Find the Music
What do you do when you hear music? Do you tap your feet or clap your hands? Maybe you feel like dancing or marching.
Creating new rhythms and tones with instruments you make yourself can be an enjoyable and unique way to find the music inside of you.
It’s easy to make your own instruments. Just look around your home—open some drawers and cupboards and use your imagination. Here are a few ideas:
•
Suspend a fork from a string or rubber band. Now tap the
fork with a table knife. The tapping will produce a ringing
sound resembling a triangle.
• A maraca sound is easy to make. Put some unpopped popcorn, dried beans, or uncooked rice into an empty can with a top. Shake the can vigorously and establish the beat. You can also place the same materials in empty plastic milk, soda-pop, or film containers to produce different sounds.
• Make rhythm sticks by tapping two wooden mixing spoons. Now try tapping two metal spoons together. Which sound do you like better?
• Pour different amounts of water into several drinking glasses. Gently tap each glass with a table knife to hear its unique tone. The glass with the least water will have the highest tone.
•
Wrap sandpaper around each of two blocks of wood and rub
them together
to make a rasping sound. Now try to imitate the sound of
a steam engine by slowly rubbing the blocks together and
then increasing the speed.
• Rubber bands sing when they are stretched across a firm box or basket. Strum the rubber bands and listen for different tones. The tones will differ according to the width of the rubber band and how tightly it is stretched.
• A crying water bowl is an unusual sound. You will need a stainless steel bowl, a half-cup of water, and a table knife. Pour the water into the bowl. Hold the bowl with one hand, moving it around in a circular motion. Tap the bottom of the moving bowl gently with the table knife. As the water swirls around in the bowl, a crying sound will be heard.
Music is twice as much fun when you share it with others. So gather a few friends and find the music together.
