At Home with Zozo: Ranky Tang Mix

At Home with Zozo: Ranky Tang Mix

If you’ve drummed with Zozo in school, you’ll know words and rhymes are great for helping you to remember rhythms and patterns.

In this video, Zozo takes words from an African song (Ranky Tang), a Caribbean singing game (Maskita) and a Caribbean saying (Old Time Story). He strings them together to make a musical sequence.

If you’ve no drum, you can still join in. Zozo shows how you can use plastic bins as drums. They make great sounds! Notice how Zozo plays two different sounds

a) by playing on the edge of the bin
b) by playing in the middle

First, Zozo chooses the chorus (response) of the song Rank Tang:

Ranky Tang, Ranky Tang

He says and plays this FOUR times.

He follows this with

See the piggy in the tree! Ranky Tang

Again, FOUR times.

Next, the Maskita rhyme (FOUR times)

Maskita One, Maskita Two, Maskita jump in a hot callaloo!

To finish with,

Old Time Story come back again!

This time, Zozo says and plays this EIGHT times.

Practising

If you’ve never met these rhymes before, it’s a good idea to practise saying them until you are really confident. Only then, try saying AND drumming them.

If you’ve worked with these rhymes in class and with Zozo, it would help to practise chanting the sequence before drumming it.

Don’t forget timekeeping instruments! If you are in school, use a maraca, woodblock or bell. If you’re at home, experiment with a plastic bottle shaker with lentils or rice inside, or a pan played with a wooden spoon (ask an adult first!)