Instrument Ideas
I got an email from a teacher who is going to Cambodia to work with children.
I’m going to be teaching a workshop in Cambodia in a couple weeks for Friends International. They have about 5 foreigners who head up cultural activities and care for the children that they support. They have asked me to do a half day workshop on making instruments from recycled materials and then some songs and activities they can do. Do you have any great resources for this? I would definitely like to pull a few songs from the “Singing Games Kids Love” books, but other than playing along to recordings and soundscapes, I’m a bit stumped for good ideas of what they can do with their homemade instruments.
1. Play instruments along with recorded music – classical, folk tunes, pop tunes
– I do a play along almost every music class with my preschool aged kids, getting them to play the beat
– I find different ways to play: loud/quiet, finding any different timbres the instruments can make
With older kids, I’d teach them some basic rhythms, and have them play a series of rhythm patterns with the music.
If you have the Listening Resource Kits, take a look at any of the instrument playalongs in them.
2. Substitute instrument sounds in familiar songs
The wheels on the Bus go round and round – we play on the round and round
With my littlest ones,we use only one instrument for all the things on the bus.
With older kids, I’d choose instruments that fit the sounds of money, or doors opening and shutting.
Use body percussion as well – doesn’t have to be instruments.
Other familiar songs that work like this:
Let Everyone Clap Hands Like me – let everyone play sticks like me
If You’re Happy and you know it play the sticks, x x
3. Add sound effects to storybooks
* Mortimer is a must do
* Mmm Cookies by Robert Munsch is really good too
* Up UP Down by Robert Munsch I do as well
I’d like to write some stories for kids to add sound effects to – I need some that my littlest (3 year olds) could play with. If you have any brainstorms let me know!
4. Older kids love the Pop song play alongs.
We’re working on a publication, but it will be a few months.
Artie Almeida did this to wipe out – really fun with sticks on buckets or some kind of drum
5. Create Rhythm Compositions
– create rhythm canons – have different groups of instruments start at different times
– create 4 bar rhythm and add an ostinato. Put the ostinato on one instrument, and have the rest play the rhythm.
6. Check the lesson plan section of the blog for more ideas.