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Rainstorm In The Classroom Lesson Plan

(variations of a song)
By Adele Lowen
- Explain to the students that in Africa, there is a dry season and a wet season.
When it is the wet season, it rains for days at a time, filling up the streams, rivers,
and watering holes for the animals to drink from. The song Africa tells about the
rain in Africa.
- Show the students the YouTube video AFRICA (live in Amsterdam) by Toto
*click on the link below
- while the song is playing, discuss:
- musicians encourage audience participation by clapping hands to
the beat
- discuss the instruments: electric guitars (string family), drums and
electric keyboards/synthesizer (percussion family)
- usually the musician at center stage is the lead singer and in this
band, he doesn't play an instrument; the musicians play their
instrument and do the backup singing - Note that the keyboard
musician is doing the lead singing in this song
- genre - soft rock
- everyone singing is singing pitches in either the bass, tenor, alto, or
soprano range and when they sing together, they create
harmony
- watch the movements and actions of the musicians on stage when
they are "feeling" the music and to keep the audience's
attention
- different instruments are highlighted or have a mini solo to feature
them, the other instruments play quietly in the background
- Using body percussion, make a rainstorm song in the classroom:
* A melody is made up of sounds organized in patterns. Our rainstorm song
will have 5 patterns.
1. divide the class into 5 groups
2. assign each group a sound:
- tongue click (splash of rain - spitting)
- snap fingers (sprinkle of rain)

- hand rubbing together/swish (light rain - need an umbrella)


- leg patsch (down pour of rain)
- feet stomps (thunder)
3. start with the first sound and slowly build by adding one sound at a time
until there are 3 rounds of thunder and then stop one sound at a
time until the rainstorm is over
- Show the students the YouTube video AFRICA by Perpetuum Jazzille.
*click on the link below
- They do a rainstorm and then sing the song. This is an a capella choir that
makes all of their musical sounds with their voices.
- Discuss with the students how the adults in the choir are arranged
according to their vocal range (bass, tenor, alto, soprano)
- Discuss how Perpetuum Jazzille did their body percussion rainstorm
compared to theirs
- Have the students try the rainstorm again
- If you play the piano, show the students what the piano sheet music looks like
and then play the song for them. If you don't play the piano,
*click on the link below
- Discuss any variation in the music that the students notice - all the same song
but 3 different versions.
- Show the students the YouTube video of AFRICA by Karl Wolfe. This has rap
sections - use the lyrics version only, DO NOT show the video or don't show the
video, just play the music.
*click on the link below
- Ask the students what they think about Karl Wolfe's version.
Curriculum Concepts:
Melody: 4
Harmony: 1, 2, 11
Form: 1, 4
Expression: 17, 18
Listening: 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 18, 25, 29
Creating: 5

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