Beverly Botsford

School Residencies usually involve multiple “hands on” classes with the same group of students, often with 3 to 5 or more sessions with the artist. They also may include performances and/or workshops for different groups. They can be designed to integrate specific core curriculum and are molded to the needs of the presenter.

For example, a full week residency in a school might open with a performance of Dancing Drums for the whole school to introduce the residency and reach all students, sharing excitement of universal rhythm, world culture and language through music, stories and dance. The rest of the week would engage the same group of students each day, with a “hands on” class experience and conclude with a “sharing” in the classroom on the final day.

A one day residency might include a mix of assemblies and workshops for students and teachers.

“Roots And Rhythm” Residencies- Drums, Percussion, Music, Culture, Character, Curriculum

Students will be introduced to the wide world of percussion instruments, exploring rhythm, pattern, tone, pitch, sound color, and dynamics, as well as cultural history, construction and materials involved in making them. They will participate in making music together as a drum ensemble, exploring important skills of listening, following directions, and doing your part to contribute to the whole. Beverly provides drums for all participants as well as sharing a wild and unusual array of percussion instruments from around the world. Students compose rhythms and learn "conducting” skills that will become part of a group piece, shared on the last day of the residency.

The Roots and Rhythm residency has a cultural arts focus, exploring diversity, creativity and global connections to build Twenty First Century Skills. It can also be combined with other specific curriculum connections. Choose your curriculum focus: Social Studies, Language Arts, Science of Sound, Math

“Wrap It In Rhythm” –English Language Arts Integration: Exploring Language and Culture with Drums and Percussion

In the Wrap it in Rhythm music residency, Beverly guides students in creating a multi-layered rhythm orchestra, to explore cultural diversity, build character and enhance language arts curriculum. Weaving words and rhythms, students will learn essential music skills playing percussion from around the globe, with a focus on drums from Africa and Latin America. Spiced with song, stories, movement and spoken word, the classes develop skills of teamwork, listening and self-expression.

Using classroom text from poems, stories, and other content, students will use music to explore the use of rhythm, repetition, accent and inflection, enhancing language fluency. They will explore sequence, form and literature styles as well as rhyme, alliteration and other writer’s tools. They will compose rhythms that will become part of a group piece, shared on the last day of the residency.

Curriculum Connections: Music, Language Arts and Social Studies

STEM Residencies integrating Science and Math: “Roots, Rhythm and the Science of Sound” OR “Roots, Rhythm and Math”

Both residencies include the Roots and Rhythm content and add a science or math focus:

The Science of Sound Residency, students celebrate the gift of listening with inquiry based learning on a wild and wacky array of unusual percussion from around the world, including Beverly’s own backyard. Ancient drums dance with wacky home made instruments in this “Vibration Celebration.” With hands on instruments, students will make observations and explore how sound is produced to explore wavelength, frequency, volume, pitch and other scientific sound phenomenon. Beverly will demonstrate instrument-making and instructions are provided for students to make their own. Student instrument creations will be incorporated into the residency. Students will know how sounds are made by using a variety of instruments and sound makers and that sound is produced by vibrating objects. They will analyze the pitch produced by changing the size and shape of a variety of instruments. (2nd Grade) 2.P.1 Understand the relationship between sound and vibrating objects.

In the Math residency, students use natural connections between music and math to deepen understanding of fractions, pattern, form and structure, as they compose rhythms and create musical arrangements. They draw graphs, take measurements of instruments and use drumsticks to explore angles and geometry. Molded to the needs of specific age groups, students will analyze, compare, predict, create and compose. (K-7)