Xylophone
Fun play-along videos to help kids learn to play the xylophone, or any mallet percussion instrument!
-For beginner and intermediate students
-Use with any mallet percussion instrument, including xylophone, marimba, vibraphone, bells, or Glockenspiel
-Starts at the beginner level and increases in difficulty
-Self-assessment rubric included in each video
-Videos rotate through 12 activities to focus on different aspects of music learning:
1. Get Ready: Warmups
- Long tones, scales, arpeggios, articulation, etc.
2. Inside Info: Music theory and fundamentals
-Time signatures, key signatures, scale degrees, intervals, chords, form, harmony, etc.
3. Sync Up: Rhythm training
-Listening, reading rhythms, counting, clapping
4. Catch The Groove: Rhythm training
-Listening, echoing, reading rhythms
5. Play By Ear: Aural skills
-Pitch discrimination, listening and echoing
6. Mix It Up: Sight-reading
-Extra challenge: sing the melody after playing it on the xylophone
7. Make A Beat: Rhythm improvisation
-Echo a rhythmic phrase, then play something different
8. Power Up: Instrumental technique
-Scale patterns, arpeggios, rolls, double stops
9. All Together Now: Ensemble playing
-Listen and play different parts within duets, trios, and quartets
10. Your Choice: Pitch/tonal improvisation
-Listen and echo a musical phrase, then play something different using given note choices
11. Bonus Level: Sight-reading
-Combines material from previous videos
12. Recap: Vocabulary review
-Multiple-choice "quiz" review
-One Recap video after every 100 Dynabuddy videos
Think of each cycle through these activities as a unit of study that takes about 4-6 weeks to complete. Every 100 videos is about a year's worth of instruction, ending with a Recap video for review. 100 videos are currently available for xylophone. More will be released soon - stay tuned!
-
Video 1: Warm-ups (Get Ready)
Xylophone warm-up using:
-B-flat, C, & D
-Quarter notes & whole rests
-4/4 time signature -
Video 2: Music Theory (Inside Info)
Xylophone music theory & fundamentals: Reading music (treble clef)
-
Video 3: Rhythm Practice (Sync Up)
Count and clap rhythms for xylophone, using:
-Half notes & rests, whole notes & rests
-4/4 time signature -
Video 4: Echo Rhythms (Catch The Groove)
Echo rhythms on xylophone using:
-B-flat only
-Quarter notes & rests, half notes & rests, whole notes
-4/4 time signature -
Video 5: Echo Melodies (Play By Ear)
Echo melodies on xylophone using:
-B-flat & C
-Quarter notes & rests, half notes & rests, whole notes
-4/4 time signature -
Video 6: Sight Reading (Mix It Up)
Xylophone sight-reading using:
-B-flat, C, & D
-Quarter notes & rests, half notes & rests, whole notes
-4/4 time signature
-Metronome and piano accompaniment
-Extra challenge: sing the notes -
Video 7: Improvise Rhythms (Make A Beat)
Echo and improvise rhythms on xylophone using:
-D only
-Quarter notes & rests, half notes & rests, whole notes & rests
-4/4 time signature -
Video 8: Technique (Power Up)
Xylophone technique:
-3-note patterns using B-flat, C, & D -
Video 9: Ensemble Practice (All Together Now)
Xylophone ensemble using:
-Duet
-B-flat, C, & D
-Quarter notes & rests, half notes & rests, whole notes
-4/4 time signature -
Video 10: Improvise Melodies (Your Choice)
Sight-read and improvise melodies on xylophone using:
-B-flat, C, & D
-Quarter notes & rests, half notes & rests, whole notes
-4/4 time signature -
Video 11: Sight Reading (Bonus Level)
Xylophone sight-reading using:
-B-flat, C, & D
-Quarter notes & rests, half notes & rests, whole notes
-4/4 time signature
-Piano accompaniment -
Video 12: Warm-ups (Get Ready)
Xylophone warm-up using:
-B-flat, C, D, E-flat, & F
-Quarter notes & rests, half notes & rests, whole notes
-Breath marks
-4/4 time signature -
Video 13: Music Theory (Inside Info)
Xylophone music theory & fundamentals: Time signatures
-
Video 14: Rhythm Practice (Sync Up)
Count and clap rhythms for xylophone, using:
-Quarter notes & rests, half notes & rests, whole notes & rests
-“C” time signature -
Video 15: Echo Rhythms (Catch The Groove)
Echo rhythms on xylophone using:
-F only
-Quarter notes & rests, half notes & rests, whole notes
-“C” time signature -
Video 16: Echo Melodies (Play By Ear)
Echo melodies on xylophone using:
-C & E-flat
-Quarter notes, half notes & rests
-“C” time signature -
Video 17: Sight Reading (Mix It Up)
Xylophone sight-reading using:
-B-flat, C, D, E-flat, & F
-Quarter notes & rests, half notes & rests, whole notes
-“C” time signature
-Repeat signs
-Fermata
-Metronome and piano accompaniment
-Extra challenge: sing the notes -
Video 18: Improvise Rhythms (Make A Beat)
Echo and improvise rhythms on xylophone using:
-E-flat only
-Quarter notes & rests, half notes & rests, whole notes & rests
-“C” time signature -
Video 19:Technique (Power Up)
Xylophone technique
-5-note patterns using B-flat, C, D, E-flat, & F -
Video 20: Ensemble Practice (All Together Now)
Xylophone ensemble using:
-Duet
-B-flat, C, D, E-flat, & F
-Quarter notes & rests, half notes & rests, whole notes
-Solo & tutti
-“C” time signature -
Video 21: Improvise Melodies (Your Choice)
Sight-read and improvise melodies on xylophone using:
-B-flat, D, & F
-Quarter notes & rests, half notes & rests, whole notes
-“C” time signature -
Video 22: Sight Reading (Bonus Level)
Xylophone sight-reading using:
-B-flat, C, D, E-flat, & F
-Quarter notes, half notes & rests, whole notes
-Fermata
-Repeat signs
-“C” time signature
-Piano accompaniment -
Video 23: Warm-ups (Get Ready)
Xylophone warm-up using:
-A, B-flat, C, D, E-flat, F, & G
-Quarter notes & rests, half notes
-Ties
-2/4 time signature -
Video 24: Music Theory (Inside Info)
Xylophone music theory & fundamentals: Accidentals & key signatures