Native American music: Two North Carolina tribes

In this lesson plan, students will listen to songs from two North Carolina tribes. Students will learn about the music through listening, analyzing, singing, moving, and playing instruments.

A lesson plan for grades 4–5 Music Education and Social Studies

By Merritt Raum Flexman

Learn more

• Finale Notepad Free notation software for creating and sharing notated music. Simple to use. Limited capabilities compared to Finale but free.
• Drumbeat Indian Arts Provides a catalog of Native American music.
• North Carolina American Indian History Time Line From the North Carolina Museum of History. Historical highlights from the Pre-Sixteenth Century through the Twentieth Century.
• Music of Countries and Cultures These Silver Burdett teacher resources include printable sources of additional information on Native American music.

Related pages

• North Carolina Cherokee Indians: The Trail of Tears: In this two week unit, students will study the Cherokee by participating in literature circles, learning about Native American story telling, writing a letter to Andrew Jackson to protest against the Creek War, and more.
• A walk of betrayal: The Trail of Tears: In this lesson plan for fourth and fifth grade students will read various resources and watch videos about the Cherokee. They will trace the history of the Cherokee, discuss the outcomes of the impact of the white man, and determine how that intrusion led the Cherokee to the Trail of Tears. The students will examine the survival of the Cherokee and explore their accomplishments into the 21st century.
• Along the Trail of Tears: A part of history is often forgotten when teaching younger students. This is the relocation of the Cherokee Indians when the white settlers wanted their property. The US Government moved whole groups of Indians under harsh conditions. This trip became known as the Trail of Tears. Using this as a background students will explore and experiment with persuasive writing as they try to express the position of Cherokee leaders.

Related topics

• Learn more about American Indian history, American Indians, American history, Cherokee Indians, Haliwa-Saponi, North Carolina, United States, arts, culture, history, instruments, listening, music, reading music, social studies, and songs.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• Listen to Native American songs from several tribes and will identify key instruments (voices, drums, rattles, flutes) and musical elements of these tunes (steady drum beat, vocables, repetitive melodies, inspiration from nature)
• Review information about the Haliwa-Saponi and Cherokee tribes
• Review music notation as they learn to sing and play an Orff arrangement of a Cherokee song

Teacher preparation

Classroom time required

2 or 3 40–50 minute classes

Materials/Resources

• Making Music by Silver Burdett, 2002
  • 4th and 5th grade books and recordings will be used in this lesson
  • 4th grade CD 13, 5th grade CD
• Optional: Music and You by MacMillan, 1991, 5th Grade teacher edition
• CD player
• Rhythm instruments: shakers, rattles, drums, bells or ankle bells (easily made with pipe cleaners and craft bells)
• Melody instruments: 2–4 Orff instruments or piano keyboards
• Recorder or Indian flute for teacher to demonstrate
• Optional: recorders for students and fingering chart
  (If using recorders, the teacher must have an extensive plan for using personal recorders, at home, in class, or classroom recorders that are disinfected after each use.)
• A way to show maps of Cherokee lands in North Carolina, either a computer or
  laminate copies of maps displayed on overhead projector (If using a computer, a computer/video projector and screen would make maps and web pictures easier to see.)
• One computer for teacher, Internet connection, sound speakers, and free QuickTime
  downloaded from the web

Pre-activities

1. Review resource websites listed for information on the Haliwa-Saponi and Cherokee tribes and locations, gain knowledge and determine what is to be used.
2. Get CDs ready for playing and become very comfortable singing and playing the Cherokee song, “The Earth is Our Mother.”
3. Have both 4th and 5th grade Silver Burdett books ready for students.
   • Silver Burdett 4th grade, page 346, CD 13-18,19,20
   • Silver Burdett 5th grade, page 108, CD 5-4
4. Create transposed melody version in C of “The Earth is Our Mother” (or use attached Orff arrangement) and use overhead to display (or other enlargement like writing on board or chart paper).
5. Assemble instruments: drums, shakers, bells or ankle bells, sticks, xylophones or keyboards, recorders, and the optional Native American flute.
6. Optional. Laminate overhead copy of “Canoe Song,” 5th grade Silver Burdett, page 292.
7. If using overhead projector, prepare laminate copies of maps and music.

