Part of anyone’s responsiveness to music comes from childhood exposure to harmonious sounds. From the first school years, children are taught to make their own musical instruments, which they play afterwards. This helps kids understand how sounds are created while they acquire some fundamental experience about the way music works. Teaching children how to make musical instruments develops creativity and stimulates imagination. Let’s see some concrete examples of how to make children’s musical instruments and show how to relate it to musical creations.
Xylophone activities are easily integrated in a craft lesson. Let’s see how we can help children make a nice musical instrument. Take eight glass jars and gradually fill them with water. Pour little water in the first one, and fill the last to the brim. Afterwards ask the children to add tempera to each jar, following the rainbow colors. When you’re ready, ask the kids to softly hit the jars with a stick and notice the various sounds the improvised xylophone will make. Thus you will not only help children make a musical instrument, but will be able to actually prove the sound difference.
One other fun activity designed for children to make their own musical instruments is the creation of a bonko. Explain to the kids what a bonko is and how it is used in various parts of the wold. The general term is: stamping tube, but names vary according to the country that uses it. You will need several tin cans, with both edges carefully cut. Only one of the cans should be left with a bottom. Bind the cans together with adhesive tape paying attention to the possible sharp edges. An adult should absolutely watch over the children’s musical instrument making, so that they don’t injure themselves.
Once the cans are bound together all that’s left to do is actually play this instrument. Ask the kids to put a towel on the floor and hit the bonko following a certain rhythm. They can get their own beat by bonking faster or slower, hardly or softly. When children are entrusted with the making of their own musical instruments, they learn the sense of responsibility, without even realizing it. Encouraging children to put together the musical instruments parts of their own, out of card boxes, strings, rubber, jars or any other materials, helps them improve a native skill that may prove crucial in their adulthood.
