The World of Body Percussion in Music Education

Have you ever tried to make music using only your body? Body percussion is a fun and engaging way for children to learn about rhythm and music. It's a form of music-making where you use different parts of your body to create sounds, such as clapping, stomping, snapping, and slapping. Not only is it a great way to introduce children to music, but it also helps them develop coordination, concentration, and creativity.
Body percussion is a widely used technique in music education due to its accessibility. The human body is the original musical instrument and every student possesses it. This technique offers a direct and interactive experience to students to understand and internalize the fundamental musical elements like beat, rhythm, and metre. Several music education approaches, including Orff, Kodály, and Bapne, particularly utilise body percussion as an effective tool. It helps students to develop their rhythmic skills, which is an essential foundation for mastering any musical instrument.
If you're looking for some inspiration to start incorporating body percussion into your children's music education, look no further than YouTube. There are countless videos available that showcase different body percussion techniques and routines. Here are five great examples to get you started:
1. Professional musicians sometimes use body percussion in their performances and music videos, like this one made by The Percussion Show.
2. Body percussion may be used not only in music education, but in dance schools as well. This video was made by Alvaia dance school from Greece.
3. Orff ensembles often use body percussion in both their training and performances.
4. Body percussion is widely used in Orff Approach music lessons, most often in the form of a rhythm game, where students follow some well-known melody with body percussion. This activity is especially effective in the group lessons, such as this one.
5. Youtube offers countless play-along music videos with all kinds of popular melodies adapted specifically for a body percussion performance, with all gestures and movements the viewer may use to play the melody.
Body percussion is a fun and accessible way for children to learn about rhythm and music. With the help of these videos, you can easily incorporate this technique into your children's music education and watch as they develop their musical skills and creativity.
Orff believed that each child should not be a passive listener, but an active co-creator. Our book contains percussion games you and your kids can play using a percussion instrument musical set, and any other musical sounds you can come up with.
