Less than $5 7th Grade Music Composition Lesson

By popular request, here's an arrangement of the holiday hit that'll sure to get your bucket drumming kids fired up, The Nutrocker, based on theme from Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker performed by the Trans Siberian Orchestra!

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 1, 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)

The mp3 is included in this resource, so feel free to play right along!

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!

I know what you're all thinking, but if you can't beat them, join them?

Gen Alpha's slang, which you've probably heard from your older kids is sweeping the nation uncontrollably, but why not turn it into a decipher and decode lesson?

In Rizz Rhythms, students will see their Gen-Alpha slang on the powerpoint slides and will have to decipher the rhythm using triplets, eighth note pairs, and quarter notes. The rhythm will be shown on the animation on the next slide.

• You can either have the students notate it out on whiteboards...

• make rhythm cards or tiles

• have them write it on the board

• make it a race between A team vs B team to spell it out

• or however you can imagine

Although this may be cringe, you're sure to be a sigma after this one ;) 20 rhythm for all your kids -- BUSSIN!

By popular request, here's an advanced arrangement of the holiday hit that'll sure to get your bucket drumming kids fired up, First Snow, by the Trans Siberian Orchestra!

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 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)

This version differs from the standard version with the implementation of sixteenth note patterns (which is great to work on with your kids for alternating hands!)

Here's the track so you can play along...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0DngW4WOGY

Terms of Use:

All images/photos/clip art in this resource were created by me.

*** Looking for more BUCKET DRUMMING resources? ***

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Find them here!**

In Electro, 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!

The notation on the first space F is a bass (middle of the drum) and the notation on the 3rd line B 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?

• Have shakers play on specified beats (try 2 and 4)
• Have shakers play 16th notes all the way throughout or in specific sections
• Have half the class play 1st and 3rd measures, the other half play 2nd and 4th measures
• Do it in a round! )
• Use this in class, a concert, a parent showcase, admin, faculty and staff, whatever you wish!

This'll DEFINITELY get your 4th and 5th Grade boys going (and girls too!)

We're taking a detour and going right into the WWE with a slamming arrangement of the Roman Reigns (The WWE undisputed heavyweight champion) theme song "Head of the Table"

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!

Note: This arrangement is written in HALF time (don't do it at MM=160, or else you'd end up finishing it way sooner than it needs to be lol)

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://youtu.be/n0QT\_teLcNk?si=\_YFu9fmvMb4tba01

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!

Need to connect with your kids with their pop music through general music? Involve them in bucket drumming with the hit song from the 1995 smash film "A Goofy Movie" with I 2 I from Powerline!

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://youtu.be/-qzWOhUURzo?si=quREsFN87FIonlmh

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!

In "To the Skies!", introduce your kids to some great music from indigenous instruments from Africa! Using your classroom Djembe or Tubanos (along with tambourines), learn the music by rote by aking 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 and adding different timbres in with the tambourine

Included is the key for tubano and tambourine notation

At the end, wrap it up and put on a show! Want to layer it?

• Have shakers play eighth notes or dotted quarters all the way throughout or in specific sections
• Have half the class play 1st and 3rd measures, the other half play 2nd and 4th measures
• Do it in a round! :)

Use this in class, a concert, a parent showcase, admin, faculty and staff, whatever you wish!

Have a terrific time with this one :)

Wanna get these kids engaged and smiling ear to ear? Get a TRAP REMIX going full of trap music, backbeats, and trance themes with the theme from Minecraft for Bucket Drumming!

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 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=nL4i9FKuiEA

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!

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 Imagine Dragons' hit from 2022, the newly released "Bones"!

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...

https://youtu.be/kK9g0XTxSM0

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!

A game that will keep your students entertained, engaged, and competitively charged with identifying chord quality, here's One "Minor" Imposter inspired by "Among Us"!

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IN ONE MINOR IMPOSTER, YOU WILL LISTEN TO 2, 3, 4 EVEN 5 CREWMATES PLAY MAJOR CHORDS ONE BY ONE. ONE OF THE MAJOR CHORDS IS ACTUALLY NOT THE MAJOR CHORD PERFORMED!

YOUR TASK IS TO DECIDE WHICH CREWMATE IS THE IMPOSTER BY SELECTING THE CREWMATE WHO PLAYED THE MINOR CHORD INSTEAD OF THE MAJOR CHORD

HERE WILL BE ONLY ONE CREWMATE WHO IS THE IMPOSTER

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In each example is a piano/guitar/harpsichord mix with different background percussion tempos to keep the kids engaged. Each crewmate, lined up on the powerpoint (1, 2, 3, etc) will be representative of the musical example played.

Included in this resource are

• Mp3 examples embedded in each question (15 questions)
• A printout where you can replicate and cut out cards (if you want the students to place on the floor or hold up to show which one was the imposter)
• 3 levels of rhythms with 3 crewmates (2 major crewmates, 1 minor imposter), 4 crewmates (3 major crewmates, 1 minor imposter), and 5 crewmates (4 major crewmates, 1 imposter)

Have a terrific time with this while your kids study chord quality!

Looking for some new Orff compositions? In this pack you will get 3 different Orff compositions entitled "Spirit of the Phoenix", "A Minor Mystery" and "Pentatonic Soundscapes" for Xylophones (Soprano, Alto, and Bass), Tubanos, and Tambourines.

