Bucket Drumming 101

So, I've seen bucket drumming videos all over YouTube. It got me really excited so I decided to do a bucket drumming unit in 6th grade to end the year. The only thing....where to start???

My middle school students are difficult to say the least so I knew this might be a challenge; however, they are the most capable for this kind of activity. I was hoping that they would catch a bit of success early and run with it.

We started this unit in April. I wanted to write a post about what has worked and what could go better for anyone in the same boat as me.

Getting Started

• Getting Buckets
  5 gallon buckets are expensive! Ok, not Orff instrument expensive, but for what they are, they are expensive! So, one day I had a brilliant idea! Ask the cafeteria manager if they have empty 5 gal buckets that they are just going to throw away. And....they did! Woo-hoo free buckets!! The only downside: it will take a few weeks to gather enough buckets for an ensemble.
• Plan B: The Dollar Tree! I got several different shaped (different sounds) buckets. They had mop buckets that sound great! I also got some popcorn bowls and mini trashcans without the lids. It is really nice to have different timbres.
• Drumsticks: For now we have been using mallets from the sound shapes and some wooden mallets intended for elementary music. This has worked fine and no one has complained! I'm amazed!
  
  How to Teach
• In my class, we reviewed note values. I didn't spend a ton of time on values that they don't see when drumming. We covered quarter, eighths, sixteenths and quarter and eighth rests. Our main focus was counting! Everyone has their own way to teach this. I just made sure that there was no confusion on the eighth notes and counting 1 &. HERE is a PDF of my smartboard presentation. (For some reason, when I saved it as a pdf my drawn eighth rests have disappeared. Just pencil them in when you use this)
• We did a bunch of rhythm echoes! I think this is a great method to get kids to perform without all the stress of reading, especially when they are beginners. We started out with body percussion, then did a day of Boomwhackers and now on the buckets.
• Boomwhackers were a great help in this unit. We played echo patterns, poison, pass the rhythm and several tunes from the Boomwhacker song book. 6th grade really enjoyed this and it helped them develop their skills when playing together. It also made everyone more responsible for their part. ;)
  
  Music and Teaching Materials
• A great intro to this unit was "Boom Sha Boom"! This was fantastic! Everyone loved it and it really served the purpose of learning to play together and listen across the ensemble. Once we knew the words, I had them close their eyes and chant. When they were successful at that, they then closed their eyes and said the chant to themselves, silently. It is very entertaining to watch!
• I found a great site when I was researching materials for this unit. Bucket Drumming Stuff from Mr. Moss Music Teacher is a wonderful resource. You can download rhythm exercises and ensemble pieces here. Fabulous! And the sequencing is great! If you can't download them from that site, try HERE for the pre-levels and HERE for levels 1-7.
• When we finally started drumming with the buckets (week 5), I took the time to hook up the metronome to the loud speaker and make them follow the beat. As awful as that was, the results were miraculous! They are so excited and wanted to go so fast. I stared them off at 120 and it was a huge failure. I turned it back to 80 and they were a million times better instantly. I also set the met to subdivide eighths and made them play straight eighths at different tempos for a while. 
• Also, I ALWAYS COUNT THEM OFF WITH THE SUBDIVISION!!!!! (1 and 2 and ready and go now). They melt down without it.
• I taught them a modified version of Eight on a Hand. We play eight clicks (4 eighths) on the right hand, 8 on the left, 8 with hands together and 8 eight with hands alternating. Set the met at 100 and use the eighth note subdivision. We play through it once, fix hand, posture, etc. then loop it 2 or 3 times. This really helps coordination, especially with the left hand.
• I am planning to use "Sonata for Seven Rulers" by Cathy Blair. I found it in an old Activate magazine and thought it would be a perfect "end of the unit fun song". I did buy wooden rulers and yard sticks and painted them with glow in the dark paint like the piece suggested.

I have loved bucket drumming! I want to start an after school ensemble next year! I am so optimistic with this unit that this will become a core part of my curriculum. If you are interested in starting a bucket drumming unit, I really hope this helps!

Questions or concerns? Let me know in the comments!

Instruments of the Orchestra Games

At the end of our instruments unit, 4th graders will be playing review games! I created an instrument version of Battleship that is played the exact same way as the original version.

 Each player places their instruments on their hidden grid. There is also a tracking sheet that I laminated for each player to keep track of the hits and misses that they have called for their opponent's grid. The players call out locations on the grid and the opponent replies with hit or miss. The player then records (with an expo marker) that information on their tracking grid. This is how the player can figure out where their opponent's instruments are placed.

If the opponent calls a location on the grid where the player has an instrument, the player must reply hit and place a hit marker on their grid, over the instrument on that square.

The game is over when one player has figured our where their opponent's instruments are place. The tracking sheet and the player's grid must match.

To make 1 game (2 folders), you will need: 2 manilla folders, 2 cover pages, 4 grids (2 glued in the folders and 2 laminated) 2 expo markers, Instrument pieces and hit covers, cut out,

The printable is here.

We are also going to play a trivia game. I have used this template before to create trivia games for other topics and the kids love it. I set up two stools with 2 tone bells and a mallet on each. When a student is up to answer a question, they use the bell to buzz in.The bells are two different pitches so I can tell who buzzed in first. Here is a link to the Jeopardy game I created for the instruments of the orchestra.

