Less than $5 3rd Grade Music Composition PowerPoint Presentations (by price, high to low)
By Jason Litt
Need to connect with your kids with their pop music through general music? Involve them in bucket drumming with the Imagine Dragons smash hit, "Thunder"!
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 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...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDOrNeBpsKs
Have a great time with this!
***** Interested in MORE BUCKET DRUMMING resources? *****
Check out the free downloadable Mr. Litt's Music Room Bucket Drumming Anthology! resource, a comprehensive list of all Bucket Drumming resources in the store!
Orff Jeopardy! (A fully interactive review game)
By Jason Litt
Reviewing Orff with your kids? This may be the game format you're looking for!
An authentic jeopardy game board with categories that students can elect to pick!
The amounts, as imagined, are $200, $400, $600, $800, or $1000 answers.
After clicking on the amount, the answer will appear on the next slide.
Hand Me a Note - Discussing the pitches on the Orff instruments
Technique - Techniques on Orff instruments (middle of the bar, "handlebars", etc)
Mallet Madness - Descriptions and anatomy of mallets (rubber, yarn, wood)
Family Time! - The instruments within the family from the Bass all the way to the Glockenspiel
Students (keeping in true Jeopardy! fashion) can answer in the form of a question
"What is a Soprano"
"What is Yarn"
"What is C"
After the money is awarded (You can split sides of your class, boys vs girls, class vs class, however you want it!), there is a link in the bottom right hand corner to go back to the title screen and game board.
After extracting the ZIP file, make sure to install the Jeopardy! font included, or else you'll see random characters all over -- not good eats!
Email me at jasonlitt@gmail.com or leave a comment if you have any questions. Happy Jeopardy...ing!
Write the Room - EMOJI Edition!
By Jason Litt
In a fast-paced game geared up to get your upper level elementary school students excited, we present to you "Write the Room - EMOJI Edition!"
The game is simple as ever. Scattered around your music room are 12 rhythms (which you can cut out and affix anywhere you'd like) with a corresponding emoji attached to the rhythm.
You will make teams (or play individually!) and a pair of students from each team.
You will then play a sound clip for all of the students to hear. Their job is to listen to the clip, think of the rhythm in their head, and race around the room to find the emoji with the rhythm that they just heard!
The students race back to the board and presses on the emoji they think they heard (there will be a multiple choice of three rhythms, which one of them is the correct on). You will advance the slide and the correct emoji rhythm will turn green.
Play this through 12 rounds and keep score of which team wins or you can do it as an individual assessment. The kids LOVE this as they are assessing themselves by listening to the rhythm, remembering it, and identifying it somewhere in the room.
Have a great time with this one!
Carol of the Bells, Trans Siberian Orchestra - BEGINNING BUCKET DRUMMING!
By Jason Litt
By popular request, here's an arrangement of the holiday hit that'll sure to get your bucket drumming kids fired up, Carol of the Bells (Christmas Eve Sarajevo), by the Trans Siberian Orchestra!
There are six 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 2,3, or 6 times). Then, apply it to drums!
This version specifically targeted and tailored for beginning bucket drummers can be used for younger students who may not have the coordination for alternating hands, or who just want to step right into the drumming circuit with a bit more ease! All notation in this arrangement are quarter notes and quarter rests with a few eighth note pairs
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=sCabI3MdV9g
_________________________________
Looking for more Bucket Drumming Resources? Check out the library below!
[Geometry Dash] DJVI, Back on Track - BUCKET DRUMMING!
[Geometry Dash] Stereo Madness, Forever Bound - BUCKET DRUMMING!
What Makes You Beautiful, One Direction - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Blank Space, Taylor Swift - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Man in the Mirror, Michael Jackson - BUCKET DRUMMING!
*EARTH DAY!* Heal the World, Michael Jackson - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Bad Day, Daniel Powter - BUCKET DRUMMING!
The Lion Sleeps Tonight (mp3 included!) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Follow You (2021), Imagine Dragons - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Sweet Child O' Mine, Guns n' Roses - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Sweet Home Alabama, Lynyrd Skynyrd - BUCKET DRUMMING!
22, Taylor Swift - BUCKET DRUMMING!
The Sign, Ace of Base - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Leave Me Alone, Michael Jackson - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Theme from "Top Gun" - BUCKET DRUMMING!
A Thousand Miles, Vanessa Carlton - BUCKET DRUMMING!
