Submitted by Jodi Goble, Massachusetts

Idea posted March 28, 2002

I've decided to go ahead with my homemade drums, with a few revisions! Since I have seventy five gallon cans, courtesy of my cafeteria ladies, I'm going to go ahead and have every kid make a floor tom.

I took a weekend trip to Home Depot and found, in the bathroom aisle, these great funnel-shaped metal fixtures that are meant to connect a large pipe to a smaller one... and the smaller end just HAPPENS to be the same diameter as the gallon cans! So I bought four, for $4 each, and made some djembe/doumbek drums (gotta love duct tape). I'll have extra cans, even after the in-class projects, so I'm going to let some of my fourth graders, who hang around after school and beg to help with whatever I'm working on, make some tall "congas" with two cans duct-taped together vertically. I've experimented all week and have a KICKING drumhead going. Very easy, too.

Here's my set of directions, in case anyone's interested:

  1. Use a can opener to remove the ends of the can. Smooth over any sharp bits with duct tape.
  2. Tape all around the edge that you're going to put the drumhead on, to pad it.
  3. Cut a square of weatherproofing plastic that's just larger than the end of the can. (It should be the kind of plastic that shrinks when heated. Thanks to whoever suggested this on the list). Use duct tape to fasten this to the end of the can, as tightly as possible. I used a north-south, east-west approach - taped one side, then the opposite side, then did the right angles. This left four little "tufts" of unsecured plastic, one at each corner of the drumhead. Twist each "tuft" until that corner is taut, then tape down the twist.
  4. Heat the plastic drumhead with a hair dryer. Don't get too carried away or you'll melt it. I know this from experience.
  5. Cut a square of unbleached muslin or other thin cotton cloth that's the same size as the square of plastic. Repeat the taping/tufting/twisting procedure, over the top of the plastic. Use colored duct tape (another Home Depot special) to run decorative horizontal bands around the top and bottom of the drum. (I used red. Black's good, too.)
  6. Use a spritzer bottle of water to dampen the cloth.
  7. Coat the damp fabric with a thick layer of glue. Elmer's is fine. I used the blue gel stuff - not as goopy.
  8. Reach up inside the can, and press the plastic against the cloth. Try to get all the bubbles out, if there are any. (So far, I've had minor bubble issues with the drums I've made, but it doesn't appear to impair the performance of the drumhead significantly.)
  9. Allow to dry. Repeat the spritzing/gluing process twice more. While the last coat is still wet, you can use glitter glue to create a decorative pattern on the drumhead, as an optional touch. My favorite so far is a loose spiral design that radiates out from the center of the drumhead... especially since the drum lessons stress the circle as a sign of equality.
  10. Decorate! I'm having my fifth graders decoupage their drums - keep reading for a blow-by-blow. The results are stunning.

Decoupage:

  1. For fifty kids, I bought two yards each of six different, but coordinating, patterns of fabric. I got a madras plaid, a polka-dot, two solids, and two random prints in primary colors.
  2. Use pinking shears to cut the fabric into pieces of different shapes and sizes.
  3. Dilute glue with water. You can't use Elmer's for this - it has to be tacky glue or some other craft brand that'll work on bare metal.
  4. Dip a piece of fabric in the glue/water mixture and apply it to the can, patting it gently down with your fingertips. It's easier to work around the can from top to bottom. The pieces should overlap slightly, though it's okay if a little can shows through here and there, and they shouldn't all be square to each other - the more random the better. Cover the whole can. The edges of the cloth should overlap the duct tape at the top and bottom of the can.
  5. Using a sponge brush or other small paintbrush, go back over the edges of the cloth pieces with more diluted glue, to make sure the corners stay down. A coat of diluted glue over the cloth will make it shiny, sort of like the fabric finish on the Remo drums, and increase durability.
  6. If you have glitter glue (Elmer's makes it; I bought a six-pack of assorted colors at Staples for six bucks), you can choose a color and fill in any little "holes" in the decoupage - anywhere you see silver tape or metal.
  7. Let it dry!

I showed the kids my "prototypes" on Friday, and they're really excited about starting to make them tomorrow. I'm pretty psyched myself. I've got digital pics of the djembes (see links below). They look REALLY good, and they sound great.