: Pass the Bucket

Approach: Group (but marked for individuals) Level: 4 & 8  Focus:     Developing and maintaining a rhythmic pattern  Resources: Bucket, video recording on laptop computer 283kb
Questions/instructions: This activity uses the computer. Click the Pass the Bucket button. Students need to be seated on the floor. Sit in pairs facing each other in a square formation — close enough for students to easily pass the bucket to each other. To begin this activity you’ll watch a video of some children using a bucket to make up rhythmic patterns to a piece of music. Watch carefully because when it is finished you will have a go at making your own patterns to the music. Click on the Example button. The video will start. [Music plays; bell sounds to indicate when bucket should pass onto the next person; each child plays a different rhythmic pattern.]
	% responses
	y4	y8
Now you can make up your own patterns to the music. Use a short pattern that you keep on repeating. [Student 1] will use the bucket first. When the bell sounds, [Student 1] will pass the bucket on to [Student 2] who will play their own pattern and so on, until everyone has had two goes. The rest of you keep the beat on your knees, while one person is playing the bucket. Remember, the person playing the bucket tries to make up their own short pattern that they keep on repeating. Hand Student 1 the bucket. Click the Song button. The video will start. [Soundtrack only; no video.]
Composing and performing a repeated pattern:
complex rhythmic pattern maintained, fitting consistently with beat	1	3
rhythmic pattern maintained, fitting mostly with beat	34	50
two or more identifiable patterns, but fitting mostly with beat	8	10
rhythmic pattern maintained, but not fitting consistently with beat	33	21
repeated previous model or student’s pattern, consistently with beat	13	9
no identifiable rhythmic pattern	11	7
YEAR 8 ONLY: Now you are going to have another go. This time, instead of playing one simple pattern, see if you can make up a variety of different rhythms that go with the beat. Make them up as you go. [Student 1] will use the bucket first, then pass it on when the signal is given. Hand Student 1 the bucket. Click the Song button again. The video will start. [Soundtrack only; no video.]
Composing and performing multiple patterns:
range of complex rhythmic patterns, fitting consistently with beat	•	2
range of rhythmic patterns maintained, fitting consistently with beat	•	24
one pattern maintained, fitting mostly with beat	•	41
one or more identifiable patterns, but not fitting consistently with beat	•	23
no identifiable rhythmic pattern or just keeps the beat	•	10
Commentary: On the component attempted by both year 4 and year 8 students, about 20 percent more year 8 than year 4 students achieved a pattern that fitted consistently or mostly with the beat. Most of these used a simple pattern rather than a more complex one.

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