The Greatest Show, (from The Greatest Showman) - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Augie's Great Municipal Band, Star Wars Ep. I (John Williams) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
The Raiders March (Raiders of the Lost Ark, John Williams) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Motownphilly, Boyz II Men - BUCKET DRUMMING! (mp3 included!)
Save Your Tears, The Weeknd - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Tetris Theme (Trap Remix) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Coffin Dance Meme [Mp3 Included!] - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Build Me Up Buttercup, The Foundations - BUCKET DRUMMING!
WandaVision Ep. 3 Intro/Title Sequence - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Conga, Gloria Estefan - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Believer, Imagine Dragons - BEGINNING BUCKET DRUMMING!
Blinding Lights, The Weeknd - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Shut up and Dance with Me, Walk the Moon - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Mood, 24kGoldn (**CLEAN**) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Rolling in the Deep, Adele - BUCKET DRUMMING!
The Black Pearl (from Pirates of the Caribbean) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
The Final Countdown, Europe - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Theme from "Ghostbusters" - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Circle of Life, Elton John (from "The Lion King") - BUCKET DRUMMING!
24k Magic, Bruno Mars (**CLEAN**) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Theme from "The Mandalorian" - BEGINNER BUCKET DRUMMING!
Girls just wanna have Fun, Cyndi Lauper - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Surfin' USA, Beach Boys - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Be True to your School, Beach Boys Cover - BUCKET DRUMMING!
We Will Rock You, Queen - CUSTOM BUCKET DRUMMING ARRANGEMENT!
Hotline Bling, Drake - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Theme from "The Mandalorian" - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Levitating (**CLEAN**), Dua Lipa ft DaBaby - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Into to Unknown, Panic! at the Disco (from "Frozen II") - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Sunflower, Post Malone/Swae-Lee (from Spiderman) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Penny Lane, The Beatles - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Up on the Housetop, Pentatonix (PTX) - CHRISTMAS BUCKET DRUMMING!
Last Christmas, WHAM - CHRISTMAS BUCKET DRUMMING!
Have a Holly Jolly Christmas, Burl Ives - CHRISTMAS BUCKET DRUMMING!
All I Want For Christmas is You, Mariah Carey - CHRISTMAS BUCKET DRUMMING!
Feliz Navidad, Jose Feliciano - CHRISTMAS BUCKET DRUMMING!
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, Brenda Lee - CHRISTMAS BUCKET DRUMMING!
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, Mariah Carey - CHRISTMAS BUCKET DRUMMING!
Underneath the Tree, Kelly Clarkson - CHRISTMAS BUCKET DRUMMING!
You're the One That I Want, Grease - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Theme from the Munsters - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Les Toreadors (from Carmen Suite), Bizet - BUCKET DRUMMING!
I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles), The Proclaimers - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Heart Attack, Demi Lovato - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Wrecking Ball, Miley Cyrus - BUCKET DRUMMING!
We are Young, Fun ft. Janelle Monae - BUCKET DRUMMING!
We Go Together, Grease - BUCKET DRUMMING!
The Thunderer, John Philip Sousa - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Break My Heart, Dua Lipa - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Watermelon Sugar, Harry Styles - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Savage Love (CLEAN), Jason Derulo, ft. Jawsh 685 - BUCKET DRUMMING!
OK Not To Be OK, Marshmello ft. Demi Lovato - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Thriller, Michael Jackson - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Baby Shark, PINGFONG - SEMI-ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
This is Halloween, The Nightmare Before Christmas - BUCKET DRUMMING!
We're Not Gonna Take It, Twisted Sister - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Beat it, Michael Jackson - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Jump, Van Halen - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Theme from Gravity Falls - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Light Calvary Overture, F. von Suppe - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Never Gonna Give You Up, Rick Astley - BUCKET DRUMMING!
I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Whitney Houston - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Party Rock Anthem (*CLEAN*) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Turn the Beat Around, Gloria Estefan - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Bye Bye Bye *NSync - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away, Toy Story 4 - BUCKET DRUMMING
We Belong Together, Toy Story 3 - BUCKET DRUMMING!
It's the Hard Knock Life, Annie - BUCKET DRUMMING!
It's Gonna Be Me, *NSync - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Footloose, Kenny Loggins - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Celebration, Kool and the Gang - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Livin on a Prayer, Bon Jovi - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Don't Start Now, Dua Lipa - BUCKET DRUMMING!
