Making Your Own Stick Station

We had such fun playing with the Stick Stations the last two weeks of the school year!  I talked with the kids about how they can make their very own Stick Station out of items they have at home.  It would be a great summer time music project.  

Make Your Own Stick Station!

Here are some ideas that we brainstormed for each component: 

Crash Can--class set made of #10 metal food can covered in duct tape with a foam circle on the bottom.

Suggestions: plastic boxes (Rubbermaid), pots (with permission), shoebox, can, real drum

Tambourine

Suggestions: Jingle bells, homemade shaker (empty water bottle with beads/rice), maraca, metal object, baby toy with jingles, or order a mini tambourine from Amazon.  

Drum Sticks

Suggestions: Pencils, wooden sticks, crochet hooks or knitting needles, wooden spoons, or real drumsticks. 

Beat Board--class set uses a small, plastic cutting board from the Dollar Tree

Suggestions: plastic or wooden cutting board, an old book, piece of heavy plastic, a cookie sheet, heavy cardboard.  

Using the Stick Stations

There are lots of fun ways to use the Stick Stations.  Such as: 

• Create patterns using long and short sounds and rests.  
• Play a pattern and experiment with different items in the Stick Station. 
• Experiment with musical opposites
• Can you play loud?  Can you play soft?  Can you play high sounds? Can you play low sounds?  How about fast and slow?  
• Turn on a favorite song and play the steady beat on different stations!

Here are some great musical selections to play the steady beat to!  (Note, the links are to Youtube videos). 

In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg 

The Can Can by J. Offenbach

Washington Post March by J.P. Sousa

William Tell Overture by Rossini 

Sing, Sing, Sing featuring Benny Goodman