Podcast 3
Beatbox Madness
Objectives:
- Explore vocal performance through a analysis of beatboxing and vocal improvisation
- Analyze rhythm as produced by language and sound, and by modern recording techniques
National Music Education Standards Addressed:
- Standard 6: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
- Standard 7: Evaluating music and music performances.
- Standard 9: Understanding music in relation to history and culture.
Time/Materials Required:
- 15-20 minutes
- Digital media player or computer access to the Internet
Activity Summary:
We are all "vocalists" to one degree or another, as human speech requires complex vocal mechanics. Beatboxing, in which the human voice imitates percussive instruments, such as drums, encourages musicians to create, arrange, and improvise vocal sounds in new and innovative ways. Explore how beatboxing uses the percussive potential of language to create exciting sonic textures.
Download Audio Activity and Worksheet:
Click on the links below to download and listen to this activity. Print the worksheet to input your answers.
Click here to download this podcast
Click here to download Student Worksheet
Vocabulary:
beatbox vocalization: using the voice to imitate a drum
compression: reducing the dynamic range of an audio signal, making quiet sounds louder and loud sounds quieter
onomatopoeia: a word that somewhat imitates the sound associated with the action or object to which it refers
percussive: featuring instruments that derive their sound from being shaken or struck, such as the drum
pitch: the highness or lowness of sound determined by its frequency vibration
plosive: a consonant produced by stopping the flow of air at some point and suddenly releasing it
rap lyricist: the writer of the words of rap songs
reverb: an effect that resounds in a succession of echoes, produced in recorded music by electronic means |
