Making Sounds

We'd loved making our own instruments... and making a LOT of noise!!!!

As with most of our 'makes' these instruments can be made out of things already in the home.

Making instruments is a great way to explore sound, volume and how they are both made. You can also talk about rhythm and pace. 

We played around with making the using the instruments for about an hour or two. None of them took long to make or cost any money to create. 

Original Instructions

A Bottle Xylaphone

We used: Milk bottles, water & a paintbrush

We lined the milk bottles in a row and filled them with water a little more in each bottle making a scale. 

Fill bottles with water

Add more water in each bottle

Amelie spent ages playing the Bottle Xylophone using the end of a paint bush as a beater. She loved sweeping the beater along the scale listening to how it changed up in pitch then back down again depending in whether she moved the beater left to right or right to left. We talked about high notes and low notes and used our voices to copy the note being played. 

Maraccas

We used: Plastic bottle & uncooked rice

We hadn't planed to make instruments on this day. A little forward planning would have meant keeping a bottle AND lid! I found the bottle in the recycling bin but no lid so we had to use some fabric to cover the opening of the bottle and secure it with an elastic band - Not ideal, but did the job. 

To make the maracca we simply put rice into the bottle and sealed it. All that is left to do is shake!

Place rice into the bottle

Seal the opening

Very simple and easy to play. We talked about making 'hard sounds' by shaking it fast and 'soft sounds' by tilting it slowly. 

Tin Drum 

We used: A rubber band, a clean empty tin and paintbrush

To make a tin drum we used a baked bean tin. This was OK as we use a can opener which dulls the cut edge making it safer to use. I suggest you use an empty cocoa tin or something similar just to avoid any injuries. We then stretched a rubber band over the opening and base. We then pulled the rubber band at the opening to make a 'plonk' sound. As we used a tin it had small ridges on the side. This made a great scraping sound when the paint brush beater was dragged along it. The beater could also be used to strike the tin to make rhythms. 

"Plonk, plonk, plonk"

Cymbals

What we used: Two saucepan lids

I don't think making cymbals needs any real explanation. It can be summed up in one word 'BANG'!!!

Lastly... Castanets 

What we used: Two teaspoons

This was a little fiddly so a good exercise for those fine motor skills. We placed the two spoons together, one sitting in the other then holding the handles in one hand beat it against the palm of the opposite hand. We chose to use teaspoons but you could use two wooden spoons to beat together. 

There you have it 'Making Sounds'! This will be a great group activity with other kids playing along to some choice tunes. If you are able to record their noises (or film them) and play it back to them, their fascination and appreciation will deepen.