Topic:Multicultural art lesson featuring the creation and use of student maracas in a Puerto Rican folk song emphasizing the use of rhythm and expression.

Component Objectives:
Artistic Perception: Each student will identify and demonstrate rhythm and expression with his or her maracas through participation in a group song. Students will also describe the expression of the song.

Creative Expression: Each student will construct and design a pair of maracas using papier m(ch( and tempura paints. Each student will perform, as a group, a Puerto Rican folk song using his or her maracas.

Historical and Cultural Context: Through a group discussion, the class will hypothesize where and why the maracas may have been developed.

Aesthetic Valuing: As a group, students will share their maracas with one another and discuss their role in the production of rhythm. In addition, students will evaluate the xpression of the song through examination of the words and emotion of the music.

Rationale: The arts promote creativity, independence, and other ways to make meaning of things. Music can give us insight into different cultures and societies. The creation, use, and analysis of the history of the maracas will encourage students' ability to discover, work together, and appreciate cultures other than their own. Rhythm and expression will present themselves consistently throughout our lives.

Strategy: A combination of group process and guided discovery.

Vocabulary: Rhythm, Expression, Folk Music
Rhythm-the combinations of long and short, even and uneven sounds that convey a sense of movement.
Expression-a characteristic that accounts for the specific emotional effect of music.
Folk Music-traditional music that evolved through the process of aural transmission.

Procedures: Introduction: I will begin by playing the maracas along with some Caribbean folk music. I will pose the some of the following questions: Does anyone know what these are called (maracas)? Where do they come from? Has anyone ever heard of rhythm? Folk music? Does anyone know what expression in music is? After a general discussion of student responses, I will demonstrate, with student help, what rhythm sounds like with the maracas. I will then model how to make the maracas. I will show the maracas at each stage of development.

Pupil Activity Sequence: Blow up a balloon to approximately five inches in diameter. Tie the end to keep air in. Teacher may do this ahead of time. Apply at least four layers of torn newspaper dipped in wheat paste (papier machŽ). Wheat paste can be bought at art supply, wallpaper, or craft stores. It is mixed with water until thick. The newspaper should not be larger than two-inch squares. Do not cover the knot of the balloon. Let the balloon dry for several days. Pop the balloon with scissors or a pin where it is tied. The balloon will make a crackling sound that kids love! Remove the broken balloon. Put a teaspoonful of dried beans, rice, seeds or small rocks into the hole. Insert an 11-inch by 3/8" wide dowel into the hole all the way upto the top of the maraca. A dowel is cylinder-type piece of wood that is available at most hardware stores. This will give the maracas a handle. Place the maraca upright and hammer a thick-headed tack through the maraca into the dowel at the top. Apply three more layers of newspaper dipped into the wheat paste to the area where the maraca joins the handle. Add one more layer of newspaper to the entire maraca to cover the tack and to give it strength. After the maraca is dry (approximately 2 days), it can be painted with tempera or acrylic paints. It is suggested to give a solid base coat of one color. After this has been done, students can use fine brushes to paint detailed designs on their intsuments. You may want to provide students with some examples of typical island scenes.

After the maracas are painted and dry, organize students to practice using their maracas to keep rhythm. Play a song and have students play together to a certain rhythm. You may have students sing along. (See attached Caribbean folk song.)

Closure: Gather students in a sharing place (circle). Encourage students to share and describe some of their painting on their beautiful instruments. Pose questions having to do with multicultural appreciation, rhythm, and expression, such as: Why is it important to learn about other cultures? Where else (besides music) might we hear rhythm or expression? In other areas of the arts? Respond to student questions and comments.

Evaluation: Evaluation will occur while students are making their maracas, participating in class discussions, and practicing the use of rhythm. Teacher will observe and help students make their maracas. Teacher will listen and watch for students' sense of rhythm while playing as a group. Teacher will listen and assess students' discuss and share hypotheses about rhythm, expression, and the culture behind maracas.

Materials:
balloons
11-inch by 3/8" dowels for each
maraca
newspaper
thick-headed tacks for each maraca
wheat paste
tempera paints/brushes
beans, rice, seeds, or rocks
music
water jars for brushes

Clean-Up: Students will individually clean up their assigned area. Assigned students will collect paints, brushes, wheat paste, and water jars.

Extensions: The possibilities are endless! This lesson could be adapted from K-adult. Teacher could do the difficult steps for younger students so they could experience making their own instruments. This lesson could be adapted in cross-curriculum areas, such as social studies, literature, and/or mathematics. Students could measure the instrument's diameter, radius, and volume. The maracas could also be incorporated into dance and theater.

Adapted from Schuman, Jo Miles, .ARTS From Many Hands. Worcester, Massachusetts: Davis Publications, Inc., 1981.