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By Jason Litt
Connect math skills into music with MatheMusician! This 120 page Powerpoint (converted into PDF) tests your students on how well they know the durations of basic notation -- whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, and eighth notes. After a brief review, students will see a slide with note values added, subtracted, divided, or multiplied together. They have to use their previous knowledge of notation duration and connect the math together to figure out the answer. I use this in a tournament format with my class. We start off on the left side or right side of the the room and the first two kids stand up as you flash the slide on the projector. The student who gets the correct answer first gets to move onto the next child in the class while the other student sits. That student has to make their way through the entire class before being deemed champion... but they could be beat at ANY TIME! You can mix it up, left side, right side, boys/girls, etc. Kids get ultra competitive, especially in 5th grade. An alternate printout for students is available without the answer key, just in case you'd like to add it to their workbook. Two slides come on each page. Email me at jasonlitt@gmail.com with your request and I'll be happy to oblige! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment. Get your brain in gear!
First Day of School "Music Talk" Activity
By Language Arts Excellence
Now with digital worksheet to support distance learning!
This product features an engaging back to school Music Talk activity that will have your new students thinking, writing, speaking, and moving on the very first day of school. In this activity, they must choose between 6 different quotes about music and articulate why the quote aligns with their own perspective using a particular song to explain their opinion. Use this lesson every year to set the tone for what you expect in class; it is a great way to gain insight about your students' current attitudes toward music while getting to know one another with a higher level thinking activity. We have also recently added a digital version of the Music Talk worksheet to support distance learning and cut down on paper.
Product includes:
Though this lesson plan is ideal for the first day of school, it can be used all year long without modification.
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Also, check out these great products to start your school year off strong by Language Arts Excellence:
⭐Music Quote Posters
⭐First Day of School Powerpoint
⭐Study Hall Expectations Powerpoint Presentation
⭐Back to School / Open House Brochure
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Stay, Zedd/Alessia Cara - BUCKET DRUMMING!
By Jason Litt
Need to connect with your kids with their pop music through general music? Involve them in bucket drumming with the hit song from Zedd and Alessia Cara, "Stay"!
There are three all-color coded slides along with the form identifiers listed next to each phrase. Discuss form with the students and teach them (by rote) the rhythms on the powerpoint with the corresponding repeats (most are repeated 4 times). Then, apply it to drums!
All regular notation is to be played on the buckets (or drums, or ground, however you wish), and the X notation (with a down stem) are played as stick clicks above their head (or you could apply it to a tambourine or other auxiliary instrument)
Here's the track so you can play along...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS2ifrLAadU
Have fun with this and let us know how it goes!
Terms of Use:
All images/photos/clip art in this resource were created by me.
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*** Looking for more BUCKET DRUMMING resources? *** Find them here!
End of Year "Music Talk" Activity
By Language Arts Excellence
End of Year "Music Talk" Activity for Chorus, Band, or Music Class
This resource features an engaging "Music Talk" activity that will have your students thinking, writing, speaking, and moving all in one class period during the last week of school! In this activity, they must choose between 6 different quotes about music from famous figures like Taylor Swift and John Green and articulate why the quote aligns with their perspective on music. I use this lesson at the end of every year to see how my students' perspectives on music have developed and matured throughout the school year. This is perfect if you are looking for an engaging lesson plan during the one of the toughest weeks of the year!
Product includes:
- Comprehensive Lesson Plan
- "Music Talk" Sheet for students to fill out
- 6 Corresponding "Music Quote" signs to hang up around your room
Though I utilize this product during the last week of school, it really can be used all year long. I hope that it is as successful in your class as it is in mine!
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Get Ready / Dancing in the Street (Motown the Musical) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
By Jason Litt
Need to connect with your kids with their pop music through general music? Involve them in bucket drumming with Motown the Musical: "Get Ready / Dancing in the Streets"
There are five all-color coded slides along with the form identifiers listed next to each phrase. Discuss form with the students and teach them (by rote) the rhythms on the powerpoint with the corresponding repeats (most are repeated 3 or 4 times). Then, apply it to drums!
All regular notation is to be played on the buckets (or drums, or ground, however you wish), and the X notation (with a down stem) are played as stick clicks above their head (or you could apply it to a tambourine or other auxiliary instrument)
Here's the track so you can play along...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyn42moyN4M
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*** Looking for more BUCKET DRUMMING resources? *** Find them here!
White Christmas (TRAP Remix) - CHRISTMAS BUCKET DRUMMING!