Activities

Anticipatory set

Choose one or both. Have students deduce from listening what the topic might be.

1. Play a Native American song on an Indian flute or recorder such as “Iroquois Lullaby.” It is available in Music and You by MacMillan, 1991, 5th Grade teacher edition, page 65. (Melody on second page of the attached document.)
2. Have students listen to “Kokopelli Wandering Song,” Silver Burdett 5th grade, page 108, CD 5-4.

Review

1. Tell students they will be listening to and playing Native American songs. Songs from two North Carolina tribes will be used.
2. Ask students to share what they know about Native American tribes in North Carolina.
3. Show the North Carolina county map on the overhead or the computer. Point out the county your school is in. Then point out that the Haliwa-Saponi live in Halifax and Warren Counties, and Cherokee in Graham, Swain, and Jackson. A North Carolina county map is available from the United States Census Bureau.

Lesson focus/New material

“Canoe Song” from the Haliwa-Saponi tribe

Silver Burdett, 5th Grade book, page 292, CD 11-31,33

1. Introduce “Canoe Song” with text provided in student books including new vocabulary: vocables. A brief description on how canoes were made is available in the NC Indians Fact Sheet from the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs. More about the Haliwa-Saponi tribe is provided in the Silver Burdett teacher edition, under Cultural Connection. The Haliwa-Saponi School is in Hollister, North Carolina.
2. Introduce “Canoe Song” with text provided in student books including new vocabulary: vocables. Prepare students for listening by explaining musical signs. Go over introduction, repeat signs, first and second endings, and D.S. al Fine. Point out meter changes will be occurring. Teacher will likely have to call out directions while listening. Some will find it difficult to follow. Using a laminate overhead copy of the song could be very helpful.
3. While listening to “Canoe Song,” students should discern instruments used (drum, flute, female voice, rattles) and try to follow music and vocables.
4. Review the rhythm names of notes, eighths, quarters, dotted quarter, half note, and eighth rest. Discuss the relationship measured by the drum playing steady eighth notes. Help the students discover:
   • single eighth equals one drum pulse
   • quarter equals two drum pulses
   • dotted quarter equals three drum pulse
   • half note equals four drum pulses
5. Demonstrate and lead counting pulses by pointing on overhead while listening a second time. This should help students follow along successfully. They can tap and point on their books.
6. Introduce Haliwa-Saponi Singers as written in Silver Burdett 5th grade, page 293.
7. Listen to Haliwa-Saponi Singers on CD 11-33 while silently tiptoeing to the drum beat.

Possible break point. Summarize elements of Native American music before students leave and briefly relate next week’s plans or continue below.

8. Follow and sing with first version, CD 11-31.
9. Play drums and shakers with first version, CD 11-31.
10. Divide students into singers and instrumentalists and have them try putting it together. May use piano support from teacher.

“The Earth is Our Mother” from the Cherokee tribe

(Silver Burdett 4th grade book, page 346, CD 13-18, 20)

Optional anticipatory set (if it’s a new day):

1. Listen to a mystery alphabet song sung with Cherokee syllables available here from the Cherokee Nation website.
2. The goal is to catch attentions, hear a different language, realize that Cherokee people are living and learning today, and hear how melodies can be used in new ways.
3. If time allows, let students listen to and repeat several Cherokee words. Pronunciations are available at the word list on the Cherokee Nation website. Quickly try words like drum, flute, boy, girl, school.
4. Describe Cherokee instruments. For example, see this brief description of Cherokee shell shakers. See an image of turtle shell leg rattles.

Review/New

1. Find out what kids already know about the Cherokee tribe and write the information on the overhead or board.
2. Be prepared to talk about Eastern and Western bands and how they were separated by the Trail of Tears. Some history is provided at the Cherokee, North Carolina website.
3. Show maps of original Cherokee lands and how they diminished. See in particular “The Cherokee Country” map.
   Describe the current lands of the Cherokee. Information about the Qualla Boundary is here with a map.

