Djembe Beats Teacher Guide DJEMBE BEATS
Global Music Journey • Lesson 1: West Africa
Teacher Guide
Goal
Introduce the djembe and maintain a steady beat through communal drumming.
Materials
Djembe (or bucket drums)
Lesson Slides
Steady Beat Worksheet
Key Vocab
Djembe, Steady Beat, Call & Response
1. The Hook (5 Mins)
"Can you feel the rhythm?"
Play a video of West African drumming. Ask students: "What do your feet want to do when you hear this music?" Invite them to clap the pulse of the music with you.
2. Meet the Djembe (10 Mins)
"The drum that speaks."
Show a djembe. Demonstrate the two basic sounds:
Bass (Low): Hand flat in the center. "Boom!"Tone (High): Fingers near the edge. "Clap!"Explain that in West Africa, drumming is like a conversation.
3. The Drum Circle Workshop (20 Mins)
Step A: Steady Beat
Have everyone play the Bass on counts 1, 2, 3, 4. Keep it steady like a heartbeat.
Step B: Call & Response
Teacher plays a 4-beat pattern. Students echo it back immediately. Start simple: Boom-Boom-Clap-Clap .
4. Community Check-In (5 Mins)
Ask: "How did it feel to play all together? Was it easier or harder when we watched each other?"
Lenny's Pro Tip:
If the noise level gets too high, use a "Silent Drumming" signal (hands in the air) to pause the group and reset the focus.
Steady Beat Worksheet HEARTBEAT RHYTHMS
Keep the steady beat!
NAME:
DATE:
Activity 1
Music has a heartbeat called a Steady Beat . Trace the hearts as you tap your foot! 1 - 2 - 3 - 4!
1
2
3
4
Activity 2
Color the Djembe drum. Use bright colors to make it beautiful!
I can play the djembe! 🥁
Djembe Beats Slides Djembe Beats
Rhythms from West Africa
Where are we?
Today we are traveling to West Africa ! In many countries here, people use music to celebrate and talk to each other.
Global Music Tour
Meet the Djembe
BOOM
Low sound in the middle .
CLAP
High sound on the edge .
Let's try a Call & Response!
Steady Beat
Clap with the hearts!
1 - 2 - 3 - 4
Pentatonic Peaks Slides Pentatonic Peaks
Musical Magic from East Asia
Peaceful Sounds
We are traveling to East Asia ! Imagine pink cherry blossoms and quiet, peaceful gardens. The music here often uses just 5 special notes.
The Guzheng
This is a traditional Chinese instrument with many strings. It sounds like water rippling in a stream.
Listen to the bells...
Long Strings
The Secret Scale
1
2
3
4
5
Just 5 notes can make a beautiful song!
If you play the black keys on a piano, it's always pentatonic!
Five Note Fun Worksheet 5 Note Fun!
East Asian Pentatonic Scale
NAME: _________________________
DATE: _________________________
1
Penta means 5! Count and color the 5 music notes below.
2
Black keys play the pentatonic scale. Color the groups of 2 and 3 black keys!
3
Draw a peaceful picture to go with East Asian music.
Melody Maker Teacher Guide Melody Maker
Lesson 2: East Asia • Teacher Guide
GLOBAL SOUNDS
What is Pentatonic?
A scale consisting of 5 notes . In many East Asian traditions, the absence of half-steps (the distance between 4-5 or 7-8 in a major scale) creates a "peaceful" sound where no note feels like it "clashes."
Preparation
Keyboards: Mark black keys with tape or stickers.
Xylophones: Remove the F and B bars to leave a pentatonic scale (C-D-E-G-A).
Bells/Boomwhackers: Provide only C, D, E, G, A.
1. Guided Listening (5 Mins)
Play a recording of guzheng music. Ask students to "paint the music" in the air with their hands. Is the music spikey or smooth? High or low?
Prompts:
"Does this music make you want to dance or rest? Close your eyes and tell me what you see."
2. The "Black Key" Secret (10 Mins)
Explain that the black keys on a piano or keyboard are a magical shortcut to East Asian sounds. Let students explore just the black keys in groups of 2 and 3.
Observation: Notice how no matter which keys they press, it always sounds good together!
3. Melodic Improvisation (15 Mins)
Activity: "The Whispering Brook"
Teacher plays a steady pulse on a low drum or soft woodblock.
Students take turns playing "water ripples" on their pentatonic instruments.
Encourage students to play slowly and listen to the silence between the notes.
Reflection: "What 5 notes will you use for your song?"
Mountain Music Slides Mountain Music
Festivals of the Andes
High in the Clouds
We are in South America, high up in the Andes Mountains ! People here use music for big parties called festivals.
Airy
Happy
Llama Country
The Pan Flute
This instrument is made of pipes of different lengths. You blow across the top to make sound.
Lenny's Music Fact:
Long pipes make LOW sounds. Short pipes make HIGH sounds!
Let's Dance!