I Gotta Feeling, Black Eyed Peas - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Dynamite, BTS - BUCKET DRUMMING!
BANG! (Clean version), AJR - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Friend Like Me (Will Smith), Aladdin - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Prince Ali (Will Smith), Aladdin - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
YMCA, The Village People - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Stereo Hearts, Gym Class Heroes - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Africa, Toto - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Dance Monkey, Tones and I - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Stronger, Kelly Clarkson - BUCKET DRUMMING!
U Can't Touch This, MC Hammer - BUCKET DRUMMING!
You're Welcome, Dwayne Johnson (MOANA) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
I Love Rock 'n Roll, Joan Jett - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Don't Stop Believin', Journey - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Remember Me (Ernesto De La Cruz), Coco - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Theme from Superman, John Williams - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Hey Soul Sister, Train - BUCKET DRUMMING!
When Can I See You Again, Owl City (Wreck it Ralph) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Pirates of the Caribbean (He's a Pirate) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Try Everything, Shakira (Zootopia) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Cantina Band, Star Wars - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Eye of the Tiger, Survivor (Rocky III) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
William Tell Overture, Rossini - SUPER ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
The Imperial March, Star Wars - BUCKET DRUMMING!
We're all in this Together, High School Musical - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Billie Jean, Michael Jackson - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Stars and Stripes Forever, Sousa - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Stitches, Shawn Mendes - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Beautiful People, Ed Sheeran - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Brave, Sara Bareilles - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Roar, Katy Perry - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Kids in an Adult World, Hello Sister - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Best Day of My Life, American Authors - BUCKET DRUMMING!
I Want You Back, Jackson Five - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Centuries, Fall Out Boy - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Wizards in Winter, Trans Siberian Orchestra - BUCKET DRUMMING!
ME, Taylor Swift - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Good Time, Owl City ft. Carly Rae Jepsen - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Firework, Katy Perry - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
If I Can't Have You, Shawn Mendes (CLEAN) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Never Really Over, Katy Perry - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Sucker, Jonas Brothers - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Girls Like You, Maroon 5 (CLEAN) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Havana, Camilla Cabello (CLEAN) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Happy, Pharrell Williams - BUCKET DRUMMING!
This is Me, The Greatest Showman - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Party in the USA, Miley Cyrus - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Bad Romance, Lady Gaga - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Treasure, Bruno Mars - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Gangnam Style, PSY - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Life is a Highway (2018), ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Grenade, Bruno Mars - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
I Knew You Were Trouble, Taylor Swift - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
How Far I'll Go, Moana - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Natural, Imagine Dragons - BUCKET DRUMMING!
High Hopes, Panic! at the Disco - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Smooth Criminal, Michael Jackson - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Bad Blood, Taylor Swift - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Animals, Maroon 5 - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Radioactive, Imagine Dragons - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Dynamite, Taio Cruz - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Shake it Off, Taylor Swift - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Grenade, Bruno Mars - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Fight Song, Rachel Platten - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
ABC, Jackson Five - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Feel it Still, Portugal. The Man - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Thunder, Imagine Dragons - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Can't Stop the Feeling, Justin Timberlake - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Believer, Imagine Dragons - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Uptown Funk (CLEAN), Mark Ronson - BUCKET DRUMMING!
GAME ON! - A rhythm-building gaming resource
By Jason Litt
Want a great way to entice some of your boys in your general music class? Try GAME ON!, a gaming themed rhythm challenge that will suit all of your students, especially some of those gamers out there!
In “GAME ON!”, students will see a popular game or game series for multiple consoles (Xbox, PlayStation, etc)
They will then use rhythm cards provided in their “bank” of cards to build out the name of the game in a rhythm they feel best fits the name. There will be a series of one beat spaces to give the students a clue on which cards fit in which beats – be very specific as only a few cards will be chosen out of the bank
Advance the slide and find out the students’ rhythm and see if it matches the rhythm on the screen.
You can use this an assessment for all students or even see if they can identify it in a certain amount of time (10 seconds, 15 seconds, etc). Even try a boys vs girls or team vs team to see who can get it the fastest!
Included are 12 game titles and a printout of triplets, quarters, and eighth note pair cards for your students.
Have a great time with this and GAME ON!
RHYTHM FOUR CORNERS! (Class Rhythm Game)
By Jason Litt
RHYTHM FOUR CORNERS!
