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Basic 1 · Creative Arts · Planning, Making and Composing

Making Music and Dance

In this topic you will make your own music and dance movements based on dances in your community.

By the end of these notes you should be able to:

  • Keep a steady beat
  • Make simple dance movements
  • Perform a short dance with music

What you already know

  • Music and dance in our community

Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.

Strand
Performing Arts
Sub-strand
Planning, Making and Composing
Indicator
B1.2.2.2.1 – Create own artworks based on performing artworks produced or performed in the local community

Introduction

Kofi taps the drum: boom, boom, boom. Ama shakes the gourd: chk, chk, chk. Their friends move to the beat. They are making music and dance.

1. Keeping a Beat

Beat: The steady pulse in music, like a heartbeat.

Ways to keep a beat

  • clap your hands
  • tap your feet
  • beat a drum
  • shake a gourd shaker

2. Dance Movements

Simple movements
MovementHow to do it
stepmove one foot then the other
swaymove your body side to side
turnspin round once
clapclap on the beat
Children dancing in a circle while one beats a drum and another shakes a gourd
Figure 1: Making music and dance Draw yourself dancing.Illustration: Sirbus

3. Making a Short Dance

  1. Choose a song you know.
  2. Pick three movements.
  3. Practise them in order to the beat.
  4. Perform for the class.

New words

beat
The steady pulse of music.
movement
A way of moving the body.
perform
To show something to an audience.
shaker
An instrument you shake to make sound.

Summary

  • Music has a steady beat.
  • We can clap, tap, drum or shake to keep the beat.
  • A dance is made of movements done to the beat.

Class activity: Group Dance

  1. Choose a drummer and a shaker player.
  2. Make a dance of three movements.
  3. Perform it for the class.

You need: Locally made drum, Gourd shaker, Printed photographs of Ghanaian, African performances

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

  1. 1. Which instrument do you shake?

    • A. Gourd shaker
    • B. Drum
    • C. Flute
    • D. Bell
    Show answer
    Answer: Gourd shakerShakers make sound when shaken.

  2. 2. Moving your body side to side is called…

    • A. Sway
    • B. Jump
    • C. Sleep
    • D. Read
    Show answer
    Answer: SwaySwaying moves side to side.

  3. 3. A beat is steady like a heartbeat.

    • A. True
    • B. False
    Show answer
    Answer: TrueThat is a beat.

  4. 4. Dancers should ignore the beat.

    • A. True
    • B. False
    Show answer
    Answer: FalseDancers move to the beat.

  5. 5. To show something to an audience is to ______.

    Show answer
    Answer: performThat is the meaning of perform.

  6. 6. Write two ways to keep a beat.

    Show answer
    Answer: Any two: clap, tap feet, beat a drum, shake a shaker.These keep time.

Homework

  1. Teach a family member your dance.