RUMBLE BALL drumming game from Drum Circle Music, by Kalani

Ages: 5 & up
Time: 10-20 minutes
Format: One Circle
Instruments: Drums, Percussion and a rubber or foam ball (8-12")

Learning Objectives:
1. Improvisation
2. Matching sound with Movement
3. Performing on Instruments
4. Active Participation
5. Cooperation

Process:
1. Ask the group to match the action of bouncing the ball on the floor with their instruments. Start with a single bounce. This is usually a single hit on the instruments.
2. Ask the group to match the action of rolling the ball on the floor (usually some kind of 'roll' or rumble) 3. Ask them to then match the sound when you throw the ball in the air (usually scratching, shaking, etc.)
4. Now that all three modes of movement are linked to sounds, play with the ball while the group matches the action on the instruments. (2-3 minutes)
5. Ask the group to choose specific Timbre (sound quality) groups to match the action. For example: Bouncing on the floor = Single hit of low drums and wood sounds, Rolling on the floor = rumbles from high drums and rattles, and finally, up in the air = metal sounds and scrapers.
6. Play with the ball while the group matches the action in timbre groups
7. Add another person to play with the ball (2 people sharing the ball) 8. Change facilitators often to give everyone a chance to facilitate by playing with the ball (new facilitator swaps instrument with the last facilitator)
9. Ask the participants if they can think of other ways to use the ball and match its movements with sound (ie, holding still, rotating in the hand, hiding it under one's shirt, etc)

Options:
Define other sub-groups to play when the ball is in different states.
For example: you could ask participants to play certain sounds when the facilitator throws the ball with their LEFT hand and other sounds when they use their RIGHT hand. They could also play Body Percussion, Vocal sounds or different colors of Boomwhackers to follow the action. Try two balls in the circle with different groups following each one.

Group Reflection Questions:
1. What were the challenges?
2. Did the group follow the action?
3. What are some other actions we could match with sound?
4. Do we need a ball to do this activity?
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___________________
Kalani Music
11862 Balboa Blvd. Suite 159
Granada Hills, CA 91344
Kalani <kalani@kalanimusic.com>
818-832-2028 voice/fax
http://www.kalanimusic.com

DRUMMING RESOURCES

• Steady Beat: Children are using the playground poetry repertoire to practice and establish beat competency. If you work on this in Kindergarten and find that it has congealed by first grade, your kids will keep the beat together while singing, by simply listening to each other.
• Gwoka drums have 7 fundamental rhythms -Toumblak, Graj, Lewoz, Kalagya, Padjanbel, Mende, Woulé.
• DRUM RHYTHM TRANSCRIPTIONS
• Daniel J.Crowley wrote a number of essays on West Indian cultureand about steel drums especially the Bahamas and Trinidad and made carnival his world wide interest.