They’ve got rhythm, they’ve got music
December 15, 2009
By Christopher Huber
By Christopher Huber
The final bell rang, dismissing all the students for the day at Samantha Smith Elementary. But after music teacher Adam Gross’s classroom cleared out, another set of students meandered in.
The room bustled with energetic youth, who were awaiting instruction. They would spend the next hour practicing for their upcoming concert Dec. 10.
The dozen or so children dropped their backpacks and squirmed around on the floor next to some two-foot-tall drums — some argued over who should play the larger, lower-toned ones first and who would get the lone djembe drum.
Gross teaches the after-school World Rhythms Ensemble at Smith. They meet every Monday to learn basic beats, chants and rhythms using tubano drums and their voices. They learn styles and methods for various cultures around the world.
“There’s not anything more effective in connecting the body and music than drumming,” Gross said in the ensemble’s final rehearsal Dec. 7. “Drumming … strips away all the Western European influence on music.”
He started the class in the spring quarter of 2007 because he saw a need for more instrumental music instruction at the school. Gross, a drummer himself, had taught drumming to inner-city students in Seattle and realized he could bring that to Sammamish.
“There’s no reason I felt it should be restricted to kids in the inner city,” he said. “There didn’t seem to be an instrumental outlet for the kids.”
The Smith PTA sponsored the program, which costs $50 for 10 sessions, and has provided financial assistance for anyone who wants to take the class.
Most of the students seemed focused and intent on following the beats given, as Gross gave commands using loud tweets from a whistle. They began class sitting in a semi-circle and each student lead the group in their own made-up rhythm to imitate.
They all seem to enjoy grooving to the beat and hitting the drum as firmly and accurately as they can.
“(I like this class) because you can play different instruments, learn different rhythms and I have a fantastic teacher,” said fourth-grader Alia O’Neill, who is in her third quarter-long session. “He can be serious and he can be funny,” she said.
After practicing three African drum pieces — Jingoloba, Moshi and Funga Alafia — for the concert, Gross and the children broke out the xylophones, and other percussion instruments. Together, they pieced together the parts of a sound story based on Owen Lewis’ “Storm Boy.”
O’Neill said she likes “xylophones, because each one has a different sound.”
For some, the class is almost therapeutic, or a way to be more social outside of regular class, Gross said. But for some, they just want to make noise and hit a drum.
“For the boys, they look at these drums all year long (in music class) and say, ‘ah, man, I gotta hit one of those things,’” Gross said. “This is a chance to be loud.”
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.
The final bell rang, dismissing all the students for the day at Samantha Smith Elementary. But after music teacher Adam Gross’s classroom cleared out, another set of students meandered in.
The room bustled with energetic youth, who were awaiting instruction. They would spend the next hour practicing for their upcoming concert Dec. 10.
Smith Elementary students take turns leading the group in various drumming patterns. Photo by Christopher Huber
The dozen or so children dropped their backpacks and squirmed around on the floor next to some two-foot-tall drums — some argued over who should play the larger, lower-toned ones first and who would get the lone djembe drum.
Gross teaches the after-school World Rhythms Ensemble at Smith. They meet every Monday to learn basic beats, chants and rhythms using tubano drums and their voices. They learn styles and methods for various cultures around the world.
“There’s not anything more effective in connecting the body and music than drumming,” Gross said in the ensemble’s final rehearsal Dec. 7. “Drumming … strips away all the Western European influence on music.”
He started the class in the spring quarter of 2007 because he saw a need for more instrumental music instruction at the school. Gross, a drummer himself, had taught drumming to inner-city students in Seattle and realized he could bring that to Sammamish.
“There’s no reason I felt it should be restricted to kids in the inner city,” he said. “There didn’t seem to be an instrumental outlet for the kids.”
The Smith PTA sponsored the program, which costs $50 for 10 sessions, and has provided financial assistance for anyone who wants to take the class.
Most of the students seemed focused and intent on following the beats given, as Gross gave commands using loud tweets from a whistle. They began class sitting in a semi-circle and each student lead the group in their own made-up rhythm to imitate.
They all seem to enjoy grooving to the beat and hitting the drum as firmly and accurately as they can.
“(I like this class) because you can play different instruments, learn different rhythms and I have a fantastic teacher,” said fourth-grader Alia O’Neill, who is in her third quarter-long session. “He can be serious and he can be funny,” she said.
After practicing three African drum pieces — Jingoloba, Moshi and Funga Alafia — for the concert, Gross and the children broke out the xylophones, and other percussion instruments. Together, they pieced together the parts of a sound story based on Owen Lewis’ “Storm Boy.”
O’Neill said she likes “xylophones, because each one has a different sound.”
For some, the class is almost therapeutic, or a way to be more social outside of regular class, Gross said. But for some, they just want to make noise and hit a drum.
“For the boys, they look at these drums all year long (in music class) and say, ‘ah, man, I gotta hit one of those things,’” Gross said. “This is a chance to be loud.”
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.
Other Stories of Interest: Samantha Smith Elementary School
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