By Jason Litt
Right in time for your Christmas instrumentalists, we present to you the best selling song of ALL TIME - "White Christmas", reimagined with a hip-hop TRAP REMIX for Bucket Drumming!
There are three all-color coded slides along with the form identifiers listed next to each phrase. Discuss form with the students and teach them (by rote) the rhythms on the powerpoint with the corresponding repeats (most are grouped 7x + 1x with a few 2x repeats). Then, apply it to drums!
All regular notation is to be played on the buckets (or drums, or ground, however you wish), and the X notation (with a down stem) are played as stick clicks above their head (or you could apply it to a tambourine or other auxiliary instrument)
Here's the track so you can play along...
Have fun with this and let us know how it goes!
*** Looking for more BUCKET DRUMMING resources? *** Find them here!
Main Title, from "Top Gun: Maverick" - BUCKET DRUMMING!
By Jason Litt
Need to connect with your kids with your hits (and have your cake and eat it too?) Involve them in bucket drumming with the classic opening main theme from the 2022 smash movie "Top Gun: Maverick"!
There are two all-color coded slides along with the form identifiers listed next to each phrase. Discuss form with the students and teach them (by rote) the rhythms on the powerpoint with the corresponding repeats (most are repeated various times)
All regular notation is to be played on the buckets (or drums, or ground, however you wish), and the X notation (with a down stem) are played as stick clicks above their head (or you could apply it to a tambourine or other auxiliary instrument)
Here's the track so you can play along...
Have fun with this and let us know how it goes!
Terms of Use:
All images/photos/clip art in this resource were created by me.
__________________________________
*** Looking for more BUCKET DRUMMING resources? *** Find them here!
By Jason Litt
Want your kids to have their cake and eat it too? Turn pop music into an engaging and fun lesson with "Identify Timbre in Pop Music!"
Before your begin this lesson, make sure your kids have an understanding of the four families of instruments, Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion, and Strings and know multiple instruments in each family as they will utilize their aural skills during this activity.
As we know, timbre is the quality of sound an instrument makes. Students will listen to 11 examples of popular music and be given 3 multiple choice answers of instruments in the song example. They will then have to choose answer 1, 2, or 3 after listening to the example.
Advance the slide to illuminate the correct answer (in light blue) and assess from there! You can play this individually, as a class, have students write it down, or even play it as a race to see who can get the answer correct first!
All mp3 files are embedded into the slides -- just extract right to your desktop and they should link up and play.
Song examples included:
High Hopes, Panic! at the Disco
Hotline Bling, Drake
24k Magic, Bruno Mars
Believer, Imagine Dragons
Perfect, Ed Sheeran
Levitating, Dua Lipa
Into the Unknown, Panic! at the Disco
Old Town Road, Lil Nas X
BANG!, AJR
Don't Start Now, Dua Lipa
Watermelon Sugar, Harry Styles
Have a terrific time with this!
The Elements of Pop! (*Distance Learning Approved!*)
By Jason Litt
Listening to Popular music isn’t just for enjoyment. It contains critical pieces of musical composition that makes it sound the way it does!
In "The Elements of Pop", students will be given 8 short examples of pop music (about 30-45 seconds long all mp3s included and embedded into the powerpoint) and will be see a multiple choice selection of elements that described the pop music being played
It's mostly broad terminology you teach in your music class: Rhythm, Tempo, Major/Minor, Instrumentation, Vocal ranges, etc!
This is great assessment to do as a class, individually, or even through distance learning! Have your cake and eat it too!
Pair this with the Identify Form in Popular Music series and you got yourself engaging lesson material!
Let us know how it is goes in the comments :)
Bucket Drumming Warmups (50 Exercises!)
By Jason Litt
Getting your Bucket Drumming kids ready to go can be easy with these "Bucket Drumming Warmups" with 5 levels of rhythms with 10 4-beat exercises per level
1) Quarters, Eighths, Side Bucket
2) Adding in Quarter Rests
3) Eighth Notes on Side
4) Eighth Rests + Single Eighths
5) Sixteenth Notes
Included are percussive grooves to keep your kids jamming out while they warmup, if you choose to use them!
Identify Form in Pop Music - Part SEVEN!
By Jason Litt
We're BACK and for 2021 in the follow-up to the #1 selling "Identify Form in Pop Music" series, we now bring you....
Part SEVEN!
Kids love their pop music, right? Want to integrate it into your classroom? This is great lesson to do with 4th and 5th graders that lets them listen to their favorite pop music (as always, kid friendly 100% CLEAN!) while learning about musical form!
