Arboretum Experience Design 10/21/17

Summary/Overview:
The participants will actively engage in a coordinated music experience. They will learn and be
able to perform "Skin and Bones," a traditional American folk story turned into a song. They will
perform it in a variety of contexts including relating the lyrics to emotions and matching certain
phrases to actions. The participants will engage in a game of "Witch in Their Pot" where students
must actively and inactively listen around to each other and across to each other. They will work
to follow a leader's pattern while still starting and stopping at appropriate times in the game.

Rationale:
There are multiple reasons that that this activity is beneficial to this population of students. Since
the expected age range of students is falling between K-5(however, we are planning for others as
well), it is important to draw off of the ideals being taught to this age range. There is an
importance of exposing children at this age to songs that exemplify folk tales and storytelling.
This experience also draws on the skills of the participant to focus their hearing and
communication skills to find the answer. By working as the Witch to discover the drum leader or
by working as the group of students to quickly adapt to the drum leader's rhythm and beat
differentiation, the participants are developing recognition of contrast in musical ideas.

Standards:
Anchor Standard 3: Refine and complete artistic works
Anchor Standard 5: Develop and refine artistic techniques and works for presentation
Anchor Standard 6: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic works
Anchor Standard 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work

"I Can" Statements:

● I can identify the ends of phrases through repetition of words.
● I can match pitch to a learned song.
● I can create emotions through the way I perform.
● I can perform a song with a group.
 ● I can listen for rhythms starting and stopping in a group.
● I can notice visual and auditory differences in performance.
● I can keep a beat or steady rhythm.
● I can follow a rhythmic leader.
● I can listen for a story in lyrics.

Materials and Visual Aids:

● 8 Large floor drums – one with a witch taped to the top
● Handout to summarize goals and achievements of the session
● "Skin and Bones" Traditional American Folk Song

Detailed Process:
1. Participants will start sitting with the facilitator either away from the drum circle or
inside of it
2. Facilitator will sing through the song once while the students listen and keep the beat on
their knees
3. The facilitator will ask some open and guided questions:
a. "What did you hear?"
b. "What was the song about?"
4. The facilitator will ask the students some closed questions:
a. "Did you hear the 'ooohs'?"
b. "Do you know how many time the 'ooohs' happened?"
5. The facilitator will sing through it again and have the participants keep the beat in a
different way
a. "While you keep the beat, can you sing the 'ooohs' whenever you hear them?"
6. The facilitator will sing the last phrase again and ask some guided and closed questions
a. "Should we try and scare the witch away?"
b. "How about we all say boo!"
c. "Okay, when we say boo, let's also freeze and make a scary face. Okay?"
7. Facilitator will perform it again with the participants saying the "ooohs" and the scary
boo and freeze at the end
 a. "That was really scary guys! This time, we are afraid of the witch, so the oohs and
the boo are going to be scared and hiding. Can you all make yourselves super
afraid of the witch and freeze like you are hiding at the end?"
8. Will perform it again in the scared manner
9. Next, they will move to the outside of the drums
10. The students will stand so that they can hit the drum and the facilitator will lead them
through the last phrase
a. "Anytime you hear the word "Boo" hit the top of the drum"
b. Facilitator will sing the last phrase and all will hit the drums accordingly
11. Facilitator then points out that someone has a witch on the top of their drum
a. "The witch gets to come to the center of our circle"
12. Facilitator then explains the next step to the activity
a. "We all are going to sing now. You can sing the whole song or just the "ooohs"
and "boos"
b. "The one catch is that if the witch is looking at you, you can't sing and you have
to freeze"
c. "When we get to the ending boo, whoever the witch is looking at is the new
witch"
d. "Does everyone understand?"
13. Perform the song again with the new steps in place (repeat once with new witch)
14. Facilitator explains next steps
a. "Now that we understand this – let's make it even more fun"
b. "We have our witch in the center but now we are also going to have a drum circle
leader"
c. "When we get the boo the leader has to start a beat or a rhythm and everyone else
has to follow along"
d. "The leader can stop playing or change what they are playing but everyone has to
follow along"
e. "For this part, it is okay if the witch is looking at you, the witch just has to find
the leader"
f. "Does everyone understand? Are there any questions?"
 g. "Okay, Witch close your eyes"
h. Facilitator selects a leader and signals to everyone who they are
i. "Whoever the leader is, make sure the witch doesn't see you start or change"
15. They then sing through the song again, following old rules and new ones
16. Once the witch figures out who the leader is they are the new witch
17. Facilitator asks some questions to the old witch
a. "Was it hard to tell who the leader was?"
b. "How did you figure it out?"
18. Facilitator asks the whole group questions
a. "Was it easy to follow our leader?"
b. "What kinds of beats or rhythms did you hear/see them playing?"
19. Perform again with the new witch and a new leader
a. "What beats/rhythms did we notice them playing?"
20. (Perform again if time permits)
21. "Gather students inside/outside circle as they started
a. "What did you guys like about that activity?"
b. "Where there parts that were hard? What were they? What made them hard?"
c. "What was your favorite part?"
d. "What would you guys want to add to it if we played again?"

Assessment:
The facilitator will check for audible and visible comprehension. This will be done by listening
for students singing and by watching their movements to see whether they lag or are on top of
them. The facilitator will also watch the facial expressions of the students to gage their level of
interest. After asking open, guided, and closed questions, the facilitator will assess which
participants are answering and how.

Extensions:
● Have the students take turn acting out the story while the others sing
● Come up with a rhythmic idea to play on the "ooohs" and "boos"
● Have them perform it again and throw in random "boos" to have them hit on the beat
Adaptations:
Modality
● For students that have difficulties with hearing or are sensitive to loud noises, it could be
beneficial to never have the whole group singe the song at one time. Instead, the
facilitator or a small group could sing it. This is also a way to tie in spookier side of the
narrative in that whispered voices and tones were utilized.
● Some students might have excess energy and need to play the drum that is in front of
them more frequently than others. If this is the case, the facilitator can assign a "rhythm
section" that can keep a steady beat by beating their drums without singling out the
specific student.
Pacing
● Since there is no guarantee as to what age range of participants we will have, there is the
possibility that certain individuals will easily grasp the challenges given to them. With
this, it is appropriate to present them with more accelerated tasks. This could be done by
asking them to create a rhythm to play instead of performing the "ooohs," asking them to
perform the Witch's duties blindfolded, or having them improvise a rhythm for the drum
leader.
Size
● One adaptation for size could be the previously mentioned adaptation of the presence of
sound in "Modality"
● There is also a real possibility of having participants who are not tall enough to reach the
top of the drum heads. This can be adapted by asking them to pat the sides or bringing a
variety of drum sizes.
● There could be adaptation of small drum hits vs. Big ones to get participants from
stationary to mobile