Looking for something fun to make at home? Each week we are collecting and curating resources around a topic and this week is music. We are focusing on making with what you have around the house. Here’s some inspiration to get you started!
Close your eyes and listen. What do you hear? Birds chirping? Cars passing by? Laughter? Sounds are all around you, and all of those sounds are created by vibrations! Throughout history, people around the world have used vibration to create music as a source of joy, to mark important events, and to unite people during difficult times. Check out this activity to learn how vibrations create sound, and join us as we build some instruments and make music together!
Follow along with us as we make musical instruments out of things we found at home, and use our instruments to dance to some beats!
To make your own musical instruments, you will need the following materials:
- Peruvian Cajón: cardboard box, scissors, writing utensil, tape
- Shaker/Maraca: an empty bottle or container and rice, beans, seeds or pebbles
- Make Your Own: pots & pans, bucket, spoons, cans, tape, etc
Looking for additional inspiration? Check out these ideas:
- Make other instruments with this guide by the Creativity Lab at Lighthouse.
- Where did these instruments come from? Read about the cajón here and the maracas here.
- Watch John Santos use maracas to create all sorts of rhythms.
- Take a look at MIT’s Full STEAM Ahead resources on Music and Sound.
We want to see your projects! After the livestream, we encourage you to post your musical instrument or your music on Twitter or Instagram. Tag us @MakerEdOrg with #MakerEdAtHome and #MakeMusic
Learning in the Making: LIVE! is an online video series designed to support educators and families with accessible hands-on learning experiences. This work is part of our focus on supporting remote learning in various environments. (To learn more, read this blog post about our work during shelter-in-place measures in 2020.)
Each week, we are hosting a live making activity on our YouTube channel and sharing related resources on our blog.
We are so excited to support hands-on learning as educators, caregivers, and young learners shift to distance learning, and we need your support! Donate today so we can keep going.
it was a cool website for art
can you guys figure out how to make easy woodwind instruments?
Instructables has some woodwind instruments! https://www.instructables.com/id/Musical-Instruments-to-Make-at-Home/