Ask Ollie
Upside-Down Bucket Drum Band
Here's one to try together!
Flip a bucket, grab two spoons, and make low and high beats with Ollie!
Reviewed by our team.
Safety first
- loud noise from drumming
- wooden spoons could be swung or hit something other than the bucket
- jar of rice could break or spill if it is glass or the lid comes off
What you need
- Phone, 1, to play music
- Bucket or large plastic tub, 1
- Wooden spoon, 2
- Pot, 1 (optional)
- Plastic jar with lid, 1 (optional)
- Rice, a handful (optional)
How to do it
Grown-up prep: Find a sturdy bucket or tub, two wooden spoons, and a way to play music. Clear a bit of floor space and remind everyone that spoons only hit the bucket.
- Turn the bucket upside down and sit in front of it.
- Hold one wooden spoon in each hand like drumsticks.
- Hit the middle of the bucket and listen for the low sound.
- Now hit the edge of the bucket for a high sound. Ask: What do you think will sound different when you hit the edge?
- Play the pattern: low, high, low low, high.
- Count 1, 2, 3, 4 out loud to keep a steady beat. Ask: Can you keep the beat the same speed the whole time?
- Turn on a favorite song and drum along.
- Invent your own beat and teach it to someone else.
- Form a band with a bucket, a pot and a rice shaker, then play a show for the family! Ask: What would you change to make our band sound even better?
Play it again
- Echo game: one person plays a short beat and the other copies it back.
- Freeze drum: play along to music and stop the second it pauses.
- Slow and fast: play your pattern super slow, then speed up together without losing the beat.
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