Did you know that Home Depot is the place to go to begin a percussion ensemble?! Our percussionists have learned to drum on orange paint buckets, stove rings and just about anything else we could find!
My students attend a large middle school in an urban setting.
Energy and enthusiasm reverberates from then every time they walk into my room. The students hail from every corner of the globe, speak a multitude of languages and are bound together by the love of music! They are learning to play band instruments because very few have ever had that opportunity in elementary school. The band room is a home away from home to them, and the children look for any excuse to spend time there. For this reason, we have established a multitude of chamber music ensembles, that meet during lunch periods and after school. Our chamber music program is offered free of charge and ranges from orchestral strings, to saxophone quartets, to brass quintets and our all new percussion ensemble!
My Project
Our percussion ensemble was formed in October of 2012 and had its inaugural performance in May of 2013. The students give up their lunch periods with great enthusiasm. Since we have no funding, we use donated materials, including paint buckets, stove top rings and basically anything we can find that makes an interesting sound. The ensemble explores African and Brazilian rhythms and has become wildly popular in the community. We are requesting two djembes, as well as 24 sets of drum sticks, as our sticks are falling apart from hitting buckets. Although you would be astounded by the variety of sounds our students can make hitting buckets, we would like to begin to incorporate actual drums along with the buckets to help the students create a more authentic sound. We have also requested a symphonic triangle for our award-winning concert band.
Exploring the world through the music of different cultures has enriched the lives of our students.
The only exposure to actual drums from other cultures our students have had is from various video clips I have brought in. Please help our students experience world music drumming through having actual drums on which to play!
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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