The 18month – 2 year old students made their way down the hall way to the two colorful rugs that we have been creating music on. I had the “color wheel cajon” set up and many students were eager to begin playing. Sara was holding her light pink speaker that I have observed the small speaker to bring her great comfort and enjoyment. As the students gathered in a circle, I was interested to see the various instruments the students selected to hold. The color wheel cajon was a popular choice as each mini cajon (eight total) have the various colors of the rainbow. However, the egg shakers and maracas were also quite a popular choice as well as the mini Malian djembes.
I did not say anything, I simply raised my arms and played some tones on the djembe that I had. I called out the words/phrase “Busy Busy Busy Busy Busy Busy Bee” so that would be six busy’s and one bee. I adapted this phrase from a Ghanaian drummer Amos Gabia who teaches in New York at the Brooklyn Conservatory for Music and The Third Street Music School. In Gabia’s instructional video of Kpanlogo for Third Street Music School he creates the tones with a “biddi” type phrase. Now, as the drum probably does not mimic an “s” sound unless there was as snake hiding within, the busy bee adaption is more tangible as the children can visualize a bee (maybe with a cute smiling face) while playing. Side note, a few of the classrooms have bee mascots own the form of a stuffed animal that the children have been taking home on the weekends provides a visual, emotional and tactile connection. Most simply, however, the syllables reflect the timing of the Kpanlogo phrase directly.
We practiced a call and response and the students caught on immediately. A boy named William was already playing it again on his own before we stated the next set of call and response. As we played it a few more times, I saw that some were losing interest, and is to be expected in this younger group, so we did not reach the other parts of the drumming and I always like to go with the rhythm of the students are ready for and change directions a little bit.
I picked up the bell and played the Kpanlogo bell pattern and began a circle around the rug as I played offering steps that matched the pattern. A few students quickly followed and the other stayed in the center to keep playing the drum along with what I was playing. Another girl reached for two egg shakers and then followed the circle of players and dancers. The goal was accomplished for everyone to find something and participate, to find themselves in the whole.
Margaret Mead in her book Coming of Age in Samoa, talked about how young samoan children would learn how to dance at affairs a such as these, and I thought about how the sheer joy of it brings remembrance. I also saw this as a highly successful lesson as for such young students, I was able to teach a short lesson and then find the “play”within the rhythm of the dance.
Mead, Margaret. Coming of Age in Samoa: A Study of Adolescence and Sex in Primitive Societies. Penguin Books, 1961.
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