Title: Afro-Cuban Conga Drumming

Context: Grade Level: 2-5

Lesson could be taught as part of a unit involving rhythm in a music classroom or as part of a social studies lesson on the cultures of African and South American countries.

Objectives:

During the lesson, students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of how culture influences music by participated in a discussion on the origins of Conga drumming.

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of conga drumming techniques by identifying and playing with specific motions taught in class.

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of drum parts by creating drums and identifying parts that are essential in drum sound production.

Benchmarks:

National Standards for Music Education:

Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.

Oregon Standards: The Arts:

Understand the historical, cultural, artistic, and or personal context in which a work of art was created.

Understand how the arts serve a variety of personal, professional, practical and cultural needs

Use Correct rhythm and pitches; execution or control of dynamics; and articulation

Preparation:

Materials: empty box, empty drawer, cylindrical aluminum cans (larger sized coffee cans work well), 12 inch round balloons, rubber bands, glue, recordings of conga drumming, congas and other drums to show essential elements for sound production and the visual art component of drum creation, world map or globe, (paints, brushes, mixing trays, cups of water, paper towels)

Lesson Introduction: 5 minutes

Listen to recording of Afro-Cuban Conga drumming.

Ask questions: What do you hear? (teacher should mention Òconga drumming:

Have you heard music like this before?

Where do you think you might here this kind of music?

Where do you think music like this began?

If not much participation in discussion, direct students to listen again and think about these things. Continue discussion.

Sharing Objectives: 0 minutes

From the lesson introduction students will know that weÕll be exploring the type of music that they listened to and discussed during the first 5 minutes of the lesson.

Lesson:

(3 min.) Have a student volunteer point out Cuba on the globe or map for the class to see.

“Conga drumming is a style of drum playing that started in Cuba. However, it was not started by Cubans, but rather by African Slaves who had either escaped from America to Cuba or been freed and moved to Cuba.” Have a student locate Africa on the map. (for grade levels where slavery has already been covered, there could be a short discussion on slavery and how the Africans ended up in Cuba. For grades where slavery has not been covered, give a quick description of how Africans were brought to America and made to work on plantations).

(10 min.) “The drumming was created to supply music for dancing at Rumbas, or parties. Originally, empty drawers and barrels turned upside down were used as drums.” Have an empty box and an empty can and have teacher demonstrate that they can be used to play rhythms. “As the drumming style evolved, players felt the need for improved instruments. They stretched animal skins over the opening of large shells. Later drums, now known as Congas, were made of wood, and metal, in a barrel shape, with ox-hide stretched over the opening at one end. The hide or animal skins stretched over the opening came to be called the membrane or drumhead. The shell, or barrel-shaped wood, was called the body. Many Congas today are made with plastics materials in place of the animal skins.”

(15 min.) At this point, the teacher should turn the recording on again and ask students to listen to the sounds they hear the drums making. “Is there only one sound repeated, or are there different sounds being made?” Once the students have determined that there are different sounds, the teacher should go over the different possible strokes a conga drummer could use and what each would sound like (see handout). Then the recording could be listened to again and the students could try to pick out some of the specific sounds.

(10 min.) “Now we are going to make our own conga drums and learn to play a few of the hand strokes. I have a can and a balloon here for my drum. What part does the can represent? What would the balloon be called?” The teacher should then demonstrate how to cut the top off of the balloon and stretch the balloon over one end of the can and secure it with the rubber band. Then pass out cans, balloons, and other materials to each student. Construct drums.

(20 min.) After all the drums have been constructed, review the drum strokes and demonstrate how each is played with the students copying. When the students have a good grasp on the available strokes, divide them into groups. Have each group practice keeping a steady beat together. Then allow them to improvise and work together to create some rhythms to perform at the end of class for their peers.

Closure: Have each group of students perform their rhythms for their classmates. Have class try to identify the drum strokes that were used in the rhythm. Do this for each group.

Evaluation: Observe the studentsÕ responses to each groupsÕ rhythms and whether or not they are able to identify and correctly name the drum strokes used. Also, the students have been asked to identify the parts of their drums. If needed, repeat the questioning again to ensure understanding.

Teacher Reflection: (before) Teacher needs to experiment with different can sizes and balloon sizes prior to teaching the lesson. If the can is too large, or the balloon is too small, the balloon will break and the drum will not work.

Extension Activities: If time allows, students could paint the drums. This could become a lesson on the art styles of Africa and/or Cuba.

Resources: http://www.rhythmweb.com/conga/index.html

http://www.chucksilverman.com/congahistory.html

http://www.batadrums.com/background/afro-cuban.htm

Progressive Steps to Bonga and Conga Drum Technique by Ted Reed

Conga Drumming by Congeros