· To play Four Corners, ensure all students understand quarter notes, eighth note pairs, half notes, and quarter rests.
· Number each side of the room 1, 2, 3, and 4 (or alternatively, color code it green, blue, red, or purple with floor tape)
· They will hear a 9 second timer. Students will have a chance to walk to one of four corners and stay there for the duration of the round.
· On the next slide, the rhythms will appear in each corner and you will play back one of four the rhythms (provided on the Teacher Guide powerpoint). You can use that or you can play a rhythm of your choice (up to you!)
· The students will have to guess which rhythm the teacher played by showing it with their fingers (1, 2, 3, or 4)
· The teacher then reveals to the students which rhythm it was (#1, #2, #3 or #4) and the students who are in that corner are OUT!
· Keep repeating until no kids are left!
Included are 18 examples (you can switch it up each time and do different rhythms each time), the teacher guide, the 9 second timer embedded in the powerpoint file, and instructions
Rhythm Color Lineup (an active listening rhythm game!)
By Jason Litt
In Rhythm Color Lineup, students all receive a baggie of six cards (you can just cut out Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple cards from construction paper) to use to decipher the rhythm being played.
They will then listen to a musical example of a rhythm with notes shown on their colored cards (although their cards will be blank, but be representative of the rhythm)...but they’re not in the right order!
The students will then line up your colors from left to right as you hear the rhythm being played, and check your answer afterward by advancing the slide!
All slides include the embedded sound file in it (with 8 beats of prep before the rhythm example) and you get 10 examples to illustrate for your kids
Have a colorful time with this one!
Holly Jolly Rhythms! - Body Percussion Game
By Jason Litt
In Holly Jolly Rhythms, your kids will be challenged to body percussion like never before!
Students will see familiar Christmas characters and items along with body percussion that go along with the characters. They will use a series of claps, pats, stomps, and snaps indicated by clip art in beat boxes read from left to right
If everyone in class performs the body percussion PERFECTLY, you will move onto the next character… and then… A Present will drop into Santa’s sleigh if the students perform a certain number of the Holly Jolly Rhythms correctly!
You will control the amount of time the students can do this. You can put on a holiday song (2, 3, or 4 minutes long) or set a timer, and upon the conclusion, see how many presents they've amassed at in Santa's Sleigh!
It gives the kids an ending goal to get as many presents as they can along with aligning syllabic language to modified notation.
Have a great time with this a cheers!
Believer, Imagine Dragons - BODY PERCUSSION!
By Jason Litt
Need to connect with your kids with their pop music through general music? Involve them in body percussion with Imagine Dragons' Believer!
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, 6, or 8 times).
Then, apply it to body percussion with the corresponding icons for STOMP, CLAP, SNAP, and PAT
Here's the track so you can play along...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wtfhZwyrcc
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.
Imperial March, Star Wars (**BEGINNING BUCKET DRUMMING!**)
By Jason Litt
A departure from our typical popular music fare, we now offer you "The Imperial March" from John Williams' Star Wars franchise!
- This version specifically targeted and tailored for beginning bucket drummers can be used for younger students who are not familiar with the triplets, may not have the coordination for alternating hands, or who just want to step right into the drumming circuit with a bit more ease! All notation in this arrangement are quarter notes and quarter rests
There are five color coded slides along with the form and instrumental identifiers listed next to each phrase. Discuss form with the students (a great way to talk about the variations of the theme with inclusion or exclusions of certain instrument groupings) and teach them (by rote) the rhythms on the powerpoint with the corresponding repeats (most are repeated 2 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... (recorded by the LSO)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3SZ5sIMY6o
___________________________________________________
**Looking for more Bucket Drumming Resources? Check out the library!
Conga, Gloria Estefan - BUCKET DRUMMING!**
Believer, Imagine Dragons - BEGINNING BUCKET DRUMMING!
Blinding Lights, The Weeknd - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Shut up and Dance with Me, Walk the Moon - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Mood, 24kGoldn (**CLEAN**) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Rolling in the Deep, Adele - BUCKET DRUMMING!
The Black Pearl (from Pirates of the Caribbean) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
The Final Countdown, Europe - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Theme from "Ghostbusters" - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Circle of Life, Elton John (from "The Lion King") - BUCKET DRUMMING!
24k Magic, Bruno Mars (**CLEAN**) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Theme from "The Mandalorian" - BEGINNER BUCKET DRUMMING!
