The THALAMPATA:
Traditional Sri Lankan Dance Instrument
This week in music class, we happened to have on hand the ingredients for making a special instrument that is an important part of cultural, rhythmic dance in Sri Lanka--the Thalampata!
Made of two cymbals that are connected to scarves or ropes, the Thalampata clangs together during dance using hand or body movements to the rhythm of songs.
To make a Thalampata, we tied together two of my finger cymbals to a colorful scarf and wore it on our bodies, as well as shaking it with our hands, to produce sound. Dancing in a way that made the Thalampata clang together while wearing the scarf was trickier than you might think, haha!
Our students also enjoyed "A smooth road, a bumpy road" this week as well as listening to traditional Sri Lankan folk music, That wraps up our culture focus this month--see you in February for some JAZZ, man! :D
See the extender questions below!
*Please note, the four-year-old class has been rescheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD:
1) What was the Thalampata in music class made from? Two finger cymbals and a scarf
2) Was the Thalampata loud or quiet?