Boom, Bah, Tick, Tok

Music is art that goes in your ears and straight to your heart.

I am a music teacher. I go so far as to say that it’s the biggest part of my identity, and one of which I am extremely proud. I've been teaching at the same public school for 34 years. Is it always easy? No. Do I sometimes get frustrated? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely. I love it!

My rather small school has gone through many changes. Dr. Daniel Bright School, DDB, named in memory of a prominent doctor from our community, opened in 1987 as K-6. In order to take the position of music teacher, I moved from Minnesota to Arizona (growing up, I never did care for the cold.) After just a couple of years of being over capacity, the sixth graders were sent to the middle school.

Most of my career was spent working with K-5 students, teaching general music, band, and choir. Later, our district was restructured, and my school consisted solely of K-2 students for 10 years. I love the little ones, with their innocence and wonder, so that was a fun time. Just over two years ago, my district went through yet another restructuring, and DDB became K-8. This has been the most difficult change for me. I have little middle school experience, and no middle school curriculum. Did you catch that? NO MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM! So, I have produced my own lessons, researched online, and consulted with the other two music teachers in my district.

Some of the lessons I tried fizzled or tanked. Students' expressions and body language tell me whether or not I'm on track. I have learned to always have contingency plans and music games. Some of the lessons were fun to produce. It is a great chance to go into more detail and to be able to offer more complex lessons. It is so satisfying when students say things like, “That was fun!” “I didn’t know that!” or “Can we do that again?”

One of the units which was the most successful with my fifth and sixth graders is something I was able to accomplish just months ago – a bucket drumming band. I got a grant for supplies; namely 40 five-gallon buckets, PVC pipe, foam, black balloons, and duct tape. Having found a YouTube tutorial on making bucket drum mallets before I got the grant, I followed the basic design, with twists of my own. I cut the PVC into equal lengths. Then, I cut the foam pipe insulation and rounded the edges. I put a black balloon around it and duct taped it in place. I personally made 64 drum mallets. Here’s what they look like:

Why didn’t I just buy drumsticks? Because no matter how careful students are, drum sticks are loud, they break easily, and they’re expensive. I have had sticks broken just with students hitting the carpeted floor during their first use. In contrast, I didn’t have one mallet break after using these mallets with students 20 times so far.

You may be wondering, “What do the words Boom, Bah, Tick, and Tok have to with anything?” The answer is that those are the words I have chosen to represent the places to hit a bucket that make different sounds. Boom is center on the “top.” Bah is on the edge of the top. Tick is when the mallets are tapped against each other. Tok was named by one of my students, Tyler. I was telling his class (the first to try out the buckets) that I hadn’t named the sound for hitting the sides of the bucket. Because of the popularity of Tik Tok, he suggested “Tok” to go with “Tick”, and I was quite happy with the suggestion, and I gave Tyler credit when I taught the other classes. I chose to keep my spelling of Tick to avoid copyright issues.

Here’s where I encourage you to get an empty waste can, any bucket, or a plastic flour container and a couple of pencils or wooden spoons to play along, if possible. Place your “drum” upside down on the floor or on a desk in front of you. Play along with the following demonstration of Boom, Bah, Tick, and Tok. My eight-year-old grandson and I will play four of each and then two of each. Of course, repeat this video as many times as you like.

When I started with the students, I had students do some echoing, much like the following video:

Then, we did the following online lesson, produced by percussionist David Birrow. Keep in mind that he only uses "Bah" for all sounds.

I end every bucket drumming session with a play-along. The following example was a student favorite. See if you can play along!

The day before the last day of school, I asked for volunteers from each of the five 5th and 6th grade classes who had the necessary permission form to be photographed. We took some of our lunchtime and made a quick video of them using the buckets. I had them echo, and then we tried a refrain with some sixteenth notes being passed around the circle. It took a little coaxing to get it with so little rehearsal, but I was proud of their efforts.

Where do I go from here? My plan is to make a set of online lessons similar to the one above with David Birrow, but including my Boom, Bah, Tick, and Tok, as I think it is helpful for students to vocalize as they learn. I would also like to add written notation and musical form, things that were lacking in those lessons.

My plan is to produce a minimum of 20 music lessons for bucket drums. I will offer sneak peeks to my lesson plans and then encourage other music teachers and students to pay $1 per lesson or $10 for an all-access pass (half price.) If sales go well, I want to produce an advanced course with the same offer, including more complex notes and rhythms, syncopation, and multiple parts playing simultaneously (polyrhythms.)

I’m certain that I will be teaching for at least another 10 years. Music is a passion that is enjoyed in every culture, which is why some people call it the universal language, and rhythm is the foundation. It’s a passion that can be enjoyed long into retirement, with community bands, choirs, and drum circles available in many towns and cities. School is often where this passion begins. Why not give a bucket band a try?