Building Blocks of Jazz – Rhythm 1
4:16
Grades: 5 - 12
Video Description: Fellow musicians Jahmal Nichols and Marty Morrison join Phil Dunlap to demonstrate how a rhythm section is created with multiple instruments including piano, bass and drums. Learn why the piano is a percussion instrument although it has strings and what pizzicato means. Also see how cymbals, the bass drum and the snare drum are used to create rhythm.
Type of Video: Topical*
Unique Video ID: Jazz-19**
Quick Ideas for Using the Video:
- Prior to viewing the video ask students about their knowledge of a “rhythm section.” Do they know its purpose, the instruments that can be included, etc.?
- Have students explain in their own words why a piano is a percussion instrument and not a string instrument.
- Use the video in conjunction with a conversation starter or journal prompt that ask students the following: Based on what they see and learn in the video, which of the three instruments would students prefer to play? Why? What would be the challenges and opportunities with each instrument?
*Topical videos are filmed on location in the classroom/workspace/laboratory, in studio, or a combination of both to explain and/or demonstrate specific concepts, events, topics, or processes.
**The unique Video ID can be used to quickly locate a single video in the ET collection. This search function is designed to let teachers assign students to watch a specific video and have only that video appear as a search result. Just click on Search and choose “By Video ID.” Then type in the Video ID as it appears above. Be sure to include the dash.
