Patricia M. Bissell
PUERTO RICO, CUBA, JAMAICA, THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, AND TRINIDAD
STUDENT ACTIVITY 1: Students will listen to a steel band/calypso style music as they locate these Caribbean countries on the map; they will identify and improvise the claves, guiro, conga, and bongos, instruments used in these countries.
PUERTO RICO
STUDENT ACTIVITY 2: Students will clap the beat to a plena by the group Tacuafan.
STUDENT ACTIVITY 3: Students will listen to and improvise movement to salsa music by the Puerto Rican Ray Barretto, “Guarere.”
STUDENT ACTIVITY 4: Students will learn the song “La Paloma Se Fue,” in both Spanish and English. Maracas, a conga drum, and the guiro will be added for accompaniment.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
STUDENT ACTIVITY 5: From pictures given to the students, they will identify the accordion, tambora, guiro, and cowbell, instruments used in the music of this country; they will improvise the guiro and cowbell, and tambora.
STUDENT ACTIVITY 6: As students listen to a popular singer of the Dominican Republic, Juan Luis Guerra singing “Visa para un Sueno,” or “Visa for a Dream,” a meringue, selected students will improvise movements to the beat, and others will improvise on the appropriate instruments. They will answer questions as to the form and style of the music, what instruments they heard, and the definition and meaning of a visa.
STUDENT ACTIVITY 7: Students will listen to a traditional meringue, “Si Una Mujer Llore,” from the Dominican Republic, and a selected group of students will improvise movements.
STUDENT ACTIVITY 8: Students will learn to play the three rhythms of the basic meringue, using tambora, or similar instrument, guiro, bass, and cowbell.
CUBA
STUDENT ACTIVITY 9: Students will identify and play the claves, maracas, and conga, instruments used in the music of this country.
STUDENT ACTIVITY 10: Students will clap the beat to the popular latin singer Gloria Estefan’s “Get on Your Feet,” and identify the different sections, as well as instruments used.
STUDENT ACTIVITY 11: One student will improvise on the conga drum as two students hold charts, each depicting an African deity.
STUDENT ACTIVITY 12: Students will play the habanera rhythm pattern on the conga drum, and add this pattern to the Spanish song, “La Paloma Se Fue,” along with maracas and guiro.
STUDENT ACTIVITY 13: Students will clap the beat to “Afroblue,” a salsa piece by Mongo Santamaria, a Cuban, and identify the sections and instruments. Selected students will improvise movements to the music.
STUDENT ACTIVITY 14: Students will clap the basic clave rhythm as they listen to a rumba from Cuba called “El Misterio,” by Grupo Afrocuba de Matanzas.
STUDENT ACTIVITY 15: Students learn to perform the famous “Clave” rhythm with at least two other rhythmic parts for conga and maracas to demonstrate an example of the Cuban rumba, understand the variation that occurs with accents, and recognize the type of instruments identified with this music.
STUDENT ACTIVITY 16: Students learn the refrain and two verses of the popular 60’s song “Guantanamera,” lyrics by Jose Marti, and add an accompaniment on the conga, maracas, and guiro. They will understand the text, and what relation it had to the events of that time.
STUDENT ACTIVITY 17: Students learn to dance the Chachacha with the 50’s piece, “Teach Me Tonight,” from the tape “Ballroom Dancing Favorites” that demonstrates latin instruments and rhythms being incorporated in an earlier big band style.
STUDENT ACTIVITY 18: As students listen to a Cuban rumba, “La Negra Caridad,” by Grupo Afrocuba de Matanzas, some will improvise movements to the beat, and others will improvise on the instruments. They will answer questions as to the form and style of the music, and what instruments they heard.
JAMAICA
STUDENT ACTIVITY 19: Students will read the lyrics of “One Love” together. They will clap the beat as they listen to the song.
STUDENT ACTIVITY 20: Students will perform some of the rhythms of the reggae style on cymbal, bass, and snare drum, substituting rhythm sticks and a regular hand drum for the bass and snare parts.
STUDENT ACTIVITY 21: Students will learn the song “Water Come a-me Eye,” and add the clave, conga, and maracas as accompaniment.
