Rhythmic sounds draw our attention. Marching feet, protest chants, tapping toes, clapping hands: When we hear these sounds, we pay attention and are likely to sway in cadence or even join in. They appeal to our musical intelligence and appreciation of predictable sequences. And for many children, they provide a framework for managing their bodies and emotions.
Teaching kids bucket drumming plays into this human fascination with rhythm. Learning and repeating specific cadences helps them connect with themselves and others through shared patterns of sound and spoken words. They practice engaging a steady beat, chanting words with or in response to that beat, and guiding their family or community in following the drum cadence together.
Using a big plastic bucket (like those sold at hardware stores) and a drumstick (or 12-15” length of sturdy dowel) try these bucket drumming activities with children ages 5+ to help build a strong sense of self and connection with others.
Steady beat. Teach children to keep a steady beat. Use a metronome to set the pace or count slowly and steadily as they hit the bucket with a stick. Start slowly and encourage kids to breathe in on one beat, hold for one beat, exhale on the next beat, and hold for a fourth beat. Repeat this slow cadence several times. Then increase the speed of the count slightly and ask children to inhale for two beats, hold for two beats, exhale for two beats, and hold for two beats. After several repetitions, count a bit faster and encourage kids to breathe and hold for 4 counts each. Ask: What do you notice about yourself as you breathe with the beats? How do you feel?
Pattern beat. Invite children to beat the drum using a specific pattern of long and short pauses in between beats. Call out something like ‘long, long, short, short, long’ or model the beat on your own bucket drum. Repeat the pattern until everyone is able to repeat it several times without error. Encourage children to let go of everything else on their minds as they focus on beating the pattern. Once children are proficient with one pattern, teach others, such as ‘long, short, short, short, short, long, long, long’ or ‘short, short, short, short, long, long’. Notice together how the beat becomes the focus of your attention as you play.
Call and response. Develop some short affirmative statements that children can repeat while drumming or between drum patterns. For example, drum a steady beat and chant “We-can-make-a-diff-er-ence”, coordinating each syllable with a drum beat. Or drum a pattern and then stop drumming and shout “We get into good trouble!” before resuming the pattern again. Repeat the sequence several times. Older children might develop a series of short statements (like lines in a song) and insert them between drum sequences, e.g., “[Drumming] We can show we care [drumming], we can work for change [drumming], we can take a stand [drumming], we can show the way [drumming]!”
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