Jon Way

Bucket Drumming - Middle School General Music

Warm up and Recycling Trip

Objectives:
1. Students will play to a steady tempo.
2. Students will play with a variety of techniques.
3. Students will play a variety of rhythms.

Materials:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Recycling Trip sheet music

Buckets
Drum sticks
Stands
Metronome

National Core Arts Standards:

Anchor Standard #5. Develop and refine artistic work for presentation.

Procedure:
1. Explain the warm up to the students - Eight to a hand. Students play eight beats of quarter
notes with right hand, then switch hands. Then eight beats of eighth notes with the right
hand, then switch hands. Then four beats of sixteenth notes in the right hand, then switch
hands. Then go in reverse order.
2. Set the metronome to a slower tempo, around 80 bpm. Have the students go through the
warm up at this tempo. If they can keep a steady beat, try speeding it up to 90 bpm. If they
can still keep a steady beat, speed up the tempo more. When you get faster, have the students
alternate hands each stroke.
3. Have the students take out Recycling Trip.
4. Have all of the students play the Stick part for the first four measures. Stick part is played
by clicking the sticks together. Address the repeat signs and the number of times each
measure should be repeated.

5. Have all of the students play the White Bucket part for the first four measures. White
Bucket part should be played on the drum head. Address how many times each measure
should be repeated.
6. Have all of the students play the Grey Bucket part for the first four measures. Grey Bucket
should be played on the rim of the drum head. Address how many times each measure should
be repeated.
7. Assign some students to sticks, some students to white bucket, and some students to grey
bucket. Lead them through the first four measures, bringing in each part as they should.
Make sure they keep a steady beat.
8. Repeat the above steps for measures 5 - 12. Have the students only play the white or grey
bucket parts for these measures. You play the stick part.
9. Reassign new parts for all the students. Play the whole first page of music from measure 1 12 with all repeat signs.

Assessment:
Teacher will listen for a steady beat. (Group)
Teacher will watch for students to play with a variety of techniques. (Group)
Teacher will listen for the students to play a variety of rhythms. (Group)

Rubric:
2 (Developing)

1 (Needs
Improvement)

4 (Exemplary)

3 (Proficient)

Steady Beat

Students were
able to maintain
a steady beat
throughout the
piece and warm
up.

Students were
able to maintain
a steady beat but
sped up or
slowed down
once.

Students were
able to maintain
Students were
a steady beat but not able to keep a
changed speed
steady beat.
more than once.

Techniques

Students were
able to play
sticks, on the
head, and on the
rim of the drum.

Students were
able to play
sticks, on the
head, and on the
rim of the drum.

Students were
not able to play
with different
techniques.

Students were
not able to play
with different
techniques.

4 (Exemplary)

Rhythms

3 (Proficient)

2 (Developing)

Students were
Students were
Students were
able to play most
able to play all of
able to play some
of the rhythms in
the different
rhythms in the
the piece,
rhythms in the
piece, missing
missing one or
piece.
three or four.
two.

1 (Needs
Improvement)
Students were
unable to play
half of the
rhythms in the
piece.