Kagemusha – Music, Stage 5
Teaching video resources to support the teaching of the Stage 5 Music unit, 'Influence and innovation'.
Syllabus
Outcomes referred to in this document are from NSW ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2025.
These teaching videos are not a standalone resource. They have been designed for use by department teachers in connection to Stage 5 resources designed by the Creative Arts curriculum team for the Music 7–10 Syllabus (2024).
These include the Stage 5 scope and sequence, Stage 5 Influence and innovation unit, resources and sample assessment task. All documents associated with these videos can be found on the department’s Music 7–10 (2024) and Influence and innovation webpages.
Video – Kagemusha performance
Watch a complete performance of Kagemusha (1:47).
[Text on screen: Taiko performance
Kagemusha – Shadow Warrior]
Kerri-Ann Lacey
Today we'll be Kagemusha, Shadow Warrior.
Ichi, ni, san, shi.
[Playing drums]
[End of transcript]
Video – Kagemusha tutorial
Watch the teaching video to learn your part for Kagemusha (3:48).
[Text on screen: Taiko drumming tutorial
Kagemusha – Shadow Warrior]
Kerri-Ann Lacey
Today we'll be demonstrating the ostinato patterns and the ka patterns from Kagemusha, Shadow Warrior. The first pattern we'd like to play for you today is Ostinato 1. This is our base ostinato. It sounds like this:
One, two, three, four. Don, two, three, four. Tsu don, two, three, four. Don, two, three, four. Tsu don, two, three, four.
We'll be playing that for you now. One, two, one, two, three, four.
[Student drumming Ostinato 1]
The second pattern that we'll be performing for you today will be the very first swing pattern that you encounter in the composition. This particular one sounds like this:
Don, don, tsu don, don, don, tsu don. Don, don, tsu don, don, don, tsu don.
We'll play that for you now. One, two, three, four.
[Student drumming Ostinato 2]
Our third pattern is going to be what's known as our pulse pattern. This one is our quaver pattern that rolls with accents on the offbeat. And it sounds like this, it goes:
Tsu don, tsu don, tsu don, tsu don. Tsu don, tsu don, tsu don, tsu don.
We'll play that on the shime daiko. One, two, three, four.
[Student drumming Ostinato 3]
Ostinato 4 is the one that's used at the end. The entire team will be playing it in unison. It sounds like this:
Tsu don don, tsu tsu tsu don, don, tsu tsu don don. Tsu tsu don, tsu tsu tsu don, don, tsu tsu tsu don.
The team will play that for you now. One, two, three, four.
[Students drumming Ostinato 4]
Now we're going to introduce you to our ka. The ka is when you hit the side of the drum. Students will demonstrate that for you now. One, two, three, go.
[Students hit the sides of their drums]
In the composition, you'll be doing two ka patterns. The first is a one bar ostinato that sounds like this:
One, two, three, four. Don ka, don ka ka. Don ka, don ka ka. Don ka, don ka ka. Don ka, don ka ka.
You'll notice I clicked on the downbeat. Good to do in the class with the students, just to help them get that first syncopation. The team will play that for you now. One, two, three, four.
[Student drumming Ka pattern 1]
The last pattern we'll be doing today is the final ka pattern. Now this pattern is played by everybody at the conclusion of the composition, and I must admit, the students do enjoy playing this particular pattern. This one goes:
Tsu ka don, ka don, ka don, ka don, ka don.
Now, the breath is really important in this particular pattern, so teach the breath to the students. So it sounds like this:
Tsu ka don ka don ka don, ka don, ka don.
Make the breath very audible and make the students actually audibly breathe. We'll demonstrate that for you now. One, two, three, four.
[Students drumming Ka pattern 2]
That concludes all of the pieces that you need to play, Kagemusha, Shadow Warrior.
[End of transcript]