When The Saints Go Marching In

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On a weekly basis I have the opportunity to teach private percussion lessons at St. Paul’s Episcopal School. Tammy Nicholas, the intermediate school music teacher, has kindly opened her room to me in the afternoons so I can have enough space to bring different drums to use in the lessons. She also has a wonderful set of Orff instruments in her room and this gives me the opportunity to incorporate mallets into our private lessons. One of my students, a fourth grader named Carson, wanted to learn the melody to “When the Saints Go Marching In”. The video below shows the result of his quickly learning the melody and playing it with a very nice syncopated and swinging feel. Nice work Carson!

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The Groovy Drum Group and Banuwa

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The Rhythm Center teaches a third grade world percussion class at St. Paul’s Episcopal School. The students learn about percussion instruments and cultures from around the world. One day we discovered a wonderful set of Orff instruments inside a large cabinet. Here is a fun little arrangement the students created of the Liberian folk tune “Banuwa.”

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A Vibraphone, a Four Year Old and a Weasel...

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Joel has done a great job working on his melodies. He has a number of tunes under his belt now: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Happy Birthday, Pop Goes the Weasel and even The Roll Call Song. From what his parents tell me, he is diligent when it comes to practicing. Apparently Joel spends a great deal of time practicing either on his bells or his keyboard. He is wonderful example to all students that hard work and practice is what it takes to improve as a musician.

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What is the Rhythm Center?