Music class this spring is giving students in the 7th grade the opportunity to create music for a film soundtrack using a non-traditional instrument – a 5-gallon plastic bucket. Music Director Tim Rosie came up with the idea to teach a unit on drumming using the buckets, and the ACE Hardware Store on Ocean Heights in Egg Harbor Township was more than happy to donate 24 buckets to help the students get into the rhythm.
Three different classes of 7th graders meet weekly for music class and the focus this year has been on music in film, according to Rosie. “They have really been enjoying this new drumming unit and have been very engaged,” Rosie said. The students are now working in groups of four and five on a final group project to created their own film soundtrack, which must incorporate playing the plastic buckets, along with other instruments.
“They are learning they can create different tones by striking different parts of the bucket, as well as the metal handle, with their hands, sticks, mallets, or other objects,” Rosie said. “The more creative they are, the better.” For their final projects in early June, the students will be performing their original film scores in front of their classmates.
Spring is in the air and students in the after-school Garden Club have been busy in the school garden and greenhouse, prepping the raised beds, planting herbs and vegetables, and learning how to compost. A donation of eco-soil from the Atlantic County Utilities Authority and seeds from ACE Hardware in Egg Harbor Township helped kick-start the planting season.