Girls just wanna have Fun, Cyndi Lauper - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Surfin' USA, Beach Boys - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Be True to your School, Beach Boys Cover - BUCKET DRUMMING!
We Will Rock You, Queen - CUSTOM BUCKET DRUMMING ARRANGEMENT!
Hotline Bling, Drake - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Theme from "The Mandalorian" - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Levitating (**CLEAN**), Dua Lipa ft DaBaby - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Into to Unknown, Panic! at the Disco (from "Frozen II") - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Sunflower, Post Malone/Swae-Lee (from Spiderman) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Penny Lane, The Beatles - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Up on the Housetop, Pentatonix (PTX) - CHRISTMAS BUCKET DRUMMING!
Last Christmas, WHAM - CHRISTMAS BUCKET DRUMMING!
Have a Holly Jolly Christmas, Burl Ives - CHRISTMAS BUCKET DRUMMING!
All I Want For Christmas is You, Mariah Carey - CHRISTMAS BUCKET DRUMMING!
Feliz Navidad, Jose Feliciano - CHRISTMAS BUCKET DRUMMING!
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, Brenda Lee - CHRISTMAS BUCKET DRUMMING!
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, Mariah Carey - CHRISTMAS BUCKET DRUMMING!
Underneath the Tree, Kelly Clarkson - CHRISTMAS BUCKET DRUMMING!
You're the One That I Want, Grease - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Theme from the Munsters - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Les Toreadors (from Carmen Suite), Bizet - BUCKET DRUMMING!
I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles), The Proclaimers - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Heart Attack, Demi Lovato - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Wrecking Ball, Miley Cyrus - BUCKET DRUMMING!
We are Young, Fun ft. Janelle Monae - BUCKET DRUMMING!
We Go Together, Grease - BUCKET DRUMMING!
The Thunderer, John Philip Sousa - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Don't Start Now, Dua Lipa - BUCKET DRUMMING!
I Gotta Feeling, Black Eyed Peas - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Dynamite, BTS - BUCKET DRUMMING!
BANG! (Clean version), AJR - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Friend Like Me (Will Smith), Aladdin - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Prince Ali (Will Smith), Aladdin - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
YMCA, The Village People - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Stereo Hearts, Gym Class Heroes - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Africa, Toto - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Dance Monkey, Tones and I - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Stronger, Kelly Clarkson - BUCKET DRUMMING!
U Can't Touch This, MC Hammer - BUCKET DRUMMING!
You're Welcome, Dwayne Johnson (MOANA) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
I Love Rock 'n Roll, Joan Jett - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Don't Stop Believin', Journey - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Remember Me (Ernesto De La Cruz), Coco - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Theme from Superman, John Williams - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Hey Soul Sister, Train - BUCKET DRUMMING!
When Can I See You Again, Owl City (Wreck it Ralph) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Pirates of the Caribbean (He's a Pirate) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Try Everything, Shakira (Zootopia) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Cantina Band, Star Wars - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Eye of the Tiger, Survivor (Rocky III) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
William Tell Overture, Rossini - SUPER ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
The Imperial March, Star Wars - BUCKET DRUMMING!
We're all in this Together, High School Musical - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Billie Jean, Michael Jackson - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Stars and Stripes Forever, Sousa - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Stitches, Shawn Mendes - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Beautiful People, Ed Sheeran - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Brave, Sara Bareilles - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Roar, Katy Perry - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Kids in an Adult World, Hello Sister - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Best Day of My Life, American Authors - BUCKET DRUMMING!
I Want You Back, Jackson Five - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Centuries, Fall Out Boy - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Wizards in Winter, Trans Siberian Orchestra - BUCKET DRUMMING!
ME, Taylor Swift - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Good Time, Owl City ft. Carly Rae Jepsen - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Firework, Katy Perry - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
If I Can't Have You, Shawn Mendes (CLEAN) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Never Really Over, Katy Perry - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Sucker, Jonas Brothers - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Girls Like You, Maroon 5 (CLEAN) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Havana, Camilla Cabello (CLEAN) - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Happy, Pharrell Williams - BUCKET DRUMMING!
This is Me, The Greatest Showman - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Party in the USA, Miley Cyrus - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Bad Romance, Lady Gaga - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Treasure, Bruno Mars - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Gangnam Style, PSY - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Life is a Highway (2018), ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Grenade, Bruno Mars - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
I Knew You Were Trouble, Taylor Swift - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
How Far I'll Go, Moana - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Natural, Imagine Dragons - BUCKET DRUMMING!