Lesson Focus/New Material

1. Students should open 4th grade books to page 346. Read introduction. Note that the picture in background is from out West, where there are other Indian reservations, but not home to the Cherokee.
2. Listen to “The Earth is Our Mother,” CD 13-18. Melody notes are larger, harmony notes are smaller. For guidance, show listening map of how music is arranged:
   • introduction (flute playing verse melody)
   • singing verse
   • refrain
   • eight-beat flute interlude
   • singing verse
   • refrain
   • eight-beat flute interlude
   singing verse
   • refrain
   • ending (flute playing verse melody)
3. Have students share impressions and recall characteristics of Native American music.
4. Notice that the harmony line is in parallel to the melody. Explain how the harmony line is a fifth away and how that looks on an instrument.
5. Gauge how well students are remembering key instruments (voices, drums, rattles, flutes) and musical elements of these tunes (steady drum beat, vocables, repetitive melodies, inspiration from nature). Remind as necessary.
6. Listen to the contemporary recording of “The Earth is Our Mother” CD 13-20. Encourage students to tap steady beat, follow notes, and/or mouth lyrics.
7. Share impressions and differences that were noticed.

Possible stopping point.

8. Stand up, march in place to drum and sing along with “The Earth is Our Mother” on CD 13-18.
9. Prepare ostinatos: Write out what you are doing. March quarter notes, clap eighths. Transfer quarter notes to drums, and eighth notes to sticks. Walk a toe-heel step, thus moving forward on half notes. Say toe-heel, count ta-ah and/or say half-note as you walk around the room. Add ankle bells or finger cymbals, or triangles. Try layering sounds, drum, metals, sticks. Add shakers/scrapers on beat 1 of measure, with teacher conducting 4/4. Add xylophone quarter note alternating A-D, G-D. Give students opportunities to play different parts.
10. Try adding singing or CD (different key so no melody instruments).
11. Prepare melody playing. Read from transposed Orff arrangement on overhead or parts written out on board. Start with refrain section. Sing melody with rhythm syllables: titi, ta, ta-ah. Explain slur marks, especially if some will be playing recorders.
12. Determine contour of melody identifying skips, steps and repeats. Name the three pitches used. Sing on letter names and play imaginary xylophones in the air with teacher modeling mallet strokes. Transfer to xylophones. Later, this same routine can be used for teaching the verse melody as well.
13. The lesson will have to be adjusted according to instruments available and students’ capabilities. While some are playing instruments, others can “air play,” practice on paper copy of xylophone, practice on paper piano or real piano, or play other percussion parts.
14. Practice different parts of the Orff ensemble and put it all together with singing.
15. Try different arrangements for presentation varying introduction, interludes, coda, and accompaniment. Incorporate student ideas and improvisations.

Extensions

• Support students in learning to play the whole melody using the
  routine discussed above.
• Practice singing and/or playing the harmony line separately.
• Challenge students to play melody and harmony in parallel on xylophones or piano (fits easily under five fingers, use two hands or harder, use one hand only frozen in 1-5 position.)
• If teacher has already been instructing students in playing the recorder, go more in depth and teach everyone to play harmony and/or the melody on recorder. Create a harmony/melody sheet with fingering reference included for home use or as an enrichment activity. Don’t worry about half holes in fingering low notes, cover both holes.
• Have students write out 1–2 measures rhythmic accompaniment or melodic introduction.
• Make a listening map of the arrangement the class has created.
• Read The Story of the Milky Way: A Cherokee Tale by Joseph Bruchac and Galle Ross. The people use drums and rattles in the book. Use sounds for the characters as read. Have students create their own melody and lyric phrases for characters or a whole song.
• Listen to other recordings in the Silver Burdett series.

Assessment

• Create a review page with fill in the blanks, to help summarize history and characteristics of Native American music. Have students do in pairs, independently, or as a test. Take it home or keep in notebook.
• Listen and visually assess students’ ability to sing, keep beat, or play instruments. Record a rating on a class roster checklist. Possible ratings below:
  • 4: Acquires skills quickly, demonstrates skills consistently, and applies learning in new ways.
  • 3: Learns skills and demonstrates success most of the time.
  • 2: Difficulty learning skills, demonstrates some success with extra assistance, achieves simpler tasks.
  • 1: Little effort given, difficulty learning skills and achieving simpler tasks.