The lesson begins with an introduction to popular music and how the music is formulated by the artists songwriters. We talk about the intro, verse, chorus, bridge, and outro, and include the collision and the channel and then go onto our activity.
I cut out cards... a whole bunch of intros, verses, chorus, bridges, outros, channels, and collisions (or you can do it with a whiteboard/marker, or even as a unison class response) and give them to each student, then have have the kids sit on the floor. I then play an mp3 of a song which has 10 second clips of each of the sections (there is about a 2 second gap in between each clip and all clips are safe for little ears -- no profanity!) and have the students identify them by spelling them out on the floor in front of them. This works great if you're putting kids into groups of 2 or 3 as they try to figure out the form of the song.
It's a great compromise to having your kids listen to their music and still satisfy a 4th and 5th grade standard in identifying the structure of music!
The 2021 hit list:
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment email me at jasonlitt@gmail.com
Have fun, kids LOVE this!
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All the previous versions can be found here:
Identify Form in Pop Music
Identify Form in Pop Music PART TWO
Identify Form in Pop Music PART THREE
Identify Form in Pop Music PART FOUR
Identify Form in Pop Music PART FIVE
Identify Form in Pop Music PART SIX
Jumbie Jam Mania! (Steel Drum Compositions)
By Jason Litt
*** Accompaniment files INCLUDED! *** Have a steel drum/jumbie jam ensemble or just starting one? Give a look at these original compositions for steel drums in "Steel Drum Mania!" Included are 5 original songs all around 1.5-2 minutes long. The Steel drums are all unison (works great if you have 1 octave Jumbie Jams, which they were originally written for!) Each song has sheet music which can be taught by rote along with accompaniment mp3s of various tempi. 2 of the songs are beginner, 1 is intermediate, and the last one, quite advanced. All songs are written to reflect landmarks in Winter Springs, Florida, a suburb of Orlando. These can also be used for any C instrument, so if you dare venture onto an Orff instrument or Recorder, it'll work as well ;) Have a great time!
The Elements of Pop! (*Distance Learning Approved!*)
By Jason Litt
Listening to Popular music isn’t just for enjoyment. It contains critical pieces of musical composition that makes it sound the way it does!
In "The Elements of Pop", students will be given 8 short examples of pop music (about 30-45 seconds long all mp3s included and embedded into the powerpoint) and will be see a multiple choice selection of elements that described the pop music being played
It's mostly broad terminology you teach in your music class: Rhythm, Tempo, Major/Minor, Instrumentation, Vocal ranges, etc!
This is great assessment to do as a class, individually, or even through distance learning! Have your cake and eat it too!
Pair this with the Identify Form in Popular Music series and you got yourself engaging lesson material!
Let us know how it is goes in the comments :)
A Mile to the Nile - an original Tubano/Djembe Composition
By Jason Litt
In "A Mile to the Nile", introduce your kids to some great music from indigenous instruments from Africa! Using your classroom Djembe or Tubanos, learn the music by rote by taking it one rehearsal section at a time (with rehearsal markings [A], [B], [C], and so forth). This is terrific practice with your older students who want to work on alternating hands, especially with trickier syncopations!
The notation on the first space F is a bass (middle of the drum) and the notation on the third space C is a tone (four fingers near the rim of the drum, pitched a bit higher)
At the end, wrap it up and put on a show! Want to layer it?
Use this in class, a concert, a parent showcase, admin, faculty and staff, whatever you wish!
Have a terrific time with this one :)
2 Unlimited, Get Ready For This - BUCKET DRUMMING!
By Jason Litt
Need to connect with your kids with their pop music through general music? Involve them in a rousing rendition of the 90s favorite (and everyone's favorite assembly tune), 2 Unlimited's "Get Ready for This" for BUCKET DRUMMING!
There are five all-color coded slides along with the form identifiers listed next to each phrase. Discuss form with the students and teach them (by rote) the rhythms on the powerpoint with the corresponding repeats (most are repeated 4 times). Then, apply it to drums!
All regular notation is to be played on the buckets (or drums, or ground, however you wish), and the X notation (with a down stem) are played as stick clicks above their head (or you could apply it to a tambourine or other auxiliary instrument)
Here's the track so you can play along...
Have fun with this and let us know how it goes!
Terms of Use:
All images/photos/clip art in this resource were created by me.
__________________________________
*** Looking for more BUCKET DRUMMING resources? *** Find them here!
Skeleton Remix (a trap music mashup) - HALLOWEEN BUCKET DRUMMING!
