You know I love a good circle game, and Sansa Kroma provides plenty of opportunities for steady beat practice using rhythm instruments. Sansa Kroma is a folk song and stone-passing game from Ghana. You can find this folk song and more from the book Let Your Voice Be Heard!: Songs from Ghana and Zimbabwe by Abraham Kobena Adzinyah, Dumisani Maraire, and Judith Cook Tucker.
Song Notation
Below is the notation featuring ukulele chords with the pronunciation guide in parentheses. This would be a great song to include if your ukulele students already know the chords C, F, and G. Best of all, you can split your class up with some playing the ukulele and others playing the circle game and singing.
Circle Game with Rhythm Instruments & Cups
There are endless possibilities for this song. Here are a few ideas you can try:
Egg Shakers/Bells
- Grab instrument on count one, pass on count three, repeat
- Tap instrument on count one, tap and grab on count three, pass on count one of next measure, clap on count three, repeat
Rhythm Sticks
- Tap together on count one, tap again on count three, place both sticks in right hand on count one of next measure, pass to the hands of next person on count three, repeat
- For this one, the sticks would never touch the ground; they would pass them directly to the student on their right as they’re receiving new sticks from the left
Cups
- Grab cup on count one, pass on count three, repeat
- Tap cup on ground on count one and three, pass on count one of next measure, grab new cup on count three, repeat
Game Visuals
Download the PDF below to give your students a visual of some of the game variations. Here are some ideas for how to use it:
- Project the PDF onto your whiteboard and have students follow along with one of the games
- They’re color-coded so that students can easily identify which line you want them to follow
- Have students make up their own game with the green section
- students can draw icons to show body percussion they want to use or you can have specific clipart ready, which they can drag and drop into each square
- For an extra challenge, separate students into groups and have each group follow a different line
Thanks to SillyODesign and DancingCrayonDesigns for the fantastic clipart!