BUCKET BAND: They call me "Bucket Boss"

The kids call me "Bucket Boss."

I have composed and conducted percussion music for children's Bucket Band ensembles for nearly 20 years now. Many summers, I created the Bucket Band music and lesson plans for Lamplight Artists' All About Kids Productions, and I trained the college teaching interns how to lead such ensembles. I also wrote and performed Bucket Band pieces as a music teacher in public elementary schools.

This past week, I had a great time teaching Percussion Workshops and directing the Bucket Band Focus Group at the Creative Arts Camp at LifePoint Church in Finksburg, MD. In the Friday showcase - "Mess-Takes Happen!" - my kiddos totally rocked the house with their two percussion pieces!

When teaching Bucket Band classes, I strive to help students build transferrable music skills that will serve them through a lifetime of music-making. We learn how to follow a conductor. We develop musical independence. We hone active listening. We self-assess to correct mistakes. We collaborate to refine performance. We invest ourselves in the success of the whole group. And, we have a GREAT TIME doing it all!!!

Plans are already in the works for next year's Creative Arts Camp at LifePoint Church! For a quick preview of all the many creative arts the kids engage in at this fun-fulled camp, check out this cool video: