2.1 Drums

• Objectives

  • Identify the snare, kick, and closed hi-hat instruments in a recording and understand how they affect a drum pattern.

• Procedure

  1. Watch the top video and the videos for the snare, kick drum, and hi-hat.

  2. Complete some of the connection activities to build confidence and understanding of the material

• Assessment

  Informal Assessment:

  • Check for understanding by asking questions about the different drum instruments and their roles in a drum pattern.

• Connection Activities

  Drum Kahoot:
  Students can complete the instrument Kahoot individually by clicking on the Kahoot link next to the video at the top of the lesson page to practice identifying drum sounds. You can then use THIS LINK to create a class Kahoot and have students compete against each other.

  Guided Listening:
  Listen to student or teacher-selected music that has a clear drum beat. Have students identify which drum instruments are playing in a specified section. Choose one of the instruments and direct students to tap their desk along to its rhythm. Find sections that have incomplete drum beats (ones without kick, snare, and/or closed hi-hats) and ask students what that does to the energy level of the track.

  Drawing:
  Have students draw a kick drum, snare drum, and hi-hat. After giving them time to listen to the sounds of each instrument by watching the instrument videos on the lesson page, instruct students to also draw what the instruments sound like. Prompt them by asking how they are going to show high/low, long/short, and fast/slow.

• Notes

  If you have access to a drum set in the building, it is great to bring it into the classroom for demonstration purposes. I have at least one drum set in all of my classrooms, and every student learns how to play a basic pattern. It is so much fun to have a kinesthetic connection to the beat and the groove, and a drum set is the perfect way to achieve this.

• Standards & Pathways

  Core Arts Standards

  1. Creating:

     • Anchor Standard 1 (Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work): Identify snare, kick, and closed hi-hat instruments in a recording and understand their impact on a drum pattern.

     • Anchor Standard 2 (Organize and develop artistic ideas and work): Use connection activities to build confidence and understanding of drum sounds.

     • Anchor Standard 3 (Refine and complete artistic work): Draw and describe drum sounds, showing high/low, long/short, and fast/slow characteristics.

  2. Performing:

     • Anchor Standard 4 (Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation): Watch videos and complete activities to practice identifying drum sounds.

  3. Responding:

     • Anchor Standard 7 (Perceive and analyze artistic work): Informal assessment through questions and discussions about drum instruments and their roles.

     • Anchor Standard 8 (Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work): Guided listening to identify drum instruments in selected music.

  4. Connecting:

     • Anchor Standard 11 (Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding): Connect drum patterns to broader musical contexts.

  Technology Literacy Standards

  1. Empowered Learner (ISTE Standard 1):

     • Use Kahoot and other digital tools to identify drum sounds and track learning progress.

  2. Creative Communicator (ISTE Standard 6):

     • Experiment with drawing and describing drum sounds and presenting their understanding digitally.

  Career Readiness

  • Music Production: Identifying and arranging drum sounds.

  • Sound Engineering: Technical understanding of drum instruments.

  • Broadcasting and DJing: Analyzing drum patterns in performances.

  • Multimedia Production: Integrating drum sounds into various projects.