Here is the link to a previous post on an instrument scavenger hunt. I placed these clues around the school and the students loved hunting for them and answering the riddles!

Instruments of the Orchestra Study Guide for 4th Grade

In 4th grade, we are starting Instruments of the Orchestra next week! I am so excited because they can choose to join band next year! We are going in depth with the instrument that they can choose to play in band.

We are going to create a study guide for each family. At the end of the unit we are going to play several games and they will need the facts from their notes!

Here is a picture of the brass notes page and here is a link to the notes we are using.

To make this even more interesting and enjoyable, we are going to have an instrument petting zoo! I have most of the band instruments and have borrowed the ones I didn't own. I plan to teach 2 families per class so after we complete the notes, the students will get a chance to play instruments from those families. We are also helping the band director out by administering an informal rhythm assessment for those students interested in playing percussion next year. They will play a series of rhythms, each progressively harder and we will assess which students would excel at playing the percussion instruments.

During the brass petting zoo, we will discuss forming an embouchure and they will each have a chance at playing the horn, trumpet, and trombone. At the woodwind station, they will look at a reed, play the clarinet and the flute.

Instrument Case Files Review Game

After Spring Break, we are going to begin instrument of the orchestra. 2nd grade is working on the string family and I needed a way to review during this unit with the other grades. I saw a sort of case files game for preschool on pinterest and adapted the idea for a review game.

The students are paired up and work together to discover which instrument is at which station. The stations are numbered 1-10 in the music room and the instruments at the station are partially covered. The students must use what they know about the design of the instrument and the size to decided what each instrument is. Once they have figured it out, they write the name of the instrument on the correct line of their worksheet. The worksheet also has a word bank for additional help.

This is my clue for String Bass

Here is a link to the game printables.

Music in Our Schools Month

Here is a picture of the bulletin board I created for MIOSM. Out from each subject, I added a fact about music and education.

Link to the facts I used here.

During the week of March 11-15, we will be celebrating in multiple ways. First, each morning we will have a music trivia question. The first homeroom to answer the question correctly will receive a prize for their class.

I also partnered with the reading and writing specialist to create a bulletin board of writing samples with music themed prompts. Here are the prompts and pictures of our writing bulletin board!

1st Grade Writing Prompt
2nd Grade Writing Prompt

3rd Grade Writing Prompt

4th Grade Writing Prompt

5th Grade Writing Prompt

Each homeroom teacher has completed a survey about their musical preferences. In music class, we are going to play a trivia game with the results then work on creating a graph of the results to hang in the hallway for everyone to enjoy.

Survey Questions

Name:
Favorite type of music:
iPod or CD player?
Favorite musician or group:
Favorite song:    
What is your favorite radio station?
Do you play a musical instrument? (if so, which)
Have you ever performed in front of a group?
If you could join any singer/band, who would it be?
If you had the chance, what would you like to learn in music?

Lastly, borrowing an idea from my best friend's music class, March 11-15 will also be performance week. The students are invited to perform a song, play an instrument, or share another musical talent with the class. All of her students enjoyed it, so I decided to include that in our MIOSM celebration!

Carnival of the Animals for 1st Grade

Today in 1st and 2nd grade, we began Carnival of the Animals. In first grade, we listened to Aquarium, read Rainbow Fish, sang Rainbow Fish, made our own rainbow fish from torn tissue paper and performed a parachute routine to Aquarium.

After using the parachute with The Nutcracker, I decided to make up a routine to Aquarium. 1st grade loved this. The parachute routine is below. (I'll try to make a video of this soon.)

Sway left to right 1-4
Little waves 1-4
Repeat

Rotate 1-4, left
Rotate 1-4, right
Rotate 1-4, left

Parachute up and shake small waves on the way down (as music descends)

Sway left to right 1-4
Little waves 1-4
Repeat

Rotate 1-4, left
Rotate 1-4, right
Rotate 1-4, left

Parachute up and shake small waves on the way down

Sway 1-4
Up 1-4 (when music ascends)
Sway 1-4
Up 1-4 

Mushroom (up, walk in 2 counts, out 2 counts) 2x
Small waves
Mushroom (up, walk in 2 counts, out 2 counts) 2x
Parachute up and shake small waves on the way down
Parachute up and students turn in a circle under the parachute

My example torn paper Rainbow Fish.

Next week we will work on Elephants. I am using the String Bass idea from Music a la Abbott. It is great! I also have a worksheet for form so we can begin working on patterns in music.

(The students go more in depth with the Carnival of the Animals in 2nd grade.)

As a concluding activity, I have planned to use an awesome iPad app for the Jungle Book! The app is a book that included games and most importantly, a sing along for The Bare Necessities.

Along with the jungle theme, I am using a non-pitched percussion arrangement from Activate (Aug/Sept. 2008) called Jungle Rhythms. This will also bring our work on rhythm full circle.

Jungle Rhythms

Peter and the Wolf Worksheet

I am so looking forward to studying Peter and the Wolf! I downloaded the cartoon today and it made me even more excited. Here is the cartoon I am using.

I also created a worksheet to go along with the film (or to be used as a quiz afterward).

 

For more information on my Peter and the Wolf lessons, check out this blog post.