Rosholt Vocal Music Department - Homemade Instruments

Making homemade musical instruments is not only fun, but there are so many learning benefits also!

Increases and develops pride and self-esteem
Improves listening/step-by-step skills
Enhances and promotes creativeness and self-expression
Promotes a sense of beat, rhythm knowledge (music literacy) and coordination
Develops fine and gross motor skills
Increases emotional intelligence and memory

Rainbow ShakersSupplies:Paper towel or toilet paper rollsDried pasta, beans, riceTapePaint/Markers (optional)
Assembly:1. Tape up one end.2. Add dried pasta, beans, rice, popcorn, etc.3. Tape the other end. Paint/color (optional).4. Shake!
http://5ericksonsplay.blogspot.com/2011/07/craft-rainbow-shakers.html

Easter Egg MaracasSupplies:Plastic Easter eggsPlastic spoonsTape and markersPopcorn kernels OR rice OR beans or the like
Assembly:1. Fill the eggs with popcorn/rice/beans/etc.2. Tape plastic spoons to the sides of the egg.3. Decorate with markers.4. Make music!
www.madeeveryday.com/tutorial-easter-egg-maracas-for-cinco-de-mayo/

Mini Tin Can DrumsSupplies:Small tin cansPaint and paint brush20 inch balloons, one per canScissorsRibbonCraft glue or hot glue is best
Assembly:1. Wash and dry your tin cans, removing the label.2. Add paint to the outside. Get creative! Decorate them any way you’d like. Let the paint dry completely!3. With your scissors, cut the balloon. Cut down farther down than you think – just where it starts to get big toward the base (you can always cut more – start cutting closer to the open air hole).4. Stretch your balloon over your tin can. Stretch it as much as possible to get the best drum sound. If you’re having trouble with the stretching, help it stay in place with tape/glue dots.5. With your glue, add your ribbon to the seam of the balloon. This will help glue the balloon in place as well as glue on the ribbon.6. Get your “drum sticks.” Use paper tubes, pencils, paint brushes, etc. Rub a pencil down the ribbed side!
https://www.makeandtakes.com/earth-day-craft-challenge

Popsicle Stick HarmonicaSupplies:2 Popsicle Sticks – wide ones may work better2 Rubber bands – you could also use stringA strip of paper the same size as the Popsicle Stick2 toothpicks cut the width or just wider than the Popsicle Stick
Assembly:1. Sandwich the paper string in between the 2 popsicle sticks.2. Wrap a rubber band around one end until it is snug.3. Slide a toothpick to the inside of the rubber band.4. Sandwich the last toothpick at the other end of the popsicle sticks, and wrap with a rubber band. (Try placing one toothpick on top of the paper and one toothpick under the paper.)5. Make music! Blow or suck air to make a sound.
http://www.housingaforest.com/popsicle-stick-harmonica/

Den Den DrumA two headed drum on a rod with beads or pellets hanging on threads on either side of the body of the drum. When twisting or rolling the rod between the palms of the hands causes the beads to swing and strike the heads of the drum.
Supplies:Wood spoonsDrillThread or StringBeadsPaint and/or Markers and/or Stickers
Assembly:1. Drill 2 small holes about 1 cm apart in the center of the spoon head.2. Thread the string through one of the holes and tie a knot to prevent it from slipping back through the hole.3. Thread the beads onto the string and tie another knot to stop the beads from slipping off. Cut off any excess string.4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 for the other side of the spoon.
https://www.learning4kids.net/2012/01/25/homemade-musical-instrument-den-den-drum-2/

Singing StrawsDrinking straws cut into different lengths will make different sounds when you blow into them!
Supplies:6-8 strawsTapeScissorsStickers (optional)
Assembly:1. Cut a long strip of tape and put the straws on the stickyside, arranging them in twos from the shorts to longest ones.2. Secure well with more tape further down so that the straws will not move around.3. Stickers? – decorate if you’d like4. Blow to create different sounds!
http://krokotak.com/2013/04/singing-straws/

TambourineSupplies:(Small) Paper PlateString or yarnHole punch/pencilScissors7 jingle bells (from an old Christmas decoration?)Crayons, stickers, markers, etc.
Assembly:1. Decorate the back of the paper plate using crayons/stickers/markers/etc.2. Cut 7 small section of yarn about 3 inches long.3. Thread one jingle bell onto each piece of yarn.4. Use a hole punch or a pencil to poke 7 holes around the edge of the plate. Don’t get too close to the edgeor the jingle bell will rip through.5. Tie each jingle bell to the plate and cut the excess yarn off.6. Tap and Shake!
https://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/music/tambourine-craft.asp

Paper Plate CymbalsSupplies: Two paper plates (same size)Ribbon, string or pipe cleanerCoins or metal washersPencilGlue gunPaint brushPoster paint or acrylic paint (gold - optional) Assembly:1. Using the tip of a pencil, punch a pair of holes at the center of each plate. The distance between the holes should be about 3 inches or as wide as the palm of your hand.2. Paint (gold optional!) or decorate the plates.3. Cymbals’ straps: Pipe cleaners or cut a pair of 10-in long ribbon/string/yarn strips.4. Attach a strap to a cymbal. Position a cymbal bottom side up. Insert the ends of a strap into the pair of holes. Tie the ends of the ribbon/pipe cleaner on the flip side of the paper plate.5. Try holding the cymbal through the strap. Adjust. Add a strap on the other cymbal.6. Flip the cymbals so that each plate’s front side is facing up. Use a glue gun to attach small coins ormetal washers all around the edge of each plate. Let dry completely. 7. Bang the cymbals together.
https://www.firstpalette.com/craft/paper-plate-cymbals.html

Water Xylophone Supplies:4, 5 or 6 jars (baby food, canning) -or glasses, same shape/sizeWaterBlue, red, yellow food coloring (optional)Xylophone Striker (whatever “stick” you may have)
Assembly:1. Put varying amounts of water into each jar. Ensure thateach jar has slightly less water than the jar previous to it. Evaluate and adjust as needed!2. Optional: Practice the order of the rainbow or experiment mixing colors – a different color for each jar.3. Use a “striker” to play the xylophone. Be careful not tostrike so hard break the glass!
https://sugarspiceandglitter.com/kids-kitchen-water-xlyophone-science-experiment/

Castanets Supplies:Cardboard & Scissors4 bottle caps & HammerSuperglue or hot glueMarkers, paint, glitter, etc
Assembly:1. Flatten the bottle caps with a hammer.2. Draw 2 wide strips with rounded edges onto cardboard. Cut out. Fold in half – like duck bills.3. Put a dab of glue on the jagged edge (the bottom) of each bottle cap. Glue one to the top and one to the bottom of the inside of each piece of cardboard so the bottle caps meet when you close the cardboard “duck bills.” Let dry.4. Decorate with markers, paint, etc. Let dry.5. Hold one castanet in each hand. Press the upper and lower pieces of cardboard together to meet and click.https://www.education.com/activity/article/Castanets/(you will have to sign-up at education.com (quick!) to access the activity)