The cajon is such a fun percussion instrument to introduce in the music classroom. Not every class has the luxury of having a drum set, so the cajon plays such a wonderful role as a substitute for it. I've noticed that whether it's accompanying the ukulele, or for other ensemble performances, the addition of the cajon simply enhances the performance. The kids love it!
Teaching the cajon, however, can be a daunting task, especially for teachers with no background in drumming. I've been fortunate enough to have been part of the percussions section of the band, so it makes teaching the cajon feel a lot more natural.
Here are my suggestions for teaching the cajon:
Before students start learning about the sounds a cajon can produce, they need to understand how it relates to the drum set.
In my resource, I use slides like these to help them see the relationship between sounds of the drum set and sounds of the cajon. Tip: Another helpful exercise is to get students to listen out for the bass and snare beats in different rock / pop songs.
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| Cajon Sounds Vs Drum Set Sounds |
Making your cajon score / charts visually clearer also helps students learn better. Below is an example of such a chart from my resource. As you can see, the bass and snare beats have been written on different levels so that they are more distinct and easily recognized. Another good practice is to get students to recite the sounds repeatedly before they try it on the cajon themselves. This helps them internalise the rhythm and makes it easier for them to perform it
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| Cajon Score for Drumming Pattern |
I have always enjoyed introducing the cajon in my own music classes. I'm curious to know how your lessons go!
If you're interested in purchasing my cajon resources, you can get them here:
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