Students will learn about the local music group Loki Rhythm and their goal of incorporating diverse cultural histories into their music. They will then make drums out of common household materials and learn about music notes and beats. Finally, students will write and share their own beats, discussing how to build on their songs by adding other instruments.

1. Making Music
A Lesson Highlighting Loki Rhythm
Loki Rhythm
Website: http://lokirhythm.com/ Contact: http://lokirhythm.com/contact-us.php
K-12 Standards:
● Speaking and Listening 4.1a-d, 5.1a-d, 6.1a-d: Engage effectively in a range of
collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse
partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their
own clearly
● 4-PS3-2. Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from
place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
Learning Objectives:
● Students will learn about Loki Rhythm, a local music group comprised of central valley
musicians with the goal of designing music that includes deep cultural history found in
diverse California communities.
● Students will learn about drums, and practice making their own using materials they
can find at home.
● Students will learn about different kinds of music notes, and how to write their own
beats.
Materials:
● Paper
● Students will need writing utensils
● Clean round cylindrical containers- plastic or metal (can be tupperwares)
● Masking tape
● Balloons (large enough to cover the whole of the containers)
● Rubber bands
● Scissors
Vocabulary Covered in Lesson:
● Whole note: equal to four beats
● Half note: equal to two beats
● Quarter note: equal to one beat
● Eighth note: equal to ½ a beat (there are two for 1 beat)
● Music: vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in a pleasing or meaningful
way
● Drum: a percussion instrument that makes sound when hit with sticks or the hands
● Beat: a unit of time in music; the pulse of a song
Considerations for Learner Variability:
- A written handout of the assignment
Total Time: 60 minutes

2. Beginning of the Lesson
Time Teacher Actions and Pre-planned
Questions
Student Actions/Learning Activities
5 min Intro:
● (2 min) Teacher introduces the
“Learning Objectives” and agenda.
● (3 min) Teacher introduces Loki
Rhythm
● Students are expected to
follow along, noting any
questions they might have
about Loki Rhythm and their
music.
10 min Hook:
Lesson vocabulary has been pre-written
on a slide that can be shown at the
beginning of the lesson, or potentially pre-
assigned.
Briefly discuss what music is and go over
the different types of notes used in music
notation.
Present these questions with images of
sheet music (simple) and with images of
different types of drums:
● What is music?
○ What are some examples
of music that you listen to?
(genres, artists, songs)
● What is a drum?
● What are different types of drums?
○ What type of drums were
Loki Rhythm using in the
video we watched?
● Students are expected to write
down key academic
vocabulary, and respond to
questions either in written or
oral formats.
● Students will view the and
answer formative assessment
questions orally or as
prompted by the teacher. For
the questions, students are
expected to engage either in a
whole-group discussion, think-
pair-share activity, or by writing
down their responses in their
notes.
During the Lesson
10 min (2 min) Content Delivery:
Show students a quick tutorial of how they
will be making their drums (only need to
watch from 3:24 - 4:13)
(8 min) Engagement:
Direct students to create their own drums
(Method 2) using the materials provided.
Step 1: Gather the materials needed for
● Students will create their own
drums using the materials
provided, following the
teacher’s instructions.

3. each drum
Step 2: Cut the balloon to the size needed
to fit the opening of the can (may need to
have balloons pre-cut to size)
Step 3: Use your fingers to open up the
balloon and stretch it to fit over the top of
the can.
Step 4: Repeat Step 3: with a second
balloon to make the head of the drum
more durable
Step 5: Wrap tape around the can to
secure the balloon. You can also use
rubber bands to keep the balloons
attached.
Step 6: Decorate the outside of your
drum!
Note: Students may need assistance in
cutting and attaching the balloon to the
drum. Though 2 balloons would make the
drum more durable, only 1 is required. To
make the drums heavier, an option is to
add rice or dry lentils before stretching the
balloon over the top of the container.
5 min Content Delivery:
What are different types of beats?
Video
Note: The teacher may also mention
fractions when talking about beats. (May
also opt out of learning about 16th notes)
● Students are expected to take
active notes (in the style
dictated by the educator) and
ask questions, when
necessary.
15 min Engagement:
Direct students to write their own beats
using the different types of notes
explained.
Note: Students can write a beat that is 4
measures worth in 4/4 time (or 16 quarter
notes worth long)
● Students will create their own
beats using the different types
of notes explained.

4. Closing the Lesson:
10 min Sharing and Discussion:
In a Socratic discussion, the teacher will
direct students to share/perform their
beats. Depending on class size, this can
vary from an “all student” activity, to
selecting students randomly, or by asking
for volunteers. Signpost this section with a
call for positive reinforcement comments
from the class. The teacher should
evaluate students based on their active
participation in the process of self-
expression, and not on any scale
concerning artistic/musical quality.
While the student(s) shares the beat, the
audience can act as the metronome
keeping tempo by clapping along.
After sharing, all students can practice
playing along with the (shared beat) on
their drums.
● Students will be asked to
share or perform their beat for
the class.
● Students in the audience
should try playing along with
the performers the second-
time through.
5 min Reflection:
Direct students to write in their notes (or
discuss in their groups) a response to this
question:
“What are other sounds/instruments I can
add to my beat to build on my song?”
* Extra activity to do at home:
Make drum sticks out of pencils and tissue
paper or wooden sticks and cork
Video tutorial (0:12 - 1:54)
Tutorial (Method 1, Step 5)
● Students write a response to
the question in the prompt.
(Also appropriate for small
group discussion or a think-
pair-share activity with a
partner student.)

5. Loki Rhythm One-Pager
About:
Loki Rhythm is a local music group made up of central valley musicians with the goal of
designing music that includes deep cultural history found in diverse California communities.
Contact:
● Loki Rhythm:
● Website: http://lokirhythm.com/
● Email: http://lokirhythm.com/contact-
us.php
● Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/lokirhythm