Making Music!

Musical instruments are great fun for making a bit of noise and banging, drumming or tapping in time with songs and music.  Even more fun is making instruments yourselves and having a go at using your own creations.  It's simple, and it's cheap and it's a great activity to do together.  Here's how to make a few different instruments to play at home with the little ones:-

Maracas: half fill empty plastic bottles of all shapes and sizes with different sorts of dried beans and pulses.  Pasta, dried peas, lentils, rice etc all make a great noise.  Screw the top tightly so none come out and secure with tape too.

Drums: put some dried pasta into closed and sealed margarine tubs or yogurt pots with lids.  Tape closed and drum with a wooden spoon.  You will hear the beans jump around inside along with the drumming noise as they bang.

Trumpets: decorate kitchen roll tubes with stickers and streamers and simply