Mayan Music Workshop
FabDrumming
School Workshop South West Somerset
This workshop is a great way to enrich the National Curriculum topic 'The Maya'.It will give the children an unforgettable experience, because it's not just looking at a video, listening to a story or reading a text, but they are actually stepping in the shoes of the Maya.
Studies into Maya civilization show that music played an important part in their lives. The Maya gathered materials for their instruments from the world around them and used the sounds of nature as inspiration for their music. The children play different instruments like slit-, frame- and goblet drums, shakers and ocarina type flutes (each class gets a clean set).
By recreating the sound of ancient Mayan music, this topic will stay engraved in their minds.
A workshop for Year 6 also starts with recordings and videos of Maya music. Mayan writing consisted of a relatively elaborate set of glyphs. The pupils get to create their own glyphs to symbolise the instruments and sounds. They then write a musical notation of the composition, using the glyphs. To finish the session, they play the composition making different sounds and rhythms on instruments like drums, slit-drums, shakers, and flutes.
We cover South West England.
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What activities are available during this school workshop?
The children watch music videos and learn about the role of music in Mayan culture. They then get to play instruments themselves. With drums, flutes and shakers they play a composition inspired by the music they heard on the videos.
Which curriculum topics do we cater for?
Music Workshop
Musical Notation Listening to Music Playing Musical Instruments
Studies show that music played an important role in Maya civilization. They used materials sourced from their environment for their instruments and let the sounds of nature inspire their music. In this workshop the children will be playing different instruments: drums, slit drums, shakers and flutes. They will explore the sounds these instruments make and recreate the sound of ancient Mayan Music. Musical elements like timbre, rhythm, structure, dynamics and composition are all part of this workshop. By playing interlocking rhythms, they need to listen and cooperate with each other.
Ancient Civilisations Workshop
Maya Civilisation
What better way to bring Mayan culture closer to the children than having them step into the shoes of Mayan musicians. They'll recreate the music of the Mayans by making sounds of nature with or on their instruments and playing a compostion.
The Mayans were incredibly advanced. They excelled at mathematics, astronomy and arts. Studies show that music played an important part in the lives of the Maya. They didn't use musical notation or have a recording mechanism. But Mayan rituals still linger and ethnomusicologist are confident that music was central to Mayan ceremonies and life events.
What size groups do we cater for?
Up to 30 pupils.
Group sizes and timings are flexible and depend on the requirements of the school.
Group sizes and timings are flexible and depend on the requirements of the school.
Access for visitors with disabilities
Yes, the workshops can be adapted to children with disabilities.
Visitors with Special Educational Needs (SEN)
Yes, the workshops are suitable for all ages and abilities.
Anything else?
We provide all the drums and instruments.
Each class gets a clean set of flutes. No flute will get played by different children.
Each class gets a clean set of flutes. No flute will get played by different children.
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