum,
compact discs and a good sound system. The students will need practice drums
that I will supply, sticks, staff paper, and an open mind.
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