Musical Instrument Project

Musical Instrument project Information for 2015 (pdf or google doc)

Create Your Own Musical Instrument!

Suggested Materials

You may use almost anything to build your musical instrument, such as different sizes of rubber bands, cardboard boxes, different lengths of cardboard tubes or plastic pipes, string, wooden craft sticks or tongue depressors, drinking straws, and bottles. You may use other materials of your own choosing that you bring from home, as long as you discuss this with your teacher first. Practically anything can be incorporated into a musical instrument.

Project Hints

• • Think about whether you will want to play your instrument by blowing into it, strumming it, striking it, or by some other method.

• • Be creative! Don’t limit yourself to the materials suggested by your teacher. And don’t just copy an existing instrument. Part of your teacher’s assessment of your project will be based on originality.

• • As you decide on the design of your instrument, remember that you will need to play something on it. Your instrument must not only make sounds, but it must make different sounds.

The following tasks will help you start the design phase of this project.

1. Brainstorm all the ways you can think of that musical instruments make and modify sound.

2. Draw a diagram of your proposed instrument. Be sure to label its parts, and the materials you will use. This will be an assignment in your notebook.

3. How will you play your instrument? Exactly how will your instrument make sounds? What will vibrate to create sound waves? How will your instrument make sounds of different pitch and volume?

4. Make detailed notes on the construction of your instrument. Will you need to use other materials for certain parts of your instrument? How will the parts fit together? Will you need glue or special tools to make your instrument? This will be an assignment in your notebook.

Project Rules

• You must be able to demonstrate how to change the loudness of the sound produced by your instrument. Loud sounds can damage hearing; do not play your instrument too near other students’ ears.

• Your instrument must be made of safe materials. Cover any sharp edges, use no electricity, etc.

• You must demonstrate and play a simple tune (or rhythm) on your instrument in a class presentation by playing a minimum of three different notes (frequencies).

Scoring Rubric

In evaluating how well you complete the project, I will judge your work based on your efforts to creatively create the instrument as well as how functional it is. You will also complete a detailed drawing and description in your notebook.

1. Labeled drawing of your instrument in your notebook (10 points)

a. Must include all parts labeled

b. Detail what each piece is made out of

2. Description of how you constructed your project (10 points)

a. Minimum of two (2) paragraphs

b. Explain what you attached where, how, and why

3. Musical instrument itself (60 points) TOTAL: 80 points

Your instrument will be graded based on this rubric:

Suggested easy tune (B – high note, A – middle note, G – low note):