For early primary students, an introduction to message drums, suitable for inclusion in a unit on music, percussion, communication, history, or world cultures.
Introduction and overview
Message drums are actually large
slit gongs , usually constructed from hollowed-out logs, that are used to send messages over considerable distances. This lesson plan, suitable for a wide range of ages, includes an explanation and discussion of message drums, and an activity demonstrating how they are used. It is a cross-discipline lesson, appropriate for a
music class unit on percussion or instrument traditions around the world, a
social studies unit on world cultures (message drums were independently invented in several different places, including Africa, Asia, and the Americas), a
language arts unit on the history of communication or a poetry unit on the rhythm of language, or a
science/math unit on codes and messages.
Goals and standards
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Grade Level - K-12 (adaptable)
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Student Prerequisites - Students must be able to cooperate to accomplish goals in small groups with minimal supervision. (If they cannot, see "Adaptations".)
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Teacher Expertise - Teacher expertise in music is not necessary to present this activity.
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Time Requirements - One (approximately 45-minute) class period for the presentation and activity.
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Goals - The student will learn how and why message drums have been used in several cultures around the world.
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Objectives - The class will discuss various forms of pre-electronic-era long-distance messages and draw conclusions about why a culture might choose one form over another. Small groups of students will each develop a code consisting of several messages that can be sent using two drum pitches, and will demonstrate their code to the class by using it to successfully send messages across a classroom.
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Music Standards Addressed -
National Standards for Music Education standards 8 (understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts) and 9 (understanding music in relation to history and culture).
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Other Subjects Addressed - The activity also addresses
National Standards in the Social Studies standards 1 (culture), 2 (time, continuity and change), 3 (people, places and environments), and 8 (science, technology, and society), and
National Standards for the English Language Arts standard 9 (Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles).
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Evaluation - Base assessment on discussion and activity participation, and on each group's success in developing and using a code according to the given parameters.
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Adaptations - If the students cannot cooperate in small groups with minimal supervision, do the activity as a class instead.
Message drums
Introducing the subject
Give young students copies of the
Slit Gong Message Drum handout. If possible, show students a picture of a real message drum from a book or website. (As of this writing, there were useful photos at
Art-Pacific and
Papua New Guinea - BUAI Digital Information Project .)
