This article was written for Paducah Parenting magazine.
Homemade Musical Instruments
Music can be found anywhere and everywhere, and can be as simple as the elemental
sounds in nature of the wind whistling through the trees, or as complex as a concerto
performed by the Paducah Symphony Orchestra. Music is especially present during the
holidays with songs and carols to celebrate the season. Add some homemade
instruments to accompany the singing, and the combination will work magic for your
children.
Making musical instruments out of ordinary materials you may have around your house
can be a great way for the kids to fill their time when they are out of school over the
Holiday Break. It will help them develop listening skills, creativity, and imagination - and
it's much better for them than watching TV. At the Harmony Road Music School, we make
instruments as part of our lessons and camps, and our students especially enjoy making
the Tom-Tom Drum, the Bell Tambourine, and the Ocean Drum. So, gather the following
materials to have on hand this holiday season and start creating!!
Tom-Tom Drum (perfect for playing with "The Little Drummer Boy")
What you need: coffee can or oatmeal container or other cylindrical container, scissors,
2 large balloons, 2 heavy rubber bands, 2 pencils with eraser tops, construction paper,
markers or holiday stickers, glue.
What to do: Start with the cylindrical container that has had both ends removed to make a
tube with no top or bottom. This is the drum body. Glue construction paper to fit around
the tube to cover it. Decorate with markers or stickers, etc. Then, use scissors to trim
away the open end of a balloon enough so that you can stretch the balloon over one end
of the drum body. The balloon is the drum skin. Hold the balloon in place with a heavy
rubber band. Smooth out any puckers to make the skin tight. Repeat process with the
other balloon and the other end of the drum.
How to play: Use the eraser end of the pencils as drumsticks. You may also use
fingertips to stike around the rim or in the center, making different pitches of sounds.
Bell Tambourine (perfect for playing with "Jingle Bells")
What you need: 2 paper plates, markers or holiday stickers, 6 or 7 jingle bells, stapler,
inch wide colorful electrical or masking tape.
What to do: Decorate the bottoms of the paper plates with markers or stickers. Turn 1
plate face up and place the jingle bells on the plate. Cover with the second plate face
down so that the rims match and the bells are inside. Staple every inch around the rims
so the bells cannot fall our. If you'd like, you may use the electrical or masking tape to
tape around the outside of the rim to further close any opening.
How to play: Shake the tambourine for a bell-like sound. Strike it with the heal of your
hand for an additional percussive drum sound.
Ocean Drum (great for all kinds of weather songs)
What you need: foil pie pan with plastic lid, or other clear plastic food container (the
bigger the lid, the better; round containers work best); rice, sand, tiny shells, beans or
seeds; colorful electrical or masking tape, paper and paint or markers, glue or tape.
What to do: Cut the paper the same size and shape as the bottom of the container. Paint
or color a design or picture on the paper and glue or tape it to the outside of the
container. You can also attach a picture on the inside of the bottom of the container. Fill
the bottom with &
How to play: To make the sound of the ocean, slowly tip the container to one side so that
the contents "roll" across the bottom of the container to the opposite side. When the
contents are on the other side, turn the container so the contents move along the outside
edge of the container. You may also use the ocean drum to make other weather sounds.
A soft rain can be achieved by tapping fingertips on the plastic top of the drum. Turn the
drum over and pound the foil surface with the palm of the hand for a thundering drum
sound. Wind sounds are made by rolling the drum as if it were the steering wheel of a
car, back and forth or in a 360 degree path. Shaking the drum produces a maraca effect.
Rubbing a pencil or wooden spoon along the ridges of the plastic lid turns the drum into a
scraper.
After making these instruments and exploring the different ways of creating sound, it's
time to accompany yourself while singing your favorite songs, both holiday and otherwise.
Even long after the holidays, the instruments will continue to be popular with your child.
For songs to use all throughout the year, and for other instrument-making ideas, an
excellent resource is In All Kinds of Weather, Kids Make Music! written by Lynn Kleiner
and published by Warner Brothers Publishing. The idea for making the ocean drum came
from this book, and we use it at the Harmony Road School in our "Rhythm and Rhyme"
class. To order it online, you can visit www.musicrhapsody.com and go to the Music
Rhapsody Store. Be sure to order the parent-child book.
Perhaps these activities will start you thinking about other instruments you can invent
from common household items. At any rate, the time put into making instruments and
exploring their sounds over the holiday break will be time well-spent, providing enjoyment
for child and parent alike. Have a wonderful holiday season!!