By Jason Litt
Halloween is right around the corner just in time for your upper elementary or even middle schoolers, a brand new trap remix which is a mashup of "Spooky Scary Skeletons" and Disney's "Skeleton Dance" we present to you the "Skeletons Remix" trap version!
There are five all-color coded slides along with the form identifiers listed next to each phrase. Discuss form with the students and teach them (by rote) the rhythms on the powerpoint with the corresponding repeats (most are repeated 4 times). Then, apply it to drums!
All regular notation is to be played on the buckets (or drums, or ground, however you wish), and the X notation (with a down stem) are played as stick clicks above their head (or you could apply it to a tambourine or other auxiliary instrument)
Here's the track so you can play along...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzdqbeuakHo
Keep it steady and keep it spooky! This is a terrific resource to work on triplets and a great piece to showcase to admin, parents, assemblies, and the alike -- it really gets the kids jamming!
Have fun with this and let us know how it goes!
Terms of Use:
All images/photos/clip art in this resource were created by me.
__________________________________
*** Looking for more BUCKET DRUMMING resources? *** Find them here!
Grim Grinning Ghosts Trap Remix (Haunted Mansion) - HALLOWEEN BUCKET DRUMMING!
By Jason Litt
An October classic just in time for the spooky bucket drums to come out is the smash hit from Disney's Haunted Mansion "Grim Grinning Ghosts"!
There are five all-color coded slides along with the form identifiers listed next to each phrase. Discuss form with the students and teach them (by rote) the rhythms on the powerpoint with the corresponding repeats (most are repeated 3 times). Then, apply it to drums!
All regular notation is to be played on the buckets (or drums, or ground, however you wish), and the X notation (with a down stem) are played as stick clicks above their head (or you could apply it to a tambourine or other auxiliary instrument)
Here's the track so you can play along...
Keep it steady and keep it spooky!
Have fun with this and let us know how it goes!
12 to 12 - an original Tubano/Djembe composition!
By Jason Litt
In "12 to 12", introduce your kids to some great music from indigenous instruments from Africa! Using your classroom Djembe or Tubanos, learn the music by rote by taking it one rehearsal section at a time (with rehearsal markings [A], [B], [C], and so forth). This is terrific practice with your older students who want to work on alternating hands, especially in the selected meter of 12/8
The notation on the first space F is a bass (middle of the drum) and the notation on the third space C is a tone (four fingers near the rim of the drum, pitched a bit higher)
At the end, wrap it up and put on a show! Want to layer it?
Use this in class, a concert, a parent showcase, admin, faculty and staff, whatever you wish!
Have a terrific time with this one :)
Wake me up when September Ends, Green Day - BUCKET DRUMMING!
By Jason Litt
Need to connect with your kids with their pop music through general music? Involve them in bucket drumming with our favorite right before fall hits, "Wake me up when September Ends" by Green Day -- MADE for these drums!
There are four all-color coded slides along with the form identifiers listed next to each phrase. Discuss form with the students and teach them (by rote) the rhythms on the powerpoint with the corresponding repeats (most are repeated 2 or 4 times). Then, apply it to drums!
All regular notation is to be played on the buckets (or drums, or ground, however you wish), and the X notation (with a down stem) are played as stick clicks above their head (or you could apply it to a tambourine or other auxiliary instrument)
Here's the track so you can play along...
Have fun with this and let us know how it goes!
Terms of Use:
All images/photos/clip art in this resource were created by me.
__________________________________
*** Looking for more BUCKET DRUMMING resources? *** Find them here!
Danger Zone, Kenny Loggins (from TOP GUN) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
By Jason Litt
Need to connect with your kids with your 80s hits (and have your cake and eat it too?) Involve them in bucket drumming with the classic hit from the 1986 smash movie "Top Gun" in "DANGER ZONE"
There are four all-color coded slides along with the form identifiers listed next to each phrase. Discuss form with the students and teach them (by rote) the rhythms on the powerpoint with the corresponding repeats (most are repeated 4, 6, or 8 times). Then, apply it to drums!
All regular notation is to be played on the buckets (or drums, or ground, however you wish), and the X notation (with a down stem) are played as stick clicks above their head (or you could apply it to a tambourine or other auxiliary instrument)
Here's the track so you can play along...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tbap5exR-Y
Have fun with this and let us know how it goes!
Terms of Use:
All images/photos/clip art in this resource were created by me.
__________________________________
*** Looking for more BUCKET DRUMMING resources? *** Find them here!