Music 3/23 - 27
Instrument building - all grades
Howdy, Jakes.
Maybe you’ve been singing along with the songs we’ve been posting on YouTube. You can find them on the John C Myers PTA Facebook page, or you can subscribe to Mrs. Clemens’ YouTube channel (Angela Clemens). There will be a song each day at least through this coming Friday, March 27.
If we were together in the music room, we’d be playing instruments in addition to singing so this week's music activities are all about instruments.
Fourth and fifth graders - if you have your recorder at home, you can log in to Quaver (email me if you need a reminder about how to do that) and find songs to practice. Also, you can learn how to play Have You Ever on your recorder if you watch Monday's song-of-the-day. And watch for Old Dan Tucker- there's a recorder part coming in that one, too.
If you have a ukulele at home and want some play-along videos (more than Have You Ever, which you can play using the chord G), let me know and I'll make some videos for you.
And for everyone, you can make an instrument. Maybe you can even make one that can play Do, Re, Mi. If so, you could play Hot Cross Buns, Merrily We Roll Along/Mary Had a Little Lamb, Three Blind Mice, Have You Ever (the song posted on 3/23) - to name a few.
You can build instruments out of materials you might have in a craft box or in your recycle box. Here’s what I started with, but you should use whatever you have around. There's no right and wrong way in these projects.
Instruments are grouped by family according to the way the sound is produced. We’ve grouped these projects by the 4 instruments families, along with a little background for each family.
STRING FAMILY
In the string family instruments sound is made by a vibrating string. Besides some sort of string, these instruments also have a resonating chamber where the vibrations bounce around - giving the vibration more sound. This family includes violin, viola, cello, and bass but also instruments such as guitar and banjo.
Rubber band guitar or banjo
Materials needed: rubber bands, box or container. Other options include a ruler or hard cardboard, paper plate, and things to decorate with.
Directions: Stretch rubber bands around your container. If you want, figure out a way to add a neck. Experiment with the size and stretch of your rubber bands.
String-o-phone
Materials needed: plastic bottle (juice bottles or single serve sweet tea or soda bottle work well), nylon string, bead or button, pencil or clothes pin, exacto knife - and an adult to help!
Directions:
Cut a hole in the side of the bottle for the sound hole. Also poke a small hole in the bottom of the bottle.
Tie the button tightly onto the string and thread it from the bottom of the bottle through and out the mouthpiece.
Tie the other end of the string onto the clothes pin or pencil.
Wind the string around the clip or pencil until it is tight.
Play by plucking the string through the soundhole. Adjust the tension of the string by twisting the clip at the top.
WOODWIND FAMILY
Most woodwind family instruments make sound by having air blown into a reed. Some, like the recorder and flute don’t have reeds but still produce sound by air travelling through a tube. Woodwind players then cover the holes on the instrument to change what note they are playing. Woodwind instruments include: recorders, flutes, clarinets, oboes, and saxophones.
Bottle flute
Materials needed: bottle with a small opening (2 liter bottle, single serve drink bottles, glass beverage bottles)
Directions: Hold the bottle opening just under your bottom lip and blow across the opening. Change the of the bottle until you get a tone like a whistle. Try with different sized bottles or add some water in the bottle to change the pitch.
Straw reed (or duck call)
Materials needed: straw, scissors
Directions: Cut one end of the straw to form a point. Hold the pointed ends between your lips with a small amount of pressure and blow. Adjust how far the straw is in your mouth and the amount of pressure until you get a buzzy sound. Try again with a different length of straw.
Panpipes
Materials needed: straws, scissors, tape, cardboard
Directions:
Cut the straws into varied lengths
Cut a strip of cardboard
Arrange the straws longest to shortest along the cardboard and tape into place
Tape another piece of cardboard along the other side of the straws.
Blow across the top edges of the straws
This is a quiet instrument and takes a little practice.
Bagpipe
Materials needed: cardboard tube (pringles can, paper towel tube), rubber glove, straw, tape
Directions:
Cut a small hole into one finger of the glove and tape the straw firmly into the hole.
Stretch the wrist end of the glove around the tube and tape onto the end of the tube.
Stretch the glove across the end of the tube loosely and blow into the straw.
Change the pitch by squeezing the air in the glove.
BRASS FAMILY
Brass instruments (for example, trumpets and tubas) make sound by having air blow through a mouthpiece that is directed through different tubes and valves. However, unlike woodwind players, brass players put the air into the tub by buzzing or vibrating their lips against a cup-shaped mouthpiece. Brass players change notes by pushing button-like valves that open and close portions of the air pathway. There is one common brass instrument that doesn’t change pitch with valves - do you know what it is? The slide trombone.
Instruments in this family are a little harder to copy at home. You can buzz into a section of garden hose but most of us don’t have that lying around - or cleaned up! However, I do have a non-traditional idea for you to try.
Didgeridoo
Not a traditional brass instrument, but included here because sound is produced with buzzing lips like brass instruments. The didgeridoo is an Australian instrument with a very interesting sound. Primarily used for rhythm, expert player are able to mimic sounds found in the Australian Outback. This would also be a fun instrument to do more research about.
Materials needed: Any type of tube - cardboard, plastic, PVC, metal
Directions:
If you are using cardboard, you might put several tubes together to create a longer tube.
If you are using plastic or metal, have an adult help you to make sure the end is smooth. (Traditional didgeridoos have beeswax mouthpieces.)
Decorate the tube however you want. Play by putting the tube against your lips, tightening your lips, and blowing so your lips vibrate. You should get a low buzzing sound.
PERCUSSION FAMILY
Challenge for your brain: The piano is included in the percussion family even though it has strings. Can you figure out why?
There are many percussion instruments you could make to strike, shake, or scrape. Here are two ideas.
Rainstick
Rainsticks are traditional Native American instruments made from cacti. But you don't need to cut off a piece from a large cactus to make one.
Materials needed: Cardboard or plastic tube, heavy paper or plastic, tape, toothpicks (or pipe cleaner or thin wire), small filler like rice, beans or beads
Directions
Cover one end of the tube with heavy paper or plastic.
Insert toothpicks into tube all the way along the tube. (I didn’t push mine all the way through, but you could.) An alternative is to coil the pipecleaner or wire and put it inside the tube.
Put your filler inside the tube - I used about ¼ cup of small buttons and bead.
Cover the other end and slowly turn the tube. The filler falling against the toothpicks or coil will create a sound similar to rain.
Glass xylophone
Materials needed: glass cups or bottles, water, pencil or stick
Directions:
Fill the glasses with different levels of water.
Tap the rim of the glass, adjusting the level of water to tune your instrument
AND MORE!!!!!
Finally, you can find more instrument build ideas as well as games and activities at these two sites:
https://www.mydso.com/dso-kids/
Mr. Chaplin and I would love to see and hear what you made. You can share pictures or videos with us through Seesaw.