Detail is given on how pieces are structured so you kids can play along, and notation comes will letters below (just in case you'd like to teach them by rote).

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment. Enjoy these compositions!

The ultimate Boys vs Girls competition! If you're working on notes of the treble clef staff, this is a fun way for kids to competitively spell them out. First, we made a boys side (on the left of the screen) and girls side on the (on the right). A word will appear and the students have 10 seconds to spell the word out (there is a timer attached to the powerpoint and it will count down as soon as the slide appears). This games works best on a whiteboard that has magnetic backing as I print out notes and have the kids race as fast as they can to put them on. After the kids lock in their answer, the next slide reveals the notes. For notes that have F's and E's, the answer key has both top line, top space notes -- those F's and E's both count! :) Some are easy (CAB, DAB, DAD), some get a little tricky (BECCA, CABBAGE, DECADE) and so on. Towards the end they repeat, and feel free to edit and make your own! Have fun with this and if you have any questions, let me know!

Based off the hit Windows 3.11 game we all knew and loved, Solfege Sweeper is a progressive game where one slip can end you up on the dreaded mine! This will have your kids reading and mastering solfege in NO TIME! Students will see a grid of 40 squares on the home page. Each square contains either a link to a solfege syllable.... or a mine :) I select one student at a time to pick a number. I'll then click on the number and it'll advance to the designated slide. If it's a solfege syllable, we add that solfege syllable to the Building Board on the home page. The teacher will click "Back to Game and Building Board" and put the solfege syllable they just received on the board. As for the solfege syllable they earned, you can cut out the included syllables (make a bunch of copies!), write them in dry erase, or have a student keep tabs on the side. Students will now sing the solfege syllables back in order. Then we repeat! See how it gets progressive? ;) AND what a great way to do a composition. Heck, you should get your piano involved too! ...until the mine! There are 5 mines in each game, and once the mine is hit, it's GAME OVER! At the end, you can tally up how many syllables the class amassed. Compete against other classes, or themselves! There are 5 files in the pack and each one is completely different (all the syllables are mixed up and of course, so are the mines) Syllables included are DO, MI, SOL, and LA. Have fun with this and let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment!

If you're working on meter in your classroom, here's an engaging lesson that'll test your students' math skills! In Sign of the Times, we do a brief introduction of meter (from there on called" Time Signature"). After the introduction, we talk about how measures (musical sentences) are formed and how composers have the freedom to write different beat patterns in music. The lesson in PDF format (also included is the video along with an editable powerpoint file) continues with illustrations of 4 types of time signatures, and gets into the game format -- a measure with combinations of quarter, eighths, whole, and half notes will appear in the staff and students will have to guess the time signature. On the next slide, the answer will appear. I like to do this boys vs. girls -- they have to use their quick thinking to add up the beats! Some are easy to moderate, but as we progress it gets a little harder! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment... that's the sign of the times!

Working on identifying genres with some of your older students? This one will be a breeze with **GenreMania!

**Students will be given a short example of a genre of music, which is a category of a musical composition. Genres are in different eras, different styles, and different sounds!

Select the genre from a multiple-choice list of which you think is the genre that best describes the piece that you’re listening to. Some are easy, some get a little more difficult.

The answer will illuminate on the following screen after the example is played. There are 15 musical examples students will be able to listen to. You can run this as a class, individually, or even assign it as a Distance Learning option!

Have a great time with this and let us know how it goes in the comments :)

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!

Need to connect with your kids with Christmas through general music with some nice backbeats? Involve them in bucket drumming with a remixed Ronette's favorite in "SLAY Ride!"

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 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://youtu.be/xM4rIMWvSm4?si=SpBh8drnAPFPzH1q

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!

Right in time for Halloween with your bucket drumming kids, and of course a classic anytime of year is the #1 All-Time Hit from Michael Jackson's album of the same name, "Thriller" but re-envisioned in a TRAP Remix!

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=xXKuLqBJDRo

Have some halloween fun in class or even for a performance!

______________________

Terms of Use:

All images/photos/clip art in this resource were created by me.

__________________________________

*** Looking for more BUCKET DRUMMING resources? *** Find them here!

If you've ever played Poison Pattern/Poison Rhythm or similar, you already know how it goes. Give the students a set of rhythms to play but one of them is the poison rhythm, which the students should NOT play. If they are, they're either out, lose points, or the teacher gains points (if you're playing against the class)

In this new twist, it's the same premise as students will play back each set of rhythms one-by-one as given by the teacher. However, there will be one rhythm that has a rest on a specific beat (beat 1, 3, 5, whichever the slide specifies)

AVOID THAT RHYTHM AT ALL COSTS!

So for instance, the students may play any rhythm, but avoid the rhythm that has a rest on Beat Number 2

Advance the slide and your students will see various rhythms composed of quarter notes and eighth notes _with the quarter rest landing on different beats.

_...just avoid playing the rhythm on BEAT NUMBER 2!

There are five different levels of rhythms all composed of the quarters and paired eighth sets with the rests switching back and forth between beats. All you need to do is give the students a four beat prep, then they'll read it back (either vocally, with rhythm sticks, classroom instruments, etc)

Wanna make it harder?

• Up the tempo and transition time in between slides
• Choose a pop or instrumental song at a higher BPM to distract them
• Alternate teams or have 1v1 and award points to the winners!

Have a great time with the new version of a classic game!

Level 2, sixteenth note patterns and eighth note rests coming soon!