STOMP

by Adele Lowen
(and Sherry Alstad)
I do these activities with students in Grades 3 and up.
Watch one of the DVDs:
- Stomp Out Loud
- Stomp Live
- Pulse - A STOMP Odyssey
or *click on a link below
Materials that could be used to do STOMP activities:
rhythm sticks, drum sticks, doweling, pencils, rulers, ice cream pails, 5 gallon
buckets, tennis balls, basketballs, brooms, water jugs, plastic bags
STOMP - Poles
- watch STOMP - poles *click on the link below
- give each student 1 stick (rhythm stick, drum stick, pencil, ruler), sit in a circle,
and tap the stick on the floor
- do the domino effect - Just like when the line of dominoes fall down, each
person taps their stick once, after the previous person, so the sound is a
continuous "click" on the floor going all around the circle. Try to keep a steady
beat. Slowly increase the speed.
- divide the group in half: one half taps their stick to a steady beat while the other
half does a different rhythm. Have the students write down their rhythms.
- Give the students some exploration time to tap their stick on various things in
the class (or on the playground equipment) to discover the sound things make.
Everyone takes a turn playing a solo, showing the class their favorite sound. Then
ask them to make a repeating rhythm using their favorite sound. Everyone does
another solo showing their musical rhythm.
- Partner students up: 1 person plays the steady beat while the other person
plays a rhythm while tapping on different surface from their partner, thus
creating 2 sounds and 2 rhythms for harmony. Partners perform their song for
the class to hear. Have the students write down their rhythms.
- watch the video clip again for a new appreciation of how much practice time,
talent, and effort it must take the STOMP musicians to make difficult rhythms
look easy

STOMP - Basketballs
- watch STOMP - basketballs *click on the link below
- give each student 1 basketball or tennis ball
- Give the students some exploration time to bounce their ball, twirl it on their
finger, and try bouncing tricks (like bouncing it under a leg, bounce-twirl-bounce,
toss-catch-bounce-catch-toss-catch). Everyone takes a turn doing a solo, showing
the class their favorite thing to do with the ball.
- Challenge the student to use a variety of bouncing styles: bounce it low, bounce
it high, bounce it in front of you, bounce it behind you, bounce it under your leg
- Try doing these things in synch with each other so everyone in the class sounds
like just 1 sound:
- bounce slow and low
- bounce slow and high
- bounce fast and low
- dribble with 1 hand
- dribble moving the ball from infront of you to behind you
- do the domino effect - Just like when the line of dominoes fall down, each
person in the circle bounces their ball once, one after the other, so the sound is a
continuous "boing" on the floor going all around the circle. Try to keep a steady
beat. Slowly increase the speed.
- Stand in a circle and number everyone off as 1 or 2: 1's will bounce first and 2's
will bounce second, creating an alternating pattern.
- Then try 1s bouncing on a count of 1 2 3 4 (ta ta ta ta) and the 2's go twice as
fast on a count of 1+2+3+4+ (ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti)
- Partner students up and have them create their own songs: 1 person bounces
on the beat and the 2nd person does an alternative rhythm. Perform for the
class. Have the students write down their rhythms.
- Copy Cat: Challenge everyone to come up with a rhythm/pattern, giving them
time to create. With everyone in a circle, 1 person does their rhythm/pattern and
then everyone else copies them. The student passes their turn to the next player
by tapping the student next to them on their shoulder or knee. The class
continues playing the first rhythm/pattern until they can copy the new
rhythm/pattern so there is overlapping of sound. Continue until everyone has
had a turn to lead.
- watch the video clip again for a new appreciation of how much practice time,
talent, and effort it must take the STOMP musicians to make difficult rhythms
look easy

Buckets or Garbage Cans

- you can use 4 Litre ice cream pails, 5 gallon or 2.5 gallon buckets, or large water
bottles from a water cooler, instead of garbage cans
- if you take the ice cream pail or bucket lids, poke 2 holes in them and tie on a
string handle (like the handle on the garbage can lid)
- watch STOMP Garbage Cans and STOMP buckets *click on the links below
- have the students explore the sounds they can make with their pail, using their
hand or a mallet
- Sit in a circle and number everyone off as 1 or 2: 1's will tap their pail first and
2's will tap their pail second, creating an alternating pattern. Have the students
write down their rhythms.
- Then try 1s tapping their pail on a count of 1 2 3 4 (ta ta ta ta) and the 2's go
twice as fast on a count of 1+2+3+4+ (ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti)
- Partner students up and have them create their own songs: 1 person hits their
pail on the beat and the 2nd person does an alternative rhythm. Perform for the
class. Have the students write down their rhythms.
- Copy Cat: Challenge everyone to come up with a rhythm/pattern, giving them
time to create. With everyone in a circle, 1 person does their rhythm/pattern and
then everyone else copies them. The student passes their turn to the next player
by tapping the student next to them on their shoulder or knee. The class
continues playing the first rhythm/pattern until they can copy the new
rhythm/pattern so there is overlapping of sound. Continue until everyone has
had a turn to lead.
- Group students into 3s or 4s. Challenge them to create a song with each person
playing their pail in a unique way and with each person playing a different
rhythm. Have 1 or 2 groups perform for the class. Give everyone more time to
practice. Then let the rest of the groups perform their song. Some students may
want to play 2 lids, like the trash can lids in the videos, instead of a pail.

Plastic Bags
- Watch STOMP - Plastic Bags *click on the link below
- Pass each student 2 plastic bags - 1 to crinkle and 1 to inflate with air (make sure
there are no holes in the bag to inflate with air)
- Fluff 1 of the plastic bags up with air, twisting it to keep it inflated. Using the
STOMP video clip for inspiration, hit the bag gently with your hand to create a
sound. Allow time for the students to explore their abilities to create sounds.
- Sit in a circle and number everyone off as 1 or 2: 1's will crinkle their plastic bag
on the beat and 2's will tap their inflated plastic bag, creating an alternating
pattern. You select the rhythms for the students to play. Write the rhythms
where the students can see them as they play so you can point to the rhythms
and keep time.
- Then try 1s tapping their inflated bag on a count of 1 2 3 4 (ta ta ta ta) and the
2's go twice as fast, with their crinkled bag, on a count of 1+2+3+4+ (ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti
ti-ti)
- Partner students up and have them create their own songs using different
rhythms. Have the students write down their rhythms. Each group performs
their song for the rest of the class.
Hands and Feet
- Watch STOMP - Hands and Feet *click on the link below Encourage the
students to clap along with the audience.
- Have the students do similar activities as mentioned above with the other
"instruments" to create rhythms and songs
The Grand Finale
- Divide the class into 4 or 5 groups.
- Have each group pick one of the STOMP instruments - sticks, basketballs, pails,
lids, bags, or hands and feet.
- Start with 1 group keeping the beat. Add a group at a time, each with their own
rhythm, until everyone is playing. A fun thing to do is to stop all groups, and then
have 1 group do a unique rhythm, with all groups starting again after a few
repetitions.
Curriculum Concepts:
Rhythm: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 16, 19
Harmony: 1
Expression: 1, 4, 8, 11

Listening: 4, 5, 6, 18
Playing Instruments: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8
Reading and Writing: 1, 2, 4, 5