Pupils complete a hip-hop style beat by adding snare on beats 2 and 4. There is a simple verbal explanation of what they have to do and a backing track to play along to. There is an on-screen beat counter to help them keep their place, which can be switched off as skills improve. There is also a demo button showing what they are aiming at, which lights up the snare pad to show when it is pressed. Users can record and play back their performances for self-evaluation.

Curriculum area: Performing

Main focus: Playing on beats 2 and 4 (the backbeats) of a 4-beat cycle. Assessing accuracy aurally.

Possible learning outcomes: Improved rhythmic accuracy. Counting beats in groups of 4. Awareness of Beats 2 and 4 as important for snare.

Suggestion for where next: Other beat completers to continue improving rhythmic accuracy.

There is a single sample pad that triggers a 4-beat drum loop. The backing loop has no drums and pupils need to trigger the sample pad exactly on beat 1 of the backing riff. There is an on-screen beat counter to help then keep their place, which can be turned off as skills progress. Pupils can record and play back their performances for self-evaluation. This is more difficult than you might at first imagine! The natural tendency is to listen to the drums you are triggering rather than whether they are in time with the backing. It takes considerable skill and independence to correct your drum timing in line with a melodic riff.

Curriculum area: Performing

Main focus: Playing on beat 1 of a 4-beat cycle

Possible learning outcomes: Improved rhythmic accuracy. Counting beats in groups of 4. Awareness of Beat 1

Suggestion for where next: Other beat completers to continue improving rhythmic accuracy.

This interactive performing app is one of a range of resources relating to track 2 of the Saydisc 'Listen to This, KS3' world music recordings, with the title 'Chassidic Melody 24'. 6 sample pads trigger either a plucked bass note or a short or long accordian chord related to one of the 2 chords (C and Fm) used in the backing in the authentic recording. Pupils, in groups of 3, compose and perform their own version based on the original recording.

One pupil in the group uses these sample pads to play a live backing on the computer while another plays off-beat tambourine. A third pupil makes up a melody based on the eastern scale C,D flat,E,F,B flat. (Alternatively, if the scale E,F,G#,A,D is preferred, the pads can be transposed so that the chords match: E and Am)

The original recording is available for reference on the Play button and further advice is available on the Coach button.

Pupils complete a hip-hop style beat by adding snare on beats 2 and 4 while the tempo of the backing track gradually increases. There is a simple audio explanation and demo of what they have to do but there is no on-screen beat counter to help users keep their place - they need to rely on musical cues, not visual ones. Users can record and play back their performances for self-evaluation.

Curriculum area: Performing

Main focus: Playing on beats 2 and 4 (the backbeats) as the tempo speeds up.

Possible Learning Outcomes: Improved awareness of tempo and skill at playing in time as tempo changes

There is a grid layout of 9 sample pads - a mixture of percussion sounds and instrumental loops. Some pads are set so that the sample always decays naturally, while others gate the sound immediately on release. An edit panel is available to change this behaviour, or to allow free volume and pan on any sample pad. Pupils can listen to an audio explanation of how to build a beat from scratch, adding additional sounds in new layers. They then freely record their own extended electro textures to a metronome beat at 126 BPM. They can mute the different layers in and out if they wish as the recording plays back.

Curriculum area: Performing, Composing

Main focus: Making up a beat from scratch at 126 BPM, recording it in layers, by freely triggering up to 9 different samples

Possible Learning Outcomes: Ability to record own free electro drum patterns to a 126 BPM metronome click

There is just one sample pad (kick). Pupils hear some examples of dubstep-style kick patterns and then explore recording their own kick rhythms in time to a hats and snare backing, building up in layers if they wish.

Curriculum area: Performing, Composing

Main focus: Inventing kick patterns to go with a given dubstep-style backing

Possible Learning Outcomes: Improved skill at devising/performing more intricate kick rhythms