Making your Own Instruments for Small Children

Articles on Musical Instruments | Topics: instruments, instrument

by Xander Andrews

To make great music, you do not need to be a professional musician. There are no lessons needed, or long hours of practice. Not only can you make music, you can make your own musical instruments. Amaze your family and friends with your creative talent. Consider making,

Finger Cymbals: from baby jar lids, elastic, and something to put holes in through the lids.

Humming Flute: can be easily made from the cardboard toilet tissue roll

Jingle Bell Mitt is something your child will love the noise they can make with gloves you no longer use

Musical Bottle is a lot like a maraca rattle you can use any type of soda bottle

Oatmeal Can Drum: you can mike this even if you do not eat oatmeal I am sure you can find some type of item you can turn into a drum

Paper Plate Tambourine: your child will have fun decorating the plates as they want and have some dried beans handy and you will be on your way to making music

Kazoo: you should not throw away those used cardboard toilet paper roll and a rubber band and you will soon be making music

Balloon Tom-Tom: You will need the following supplies:

Oatmeal box or a container of this shape

Two large balloons

Two heavy rubber bands

Two pencils with erasers

To begin, open both ends of the container you have chosen (this is for the body of the drum). Cut a small end off the balloons (not the closed end). You will use for the "skin" of the drum. Once you have cut the small end of the balloons, stretch it over the container. You will then use the rubber bands to hold the balloon in place. You do not want any wrinkles on the surface so smooth it out. Do the same for the other container. Now hand those pencils (not sharpened) to your child and let the music begin.

Xylo-drum: You will need the following supplies:

A container of your choice for the body of the drum

Styrofoam cup that will fit securely inside the body of the drum

Rubber band

Three to six nails that are of varying sizes

Duct tape

A stick

Follow the same directions as you did for the Balloon Tom-Tom, although you only need to use one drum instead of two. Now take the nails the shortest to the longest and press them through the rim of the Styrofoam cup. It is important that they do not touch each other. Place the base of the cup into the body of the drum and tape it into place with the duct tape. Now you make the striker by taping a nail to the end of the stick Ц music time.

аBit of History

Science, unguided by a higher abstract principle, freely hands over its secrets to a vastly developed and commercially inspired technology, and the latter, even less restrained by a supreme culture saving principle, with the means of science creates all the instruments of power demanded from it by the organization of Might.

—Johan Huizinga (1872–1945)

Coffee Can Bongos: The supplies you will need:

Two coffee cans that are different sizes (keep the lids)

Two wing nuts

Two bolts

Open both ends of the coffee cans. When you have done this, take a nail and punch two holes in each can. The lines should be in a straight-line one on top of the other. It will be important to line them up so that the bolts can go from one can to the other. (Especially since, they are of different sizes). Now put the bolts through the holes and add the wing nuts securing them. If you want, you can decorate the body of the drums. When you are, done take the lids and use them for the heads of the drums. Time to slap your hands to the beat of your own music.

Mouth Drum: Supplies you will need:

Mouth

Hands

Open your mouth slightly, now lightly hit your cheeks with your open hands. This will work best when your hands are straight and not curved and your fingers are together. You can change the position of your mouth to create different sounds. Do not hit your cheeks hard Ц you are having fun not trying to cause harm.

Pan Drum: The supplies you will need:

Several cardboard tubes that vary in lengths (make sure they are of the same diameter

Stiff transparent paper

Glue

Model airplane lacquer

If you want to decorate the tubes, do so now. You will make the drumheads out the transparent paper so cut that now and glue it to each tube. When the glue dries, it is time to treat each drumhead with the lacquer. The reason you are using the lacquer is to create tension in the drumhead. Once the lacquer is dry, connect the drums using rubber bands, glue, or whatever you have handy.

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