Tag Archives: Drums

Love Bucket Drumming? Try Mini-Bucket Drumming!

Do you have a young drummer in the house?

You’ll love this simple but awesome drum craft! It’s based on the idea of bucket drumming – taking an unexpected item like a paint bucket and turning it into a drum.  But instead of buckets, this craft reuses coffee cans and here’s what it looks and sounds like.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle a Coffee Can

Start with a regular coffee can, find two unsharpened pencils and tap away. Or kente clothg drum projectyou can print out one of our drum “skins” to color and personalize with your young drummer.

The design we’ve created is based on kente cloth, and each color is symbolic of a trait like beauty and strength.

Two Beaters, Two Heads or Use Your Hands

Try tapping the drum with both sides of the unsharpened pencil. Each will create a different sound. Notice that most coffee cans have a metal side and a plastic one as well. Both sides will also offer a different tone when played. Need more ideas for beaters? Check out our MYO drum beater post below.

rhythm tree playing tubeDrum Roll, Please!

A great way to develop motor skills is learning to create a drum roll. Try this by tapping – slowly at first, but consistently – left stick, right stick, etc. Start slowly and build your speed for an impressive sounding drum roll!

Bang on the Drum All Day

Here are some playing tips and suggestions:

Tap with your hand

Play free form to your favorite music

Tap to the beat of your favorite music

Make several drums and play them together

Make a DIY bongo drum set and try hand drumming (activity pdf below).

Find other objects to add to a drum kit

Pots and Pans?

The classic image of a child at play with drums is one of playing pots and pans. I wwdop - too cool!like to caution parents here that the sound from striking a metal pot with a wooden spoon can be potentially damaging to a child’s hearing – or a parent’s sanity.

Instead of a wooden spoon and metal pots and pans, try cardboard boxes, plastic bowls or containers. If you have a washboard, break that out, too and play if with spoons, a whisk or a wooden spoon.

And – by all means…rock on!

Links and Resources

Kente Drum Coloring Page https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kente-Cloth-For-A-Drum-Craft-Coloring-Page-4248662

playing bongosKente Drum Activity on TPT https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kente-Cloth-African-Drum-Craft-3525491

What Do The Colors in Kente Cloth Mean? https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kente-Cloth-What-Do-The-Colors-Mean-4250185

MYO Bongo Drum  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Latin-American-Instruments-Make-And-Play-Bongo-Drums-1430615

MYO washboard post http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/babies-and-music/play-a-washboard-with-your-child/

MTO Drum Beater http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/classroom-music/make-a-little-drum-beater-for-a-big-drum/

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Make a Water Drum In Your Own Backyard

Does this look like fun?

This musical water play is based on an actual instrument called a gourd water water gourd drumdrum. Found both in Africa and in the ancient Mayan culture of Mexico, this drum has a completely unique and amazing sound that is deep and resonant and can be heard for long distances. Here’s a picture of an actual gourd water drum.

Originally made from a bushel gourd as the bowl and smaller gourd pieces as the stand and the floating resonator, we’ve come up with a fun way to try this at home that ghana gourd drummakes for great play, especially when the weather is hot!

First, take any kiddie pool and fill it with about 1-2 inches of water. Next add round items gently into the surface of the water. Last, tap them with homemade beaters like an unsharpened pencil, wooden spoon or make your own beater by wrapping electric tape around one end of a stick or a wooden dowels.

Tips For Drummers

Tap gently, and listen for the sound. Each floating drum head will sound different try. Which sound do you like?

If the floating drum head has sunk into the water, you’ll lose the quality of sound.  Lift it up and set it back on the surface if the water to continue playing.

kiddy pool water drum (Tacony)Put on your favorite summer songs and tap along with the music.

If you enjoy this unusual drum and want to play more -  look for other potential floating drum head at places like yard sales, garage sales and thrift stores. It’s a great way to continue this fun and exciting sound and sensory activity.

Can You Step Into The Pool While Drumming?

Sure! They did it in the video and play session pictured above. Go ahead, as long as it’s okay with mom, dad or whoever else is watching.

Links and Resources

MYO Drum Beater – http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/classroom-music/make-a-little-drum-beater-for-a-big-drum/