A short ride in a fast machine (timbre, rhythm, structure) - Song

A Short Ride in a Fast Machine (timbre, rhythm, structure)

A Short Ride in a Fast Machine, by John Adams, has to be one of the most exciting pieces of music about going places so it's a must-listen choice for this topic. It has interesting cross-rhythms making it a complex piece of music for dancing to. It lends itself to creative rather than formal movement, with the children moving expressively rather than aiming to keep in time. At certain points in the music, such as where it changes character midway, it would be fantastic to have a signal to come together in groups to make still images of a car, a plane or a helicopter. These would need to have been practised beforehand.

Our Own Short Ride in a Fast Machine!

Ask the children to create their own music, also called A short Ride in a Fast Machine. The instrument that begins the John Adams music, and plays for much of the piece, is a wood block, which is actually an instrument often found in schools.