Step Side
Step Back
Twirl!
Music and Dance together!
Pan Flute Craft Guide DIY Pan Flute
Make your own Andean "Siku"!
You will need:
6 Large Plastic Straws
Masking Tape
Safety Scissors
1
Measure & Cut
Cut each straw a little bit shorter than the last one.
2
Line Them Up
Put the straws in a row from Tallest to Shortest .
3
Tape it Up
Tape them together in a flat line. Wrap the tape all the way around.
Sticky Tape
4
Blow Across
Hold the tops under your lip and blow across the holes!
Listen Closely!
Which straw makes the highest sound?
Festival Step Sheet Festival Steps
Andean Folk Dance Guide
The Andean Shuffle
In the Andes, music and movement are inseparable. This dance is based on traditional festival movements where people dance in a large circle to celebrate the harvest or a community holiday.
1
The Side-Step
Have students stand in a circle. Step to the right, then tap the left foot. Repeat back to the left. (Step-Tap, Step-Tap)
Counts 1-2 Counts 3-4
2
The Mountain High
Reach both hands high to the sky as if reaching for the Andes peaks. Wiggle fingers like falling snow. (Reach-Wiggle)
Counts 5-6
3
The Llama Twirl
Hands on hips, spin slowly in a circle for 4 beats. (Spin-Spin-Spin-Stop!)
Counts 7-8
Music Choice
Look for San Juanito or Huayno music. These have a clear, bouncy 2/4 beat that is perfect for kindergarteners to find.
Pitch Check
During the dance, pause the music. If the last flute note was High , everyone jumps. If it was Low , everyone crouches down!
Story Song Slides Story Songs
North American Folk Traditions
Songs for Everyone
Folk music is music made by people like us ! It tells stories about history, family, and daily life in North America.
"Songs are like a book you can hear!"
Classic Folk Tools
The Banjo
A round drum with strings. It goes plink-plank-plunk !
The Fiddle
A violin played fast for dancing. It goes squeak-and-slide !
Listen for the Story
Close your eyes while the teacher sings. Can you see the story in your mind?
Who is it about?
Where are they?
What happened?
Folk Storyboard Worksheet Song Storyboard
Draw the story of the folk song!
Artist at Work
NAME:
SONG:
Beginning
Who do we meet first?
Middle
What happens next?
End
How does the story finish?
"Listen to the banjo go pluck-pluck-pluck as you draw!"
Teacher Lyrics Handbook Ballad Handbook
Teacher Lyrics & Discussion Guide
Leading the Ballad
Choose one of the songs below to perform for the class. Sing clearly and emphasize the storytelling elements. Pause periodically to ask, "What do you think will happen next?"
The Fox and the Goose Classic Ballad
(Verse 1)
The fox went out on a chilly night,
Discussion Hook:
"The fox is hungry! Where is he going? Why does he need the moon?"
Froggy Went A-Courtin' Rhythm & Rhyme
(Verse 1)
Froggy went a-courtin' and he did ride, Uh-huh!
Performance Tip:
Have the students shout the "Uh-huh!" and make a riding motion with their hands.
The Big Rock Candy Mountain Imagination Ballad
(Chorus)
In the Big Rock Candy Mountain,
Visualizing:
"What else is in this mountain? Soda fountains? Candy trees? Let's add our own verses!"
Celebration Slides World of Sound
Our Global Music Celebration
Our Musical Map
We have traveled across the whole world! Can you remember the music from each place?
West Africa
East Asia
The Andes
North America
The Music Heart
All music across the world has things that make it the same. What did we find everywhere?
Steady Beat
Singing
Community
Musical Passport
It's time to get our final stamps! Let's celebrate all the wonderful sounds we learned.
Ready to play? 1, 2, 3... GO!
Musical Passport Activity Musical Passport
Global Music Journey • Official Document
WORLD TOUR
Explorer Name
West Africa
Paste Djembe Sticker or Stamp Here
"I Felt the Beat!"
East Asia
Paste Guzheng Sticker or Stamp Here
"5 Notes are Magic!"
The Andes
Paste Pan Flute Sticker or Stamp Here
"High & Low Sounds!"
North America
Paste Banjo Sticker or Stamp Here
"Songs Tell Stories!"
Global Music Explorer
Unit Assessment Checklist Music Milestones
Observational Rubric & Teacher Checklist
Unit Assessment
Instructions
Use this checklist during Lesson 5's final rhythm play-along and performance to evaluate student progress across the three main domains of the unit.
Rhythm & Beat
Student can maintain a steady 4-beat pulse with the group.
Student can echo a simple 4-beat pattern (Call & Response).
Pitch & Improvisation
Student can differentiate between "High" and "Low" sounds.
Student creates short, melodic ideas on pentatonic instruments.
Cultural Awareness
Student identifies music from 3+ specific global regions.
Student articulates one similarity across all music (e.g., beat, joy, singing).
Observations & Notes: 
