This is a favorite game with my students but it makes me incredibly dizzy!

This is the way I memorized the song years ago. It may not be “true” but it is right to my ear! The version others use is notated below.

Activity:

Build a circle of drums. I like to make “drum mountain” out of my tubanos with the teacher drum in the middle. March around the drum mountain, hitting the next drum on beat 1. Invite a student up to join you BUT they must march on the opposite side of the circle from you.

Tip: use a bass bar mallet. It helps you reach the drums and the soft mallet head helps with volume.

Added Complexity: Alternate between drumming on the short drums and the tall drum in the middle.

Dr. Bottorff and a student drumming while walking in a circle

Assessment Opportunity:

There are two beat keeping assessments here.

  1. Observe whether the students are keeping the beat to the song while drumming. Ignore their feet at this point! If you catch them or they catch you … Beat keeping needs work!
  2. Is the student moving their feet in time while playing the drum circle? This is a trickier step for them.

Some students may be unable to move in the circle or march. An alteration for students with movement difficulties is to set 4 drums in a row and drum down the line with the teacher offset by 2 drums.