High Hopes, Panic! at the Disco - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Smooth Criminal, Michael Jackson - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Bad Blood, Taylor Swift - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Animals, Maroon 5 - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Radioactive, Imagine Dragons - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Dynamite, Taio Cruz - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Shake it Off, Taylor Swift - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Grenade, Bruno Mars - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Fight Song, Rachel Platten - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
ABC, Jackson Five - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Feel it Still, Portugal. The Man - ADVANCED BUCKET DRUMMING!
Thunder, Imagine Dragons - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Can't Stop the Feeling, Justin Timberlake - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Believer, Imagine Dragons - BUCKET DRUMMING!
Uptown Funk (CLEAN), Mark Ronson - BUCKET DRUMMING!
BlockChain RHYTHM! - A fast-paced listening game!
By Jason Litt
This is a great resource to get your kids to work collaboratively as a team (or by themselves if you wish) to identify rhythms as they hear them!
In BlockChain Rhythm, students are given a set of 4 cubes with quarter notes, eighth note pairs, and quarter rests written on them (this is optional, but if you have these, it makes it a challenge for them if you have time to write them out!).
After hearing the rhythm example, they must "rubix cube style" arrange the rhythm that they heard in the right order that it is played. However, the first one to do it the fastest WINS!
Alternatively, you could play this by having the students write it down, have notation cards, or any other method you prescribe. Students can work together in teams of 1, 2, 4, or however may you wish.
To do it as a race: if you have a large and elongated classroom, try setting the blocks 10-15 feet away from the students. Students then have to run one by one and build each beat, go back and tag the next student, and build the second beat, and on and so forth until all four beats are completed.
There are 12 4-beat rhythm examples included in this. All you need to do is play the example and advance the powerpoint slide to show the correct answer!
Have a great time with this!
Among Rhythm ("Among Us" themed Rhythm Practice)
By Jason Litt
A wild request from a Facebook group, here's Among Rhythm, a game where students will perform rhythm "tasks" before advancing through the game to the end.
Students will play this as the "Crewmates" and view a rhythm. Teachers will ask the students to perform the rhythm (spoken, clapped, or performed) and then advance the slide to the next task
There are 20 different tasks with Quarter Notes, Eighth Notes, Quarter Rests, Half Notes, and Dynamics (also reading rhythms up and down!)
You can play this with mysterious music in the background to set an ambient game mood.
Enjoy!
The Imperial March (Star Wars), John Williams - Rhythm Stick Read-a-long!
By Jason Litt
All you got are rhythm sticks for classroom equipment? Or do you need something else to do with them other than keep a steady beat?
Put some creativity in your lesson with a rhythm stick read-a-long featuring the epic space-saga theme everyone KNOWS and LOVES... John Williams' classic The Imperial March from Star Wars!
In this resource, you will see the entire arrangement structured across 4 slides in coded colors with the corresponding repeats. There will be eight boxes that hold each beat along with one of three action icons.
- Sticks - Click your sticks together
- Quarter Note - Hit your sticks on the ground (or chair or desk or lightly on your lap)
- Quarter Rest - Rest
Teach the entire thing line by line through a rote method and play through at the end! Alternatively... use Boomwhackers! (or as the kids would them light sabers for this activity) :)
Here's the track for you to play along:
Imperial March, Star Wars - CUP RHYTHM ARRANGEMENT!
By Jason Litt
Cup rhythms are terrific for your students of all ages! Inexpensive plastic cups from the dollar store, Target, or others make excellent substitutes for percussion instruments and in unison played together, solidifies steady beat, rhythm acuity, and gets everyone playing as an ensemble!
In this arrangement of The Imperial March, from STAR WARS, students will read each corresponding colored section along with the form identifier for the amount of times played.
Discuss form with the students and teach them (by rote) the rhythms on the powerpoint with the corresponding repeats. Then, apply it your class set of cups (to be done on the ground, in their seat, or however)!
Notation is as follows:
- CUP WITH ARROW - to be played by striking the cup (upside down) on the floor
- CUP WITH HAND - to be played with cup on the floor and patting the top of the cup
- CLAP - hands clap once
- QUARTER REST - one beat rest
Here's the track so you can play along... (recorded by the LSO)
By Jason Litt
The ever popular StickStations, Artie Almeida's ingenius percussion solution for elementary school students gets a new jam with StickStation Jam '20!
