Lesson 1: Learning “Palo Bonito”
Aim: How does music bring people together in celebration?
Summary: Students will learn to sing the chorus of “Palo Bonito,” explore call-and-response, and discover traditional rhythms of palo.
Materials: Musical Explorers digital resources, Musical Explorers Student Guide, classroom instruments, found objects
Standards: National 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, 11; NYC 1, 2, 3, 4
Vocabulary: call and response, improvisation, palo
“Palo Bonito” is based on a musical style called palo, a national rhythm and celebration that can be found throughout the island of Dominican Republic. The rhythms of palo are rooted in traditions from the Congo region of central Africa. This is a sacred tradition, often played at religious ceremonies and on special occasions. Palo gets its name from a specific drum that is used in the palo songs. The drum is made from the hollow “palo” (log or stick) of the tree. Most palo songs feature vocals and drums, although each region develops its own variation of the tradition and may feature a range of instruments.
Quick Links:
Sing “Palo Bonito”
- Listen to “Palo Bonito” to hear the full song.
- Learn the lyrics to the chorus using “Palo Bonito” chorus and pronunciation.
- Listen again to “Palo Bonito” and sing along to the chorus.
- Notice that the song has call and response. Divide the class into groups and have one sing the call and the other sing the response.
“Palo Bonito”
Text
Chorus:
Palo, palo, palo, palo bonito palo eh
Eh, eh, eh palo bonito, palo eh
(Palo, palo, palo, palo bonito palo eh
Eh, eh, eh palo bonito, palo eh)
(Chorus)
(x2)
Estamos cantando
Estamos jugando
Bailando este ritmo
Que se llama palo
(x2)
(Chorus)
(x2)
Toda la familia
Sigue aquí reunida
cantando y bailando
está bendecida
(Chorus)
(x2)
Enero, Febrero,
Marzo, Abril y Mayo
Son los cinco meses
Primeros del año
(Chorus)
(x2)
“Pretty Stick”
Translation
Chorus:
Stick, stick, stick, pretty stick,
O, stick, pretty stick
(Stick, stick, stick, pretty stick,
O, stick, pretty stick)
(Chorus)
(x2)
We are singing
We are playing
Dancing to this rhythm
That it’s called palo
(x2)
(Chorus)
(x2)
All the family
Still here all together
Singing and dancing
We are so blessed
(Chorus)
(x2)
January, February
March, April, and May
Are the first five months of the year
They're the first months of the year
(Chorus)
(x2)
Explore the Rhythms in “Palo Bonito”
- Traditional palo music is performed with three drums called palo mayor, chivita, and alcahuete, which are accompanied by a Dominican güira. Each drum plays a specific rhythmic pattern, and other instruments, like tambourines and maracas, may be added depending on the region.
- Using “Palo Bonito” rhythms, learn each of the palo rhythms.
- Play each rhythm using body percussion, classroom instruments, or found objects.
- Divide the class into groups and experiment with layering the rhythmic patterns together while you sing “Palo Bonito.”
Go Deeper
Improvise your own rhythms and add to the rhythmic layers as you sing “Palo Bonito.”
Improvise Your Own Lyrics in “Palo Bonito”
- Palo is an important part of many community celebrations across the Dominican Republic, including birthdays, funerals, and religious ceremonies.
- As a part of the palo celebration, different communities may improvise and add their own lyrics to a palo song to describe the celebration.
- As a class, discuss some important celebrations in your community.
- Then, improvise rhyming lyrics, adding a unique verse to “Palo Bonito” that describes your celebration.
- Guide students to improvise a new verse that is four lines long.
- Lines one and three should have the same number of syllables and end in a rhyming pair.
- Lines two and four should have the same number of syllables and end in a different rhyming pair.
Instrument Demonstration
Using the activity Instruments of Dominican Roots Music (PDF), students will learn about the instruments used in Dominican roots music.
- Three drums are accompanied by a güira and other regional instruments like a tambourine and maracas.
- Use Palo Mayor demonstration, Chivita demonstration, Alcahuete demonstration, Güira demonstration, Tambourine demonstration, and Maraca demonstration to listen to examples of each instrument.
Musical Word Wall
Add the words call and response, improvisation, and palo to the Musical Word Wall.
Image Credits
Traditional Music Group, Old City, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by Little valleys / Alamy Stock Photo.