Drama KS3 / KS4: Exploring junk percussion

The cast of the musical I Know Me, and Jake, one of the musical's principal characters, demonstrate playing junk percussion.

Musical theatre composer Rebecca Applin explains how they created the beats for the junk percussion piece they play in the musical by using call and response and multi-rhythm.

Viewers are encouraged to join in using anything that sounds good when banged or shaken.

Rebecca introduces a drumming game, prompting viewers to join in on their turn.

An on-screen indicator provides viewers with visual cues for when to play.

This clip is from the series Make a Musical.

Teacher Notes

The drumming game can be played with pupils to help them learn different simple rhythms and fit them together as a group.

Pupils can also create their own pieces of junk percussion to play along with the game.

The musical I Know Me was devised and written to provide young people with learning difficulties and their teachers with an accessible but musically challenging production to stage as a school musical.

Curriculum Notes

This clip will be relevant for teaching Drama and Music at KS3, KS4/GCSE in England and Northern Ireland, also Music at KS3 and Drama GCSE in Wales.

This topic appears in OCR, Edexcel, AQA, WJEC, CCEA GCSE in Northern Ireland and SQA 2nd Level, 3rd Level and National 4 in Scotland.

More from the series Make a Musical

First of a six-part SEN production where we meet the principal characters: bully and victim.

Drama KS3 / KS4: Musical theatre production of I Know Me (pt 1/6)

Second in a six-part SEN production where the characters are transported to a land of music.

Drama KS3 / KS4: Musical theatre production of I Know Me (pt 2/6)

Fourth in a six-part SEN production where Sidney learns to overcome his fear through dance.

Drama KS3 / KS4: Musical theatre production of I Know Me (pt 4/6)

Fifth in a six-part SEN production where the characters are transported to a land of music.

Drama KS3 / KS4: Musical theatre production of I Know Me (pt 5/6)

Sixth in a six-part SEN production where the characters use music to resolve negative issues.

Drama KS3 / KS4: Musical theatre production of I Know Me (pt 6/6)

A look at the different character types that feature in the musical I Know Me.

Drama KS3 / KS4: Exploring character types