# Play That Tune

Participants receive simple instruments and sequentially layer their individual sounds over a steady drum pulse. Together they maintain an original group rhythm and reflect on how individual roles support a collective outcome.

**Time:** 15 minutes. UWT suggested 15 minutes to allow setup, sequential layering, collective playing, and structured debrief.
**People:** 4 to 20. Whole group seated or standing in a circle facing one another

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Demonstrate through sound how distinct, simple individual actions combine into a functional collective rhythm.
**Use it when:** Use when a group needs an active, nonverbal exercise about role clarity, listening, and fitting individual contributions into a shared tempo.
**Skip it when:** Skip when noise will disrupt neighboring rooms, or when participants have acute auditory sensitivities that make group percussion uncomfortable.

## Materials and tools

- One easy-to-play acoustic instrument per participant (such as hand drums, tambourines, shakers, triangles, woodblocks, xylophones, or boomwhackers)
- Earplugs for participants sensitive to sound
- Countdown timer for the facilitator
- Free browser-based virtual percussion pad or keyboard app (for remote participants in hybrid sessions)
- Web conferencing room with an external speaker connected to the facilitator laptop (for hybrid sessions)

## Before participants arrive

1. Arrange chairs in a circle with clear sightlines between all participants.
2. Distribute one instrument to each seat, ensuring at least one steady percussive bass instrument (like a hand drum or cajon) is present.
3. Check that the room doors are closed to prevent sound leakage into neighboring work areas.

## Say this to open

We are going to make a short piece of music together. You do not need musical training. Each person has a simple instrument. Our goal is not to play a famous song, but to build a steady groove by layering in one simple sound at a time. The first player will set a steady, repeating rhythm. Then, one by one, each person will add a short, repeated pattern that fits that pulse. When it is your turn, choose one simple sound and keep repeating it steadily.

## How to run it

### 1. Explain roles and establish pulse (3 minutes)

Speak the opening script. Direct everyone to pick up their instrument. Identify the participant with the drum or low percussion instrument to act as the pulse. Ask them to establish a steady, unhurried four-beat pulse (for example: tap, tap, tap, tap). Give them 30 seconds to lock in a consistent tempo.

### 2. Layer sounds sequentially (5 minutes)

Move clockwise around the circle. Signal the second participant to enter with a simple, repeating pattern that complements the drummer's pulse (for example: a shaker on every off-beat). Every 15 to 20 seconds, cue the next participant to join in. Instruct everyone currently playing to maintain their steady role without speeding up or getting louder.

### 3. Sustain and cue the finish (3 minutes)

Once all participants are playing simultaneously, let the full ensemble play for 60 to 90 seconds. If the tempo races or falls apart, raise your hand, pause the group, have the primary drummer reset the pulse, and bring everyone back in together. At the end of the duration, give a clear visual 3-2-1 signal and a cut-off gesture for silence.

### 4. Review and debrief (4 minutes)

Lead a whole-group discussion focused on roles, tempo, and listening. Ask 2 or 3 participants to share how they decided what sound to contribute and how holding their part affected the whole.


## Debrief questions

- What did you have to pay attention to in order to keep your own pattern steady?
- What happened to the overall sound when someone sped up, played louder, or shifted their pattern?
- How does this dynamic compare to how individual duties fit together in our day-to-day project work?

**Finished output:** A live collective musical pattern generated by the group and shared observations on role coordination.

## Remote

This activity requires precise real-time synchronization that video call audio delay breaks. Live group drumming cannot run fairly over standard video conferencing. If your team is fully remote, use a related alternative: an asynchronous looping exercise where participants contribute tracks one by one using a shared digital audio workstation with built-in metronome, or choose a different real-time communication activity that does not depend on millisecond acoustic synchrony.

## Hybrid

Keep in-person participants unamplified in the physical room. Connect remote participants via the room video call, with remote audio output piped through the facilitator laptop into a single external room speaker. Remote attendees use free browser-based percussion pads or tap on desk items near their microphones. Insert remote participants into the sequence turn order between in-person participants so their added layer enters on cue. To minimize latency interference, instruct remote players to focus on sparse, single-beat sounds (such as a chime or single bell tap on beat one) rather than rapid continuous rhythms.

## Access and participation choices

- Provide low-effort percussion (such as lightweight egg shakers or desk bells) for individuals with fine-motor or strength limits.
- Offer earplugs for anyone sensitive to sudden volume.
- Allow participants to opt out of playing an instrument and choose instead to serve as the visual tempo keeper or silent dynamic timekeeper using visual hand signals.

## If the session gets stuck

**The group progressively speeds up until the rhythm disintegrates into noise.**

Use a clear hand gesture to pause all players except the central drummer. Re-establish the slow pulse, then signal other players back in section by section.

**A participant feels self-conscious or claims they have zero musical ability.**

Remind them that a single steady click, tap, or shake on every fourth beat is completely sufficient and anchors the team.


## Terms used here

- Pulse: The regular, repeating beat of the music that sets the speed for everyone else.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in TrainerBubble training materials under the title 'Play That Tune'. Original authorship not documented.

Retained TrainerBubble core mechanic of starting with a drummer establishing a base rhythm and having each participant sequentially add a simple musical layer. Added standard UWT timing breakdown, safety and noise considerations, structured access accommodations, and clear operational constraints for hybrid and remote settings.

[TrainerBubble](https://www.trainerbubble.com/downloads/play-that-tune/?currency=USD)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/play-that-tune/