Photo Illustration (C.) Fred Leavitt
USING THE DRUM AS A SCIENCE LESSON
Sound as invisible waves

The drum is an excellent vehicle for teaching a variety of subjects in a kinetic learning environment that children enjoy. A Child's natural attraction to drumming opens the door to teach a variety of subjects.

Drumming encourages collaborative learning, discipline and teamwork; fosters diversity and provides the opportunity to communicate ideas and feelings.

This page will explore the use of the drum as a cross-discplinary teaching tool.
ED.
Playing a drum produces waves in the air that has demonstrable effects on nearby objects.

The Primal Connection is developing a curculum that uses a child's curousity as an opening to teach an underrstanding of sound as a phycal force, concepts of waves in air, tones as wave legnths and the physics of hearing.,
Denise Mariani gives some insight as how it is applied with the following story:
About halfway into the first week of teaching drum classes for SFCC Youth Summer Enrichment Camp I started to use the drum to teach science. The 8 to 10 year old students had just finished a session where we used the gathering drum,

a large native American Indian instrument played by several people at once while it rests on the ground. The drum had been left in the middle of the circle and several kids had already picked up some of the frame drums eager to go onto the next activity.

"Watch this quarter jump!" I said as I pulled a quarter out of my pocket and placed it on top of the drumhead. "Everyone holding a frame drum bring it over here by the gathering drum. Hold your drum real close to it and follow my beat".

Sure enough as we drummed close to the gathering drum the quarter started to jump in time to our rhythm and the kids were duly impressed. "How’s it doing that?" one of them asked and the magic door was opened.

I explained about, vibration, sound waves and ear drums all the while keeping the quarter jumping, but little jumps now because we were playing quieter so I could be heard.

"Hey, this is science isn’t it?" Said one of the kids. Yea but it’s still fun isn’t it?