Practical tools for parents and carers

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Drumming for Development at Home

www.musictherapyworks.co.uk

Why use drumming?

❖ We are hard-wired to respond to a strong rhythmic pulse

❖ Drumming reduces stress and boosts the immune system!

❖ Drumming can be meditative and reduce anxiety and tension

❖ Drumming helps to release negative feelings

❖ Drumming is fun!

What can we use for drumming at home?You can use anything with a hard surface if you don’t have any drums

Try:Pots and pans

A box

A pillow

Your body! Tap your thighs or chest

The floor works too….

Outcomes from drumming

• Social skills – listening, awareness of others, turn-taking, sharing

• Motor skills – using our hands, fingers and feet, gripping beaters, reaching out

• Communication skills – non-verbal expression, skills for speech and language

• Cognitive skills – impulse control, attention, concentration, decision making

• Relational skills – building relationships, awareness of others

Different ways to play

How many different ways can you play your drums?

o Hands flat or fingers onlyo On the edge or in the middleo Flick the drum or drum rollo Bounce your hand or drop your hand downo With different kinds of beaters (spoon, pencil, wooden spoon,

hairbrush)o With your feet

What do these different ways sound like?

Turn-taking activities using drums

Turn-taking develops listening and communication as well as concentration. It promotes thinking and self-expression, and supports connections to others.

Start with one drum and take it in turns to make sounds, passing the drum between you.

Take a drum each. Take turns to show each other what your drum sounds like.

Can you copy your child’s patterns or phrase length? Can they copy you?

More musical ideas

Individually or as a group can you play:

● Quiet/loud ● Fast/slow ● Fingers/hands

● Scratching ● under; over; behind; front; high; low etc.

● Numbers - counting taps together ● Short sequences/long sequences

● Use with phonics ● High five in between drum taps

Drumming to precomposed songsPlaying along to your favourite songs is really fun!

Try We Will Rock You here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tJYN-eG1zk- Can you play the beat? (drum drum clap)

Try I Like To Move It here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdcTmpvDO0I- Can you drum along, can you make different drum patterns?

Try Uptown Funk here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPf0YbXqDm0

Themed drumming

Create a huge storm together!Go from little rain drops to a windy rain storm and then add thunder claps! Try to build it up and then die down again.

Play with emotionsWhat does happy/sad/angry/upset sound like on the drum? Perhaps you can add vocal sounds to help you. What happens when you each play a different emotion?

TransportWhat would a train/tractor/aeroplane/car/bike sound like on a drum?

Drumming for literacyTo help children learn language patterns, to improve verbal and reading skills…

1. Drum out syllables to make it easier to hear phonics – how many beats in the word? Example: beat out “a-pple” “pine-a-pple” “wa-ter-me-lon”

2. How many beats in your name? Bang the drum as you say each syllable.

3. Show a card with the word on and beat out this word. Take turns to read and to play.

Drumming for numeracyTo help children learn and use numbers:

1. Count to 10 and play as you count. Then count in your head and stop after 10 beats. Did you stop together? Now play the even numbers as you count aloud. You can make this harder by using your times tables!

2. Give each other a maths sum and play the answer in beats on the drum.

3. Try having different sounds on different numbers, for example, a pillow for multiples of 3, the floor for 5s etc.

Looping words togetherPlay these words out and see if you can loop them to make a rhythmic pattern. Can you play one each and make a drum song?

● Mash po-ta-to

● Rasp-ber-ry, Straw-ber-ry

● Nice-cup-of-tea

● Spa-ghet-ti Bol-og-naise

● Pep-pe-ro-ni, ex-tra cheese

● I like the way you eat your vege-ta-bles

Mirror work

Encourages creativity through movement, develops confidence and body awareness, supports motor skills, can be ‘mindful’

● Stand or sit (on chair or floor) facing each other

● One person is the leader, the other follows the leader’s movements

● Encourage eye contact rather than physical contact

● Use smooth, continuous movements

● Focus on upper body movements

● Can be used with or without the drums

Music for RelaxationMusic can promote psychological, neurological and physiological responses from individuals; encouraging relaxation and improving emotional regulation.

• Stopping and refocusing is important for to regulate and re-adjust.• Listen to soft, slow tempo music to match the body’s rhythms.• Try to be aware of yourself and listen to your breathing.• YouTube can be really useful here, especially those with relaxing images.

Try this – Calm piano music – which gives a completely different feel to the music created when using the drums:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XULUBg_ZcAU

If you would like more information or guidance, then please contact Music Therapy Works via our website. Here you will also find further resources and videos for music making together.

www.musictherapyworks.co.uk