|
A Jota on the Gaita Grade Level: 5–8Jota Cuarteto de Coruña, Palma de Mallorca [Audio coming soon] Return to All Lessons Lesson Plans
Activity #1: Rhythmic composition 1. Listen to Jota and have the students find and tap the steady beat played on the tambourine and tabor (drum). Identify the meter as three. 2. Listen again to identify the gaita (bagpipes) and perform by rote the rhythm pattern played by the gaita. 3. Select a slower tempo than the Jota and have the student compose combinations of rhythms that move in groups of three. 4. Write four of these patterns on the board to form a four-measure composition. Explore what the rhythms might sound like if the third beat or one or more measure were to be tied across the bar. 5. Say or tap the combinations at increasingly faster tempi until matching that of the jota. 6. Listen again to find rhythms in the gaita that are tied across the bar. 7. Explore the history of the Jota in Spain by searching the internet for information and illustrations (A Jota is a lively dance form known throughout Spain, typically in a quick 3 meter.) 8. Compare this recording of a Jota to the use of the Jota by the composer Bizet (entr’acte to Act IV of Carmen is a Jota) . Cultural Link Spain: GaliciaDesigned by Rita Klinger |