A Ram Sam Sam: A Moroccan tune with a twist

Students will enjoy singing, playing rhythm instuments, reading notations, and performing a Moroccan tune in two different musical styles on student keyboards.

A lesson plan for grades 3–4 Music Education

By Marie Batten

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• play triangles and rhythm sticks while singing a binary song.
• identify AB form.
• transfer simple patterns to the student keyboards.
• read musical notation and perform a simple ostinato while singing and playing in two different musical styles.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

35 minutes

Materials/resources

• Triangles
• rhythm sticks
• lead sheets for “A Ram Sam Sam”

Technology resources

MIE (Music In Education) System (Fifteen student keyboards, MIE software, and overhead projector.)

Pre-activities

Students will need to be able to:

• keep a steady beat.
• watch and follow a conductor.
• identify AB form.
• exhibit control while playing instruments.
• recognize patterns.

Activities

1. Sing the song “A Ram Sam Sam” for the students, indicating which section is A and which section is B.
2. Have students sing the song.
3. For section A, have half of the class perform a simple pattern on triangles and rhythm sticks. The pattern for section A is as follows (in 4/4 time):
   • A (pick-up beat) ram (hit sticks once) sam (rest) sam (rest)
   • A (rest) ram (hit sticks once) sam (rest) sam (rest)
   • Guli (rest) guli (hit sticks once) guli (rest) guli (rest) guli (rest)
   • Ram (hit sticks once) sam (hit sticks once) sam (hit sticks once)

   Repeat section A. The pattern for section B is as follows (in 4/4 time):

   • A (rest) ra (strike triangles) fi (rest)
   • A (rest) ra (strike triangles) fi (rest)
   • Guli (rest) guli (strike triangles) guli (rest) guli (rest) guli (rest)
   • Ram (strike triangles) sam (strike triangles)sam (strike triangles)

   Repeat section B.

4. Teacher models each section and then students will play their respective sections while singing. This is done before accompaniment is added.
5. Students will then play and sing along with the accompaniment. First, in a traditional style and then in a rock-pop style.
6. Students will go to student keyboards and transfer this pattern to the cluster of three black keys. (Experimentation with percussion sounds is appropriate at this point.)
7. Reading from the student lead sheets, the students will play specific notes for each section of the song. Those notes are indicated on the sheets by the cluster key symbols with an arrow pointing to the given note to be played.
8. Teacher models the patterns for each section, and then students play the patterns along with the two different styles on accompaniment.

Assessment

Students will be able to play their particular instrument during the section they were assigned. They will be able to sing and play the keyboards. There is a screen in the MIE software which allows the teacher to monitor students while performing on the keyboards. This helps locate students needing extra instruction. It also helps to determine when to move on to another concept.