THIS IS MUSIC: DRUMS!

Congratulations to Steena Hernandez!!!! You're the winner of a signed copy of HOW TO BE A ROCKSTAR by Lisa Tolin.  I'll send you messages to get you connected. Steena, I know you and your kids are going to love it so much! If you could do a. review after reading I know Lisa will appreciate it!

Interview with Rekha Rajan

Join Rekha Rajan (musician, educator, advocate, and author) as we talk about her brand new book (the first in a series of 4) THIS IS MUSIC: DRUMS. We discuss the origins of the series, her heart as an educator, the importance of music AND reading in early childhood and so much more. Thanks to the limitations of Zoom our little drum experience at the end didn't work out, so I trimmed that out, but it's super easy face-face to do your own call and response, allow children/students to keep that steady beat and so much more! ​

PB (Picture Book Tasting)

While this is a board book, it is NOT limited to Littles.  Sure, it's perfect for toddlers and preschool, but you can also use it with school-age kids, in your family, homeschool, and in the larger school setting!  My philosophy is picture books (including board books) are for everybody! It's a compact little nugget full of lots of ideas for drumming fun!  For even more drumming fun, check out the jam below, and all the teacher tips linked up in those sections as well as in the links section.  There is so much fun to be had.  The words were written by Rekha, the pictures by the talented Tania Yakunova and the book was published by RISExPenguin Workshop.

A Little Jam. . .(The Music Kind)

This fun little ditty matches beautifully with the refrain in this book KEEP THE BEAT!  It's perfect for singing along, playing along,  and practicing that steady beat. The call-and-response makes it super easy for Littles, and it gives them many ways to feel the beat.

Teacher Tips, Tricks and Topics

There are several things you could highlight from this book in the general ed classroom.

1. Features of text -- There is bold print, different fonts, all caps, and different sizes of text in this book.  It would be wonderful for teaching those aspects of features of text.

2. Onomatopoeia -- lots of sound words throughout the text.

3. Types of sentences -- Because this book is relatively short, and contains multiple examples of different sentence types, that would be a great mini-lesson.  You'll find questions (interrogative sentences), exclamations (exclamatory sentences), and commands (imperative sentences) and even interjections.

Music Vocabulary

• djembe
• snare drum
• tabla
• bongos
• timpani
• tambourine
• steel drum
• drum kit
• drum
• drumsticks
• strike
• cymbals
• beat
• marching band

Tips and Topics for Music Teachers

Well, obviously, this book is all about drums, so that's the most obvious choice!
Drums/Percussion -- as a musical instrument group. Definition of percussion: instruments that you shake, tap, or scrub. Defining and classifying what are percussion instruments and which category do they belong to would be a great topic to match this book.

There are some different directions you could take the discussion: identifying different drums/percussion instruments and/or various cultures and their various percussion instruments.

Keeping a steady beat.  That is a big focus in the book, so that's a natural direction.  Practice with a variety of percussion instruments, body percussion, and more.  There are so many ways to keep a steady beat and the more children practice, the more adept they'll be in the long run. 

Tips for authors from Rekha 

Short, sweet, and super-important, here are Rekha's tips for authors:
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1. Make a plan to write every day, even if it just one sentence or gathering ideas
2. Find colleagues, friends, avid readers and get feedback (not just from people who love you - like me asking my Mom to read everything and she loves it) but individuals who can help you shape and hone your craft
3. Never give up!

Writing Prompts from Tonnye

1.  Write a story about  the ____________ drum (biggest, loudest, most unusual . . .)
2.  Write a story with the three different kinds of percussion: things you strike, scrub/rub, and shake.
3.  Write about a drummer that couldn't keep a steady beat.
4.  Listen around you for steady beat -- keep a list of things that make a steady beat.
5.  Write an acrostic poem using using  DRUM, PERCUSSION or STEADY BEAT.
6. Write a poem with a steady beat.
7.  Write about your favorite kind of drum/percussion.
8. Write about a kid who finds a drum in an unusual place.
9. Write about keeping a beat on something very unusual.
10. Write about keeping the beat in the bathtub.

Links, More Fun, Extensions for Families and Everyone!

• Make your own drum -- use a coffee can, oatmeal canister, a tin can, etc. 
• Check out this Pinterest board full of tons of amazing activities
• YouTube has lots of fabulous play-alongs, videos to help you make your own drum, information about different kinds of drums and more!
• Listen for steady beat everywhere you go!
• Turn the radio on and tap, snap, clap, or march to the beat of the music.

PBJamz Snack

Well, a cake may not be a drum, but it would be the perfect snack to go along with this book!  This one is full of delicious peanut butter and jelly (PBJ) yumminess!  You can find the recipe here and make your own drum-shaped, but not a drum PBJ cake!  I haven't yet, but it's definitely on my list to try!

​Guest Links and Giveaways

Rekha has generously offered to do 2 giveaways:
1. a signed copy of THIS IS MUSIC: DRUMS
2. a PB critique (around 500-ish words or less)

To be eligible for the giveaway, leave a comment below and let me know your preference (critique or book).  I'll do two random drawings on Wed., Aug. 31 -- one for a book, and one for a critique.  

Here are all the pertinent links for Rekha and her book:
Rekha's Twitter page 
Website 
Bring Me a Book site

Here is the Penguin-Random House site with purchase information
​If you prefer to buy from Amazon, here's that link

Reminder:  If you enjoy these books and authors, please support them by:
1.  Purchasing their books
2. Recommending them to friends, coworkers, educators, etc.
3. Requesting their books at your local library
4. Leaving positive reviews (just 50 reviews on Amazon bumps a book up to recommended status.) If you'd rather not support Amazon,  review the books on Barnes and Noble or Goodreads.

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