Submitted by Theresa Goble, Stephanie Carey, La Porte, IN; Portsmouth, OH
Idea posted February 17, 2004
Q: Does anybody have any ideas for making homemade playable instruments that can be made by the students out of cheap materials?
A: From Theresa Goble in La Porte, Indiana
Here are just a few suggestions for you:
1. Film Canister Shakers: Go to the photo department in any drug, grocery, or convenience store and ask for the 35 mm film canisters. They will be happy to give them to you. Fill them one-third of the way with rice, beans, gravel or popcorn kernels. Give the students very small stickers to decorate the outside, these are also VERY cheap in the respective store's school supplies department.
2. Pringles Can Shakers: Same insides as the film canisters above...just more of it! A small piece of construction paper fits very neatly around the outside of a Pringles can! Tape it on to secure. Have the students decorate with markers, stickers, et cetera
3. Pop/Soda/Coke Can Shaker: Fill the shaker with rice, gravel, popcorn kernels, et cetera (same as before). Use colored electrical tape to close the opening. Again, measure construction paper for the outside and secure onto can, OR... if you have a little more money and a little more patience, have them wrap brightly colored yarn around their cans.
4. Shoe Box Stringed Instrument: Have students bring in shoe boxes. Cover the outsides with whatever plain paper you have on hand. Have the students decorate their boxes with musical symbols, notes, et cetera. Give each of them four to six different shaped and colored rubber bands. Stretch them across the box lengthwise and voilá! Stringed instrument!
5. Toilet Paper Tube Kazoos: Collect enough toilet paper tubes and make sure all toilet paper is off. Have students decorate. Cover one end with a small piece of waxed paper; secure with a rubber band. Blow into it for a cool wind instrument.
From Stephanie Carey in Portsmouth, Ohio
Some Homemade instruments that I like to make are:
1. Straw Oboes: Have students chew one end of the straw (needs to be pretty large in diameter) until it's flat. Then cut the flattened end to a point. Blow REALLY hard on the flattened end of the straw to get an oboe-like sound. Experiment with cutting different lengths of straw for different "notes"!
2. Water Bottle Flutes: Use empty water bottles and blow across them the way you do a flute. Students can decorate these with paint, markers, stickers, et cetera.
3. Rainsticks: I plan to make these with my fourth and sixth grade students in a few weeks. Have parents and teachers save empty wrapping paper and paper towel rolls (toilet paper rolls work too, but you would have to tape several of them together). Stick toothpicks all the way through the tube all up and down the tube at different places and angles and clip off the ends. Use large masking tape all the way around the tube to keep the toothpicks in place. Fill with a little bit of rice (experiment to find the right amount!) and secure both ends. Decorate and play!!