Students will have their StickStations set up with a tambourine, pair of drum sticks, cutting board, and 1 pint paint can). Tambourines and Drum Sticks can be ordered in bulk on Amazon, the paint cans at Home Depot or Lowe's, and Cutting Boards at the Dollar store
You can outfit an enter class for under $100!
In the 10 exercises included, students will be assigned an "A" "B" or "C" line and repeat their "Jam" over and over. Or you could have them read it from the beginning, over to the middle line, and through the ending line.
Or even in a round or canon? Maybe do it backwards? How about the boys on the "A" line, "B" line for girls, and "C" line for the teacher? The possibilities are endless!
The 10 exercises included go through 4 beat patterns, 4 beat patterns with eighth notes and rests, 8 beat patterns, and 8 beat patterns with eighth notes and rests
Have a great time with this!
By Jason Litt
Five jamming Boomwhacker arrangements for your classroom! Each Boomwhacker is assigned an 8 beat rhythm, most different than others. This gives kids opportunities to reinforce their own rhythms while playing in an ensemble. If you want to explore a different method, you can split half of the class on one rhythm, and the other half on a different. You could play them in a round, canon, explore different dynamics, loop it -- the possibilities are endless! And with 5 different compositions, you'll have the freedom to explore without getting tired of the same arrangement. This can also be used with non-pitched and even pitched percussion. Included is a 5 minute African drum groove to get your kids going. Have fun -- here comes the boom!
Hoedown! (from Rodeo), Aaron Copland - Rhythm Stick Read-a-long!
By Jason Litt
All you got are rhythm sticks for classroom equipment? Or do you need something else to do with them other than keep a steady beat?
Put some creativity in your lesson with a rhythm stick read-a-long featuring Aaron Copland's famous piece "Hoedown" from his ballet "Rodeo"!
In this resource, you will see the entire arrangement structured across 6 slides in coded colors with the corresponding repeats. There will be eight boxes that hold each beat along with one of three action icons.
- Sticks - Click your sticks together
- Quarter Note - Hit your sticks on the ground (or chair or desk or lightly on your lap)
- Quarter Rest - Rest
Teach the entire thing line by line through a rote method and play through at the end!
Rhythm War PowerPoint Lesson Plan + Kit
By Jason Litt
The purpose of Rhythm War is to learn, understand, and identify rhythms upon seeing them!
Everyone will receive approximately 10 rhythm cards (printed and cut by the teacher, all rhythms included in separate quarter note, half note, whole note, fermata, and whole rest PDF documents!). Students will be then put into groups of 3, 4, or 5, scattered throughout the room around hula hoops.
Each student will sit around the hula hoop and the inside of the hula hoop will be the “playing area”. Students will count down “1-2-HIT!” and the students will take the top card from their stack of cards and put it in the middle ring.
Just like the game “WAR”, whoever has the HIGHEST NOTE VALUE, gets to collect everyone’s cards…
The students who run out of cards is out, and the students at the end who have the most win rhythm war
William Tell Overture, G. Rossini (**BEGINNING BUCKET DRUMMING!**)
By Jason Litt
One of our bucket drumming repertoire pieces has gone classic with the famous William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini, now in a "beginner" arrangement custom for your starting bucket drummers!!
There are seven 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 3 times). Then, apply it to drums!
- This version specifically targeted and tailored for beginning bucket drummers can be used for younger students who are not familiar with the sixteenth notes, may not have the coordination for alternating hands, or who just want to step right into the drumming circuit with a bit more ease! All notation in this arrangement are quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests
This is a terrific activity to discuss with the kids with the inclusion of classic music, modern drumming, and identifying form. Perhaps use this video as a precursor?
Finale to the William Tell Overture - Full Form
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)
Have fun with this and let us know how it goes!
The Signature Series, Identifying Meter (* Distance Learning Approved! *)
By Jason Litt
This is a terrific tool to work on meter either face to face or as a lesson in Distance Learning! Students will learn and review about Time Signatures before listening to short examples of a piece of music in either 3/4, 4/4 or 6/8 time.
Students will then have to select the appropriate meter for the example being heard. You can play this student vs student, side vs side, individually, or even as a distance learning assignment!
12 musical examples (from Mozart to Aerosmith) are included with this lesson -- some examples may even surprise you :)
Have a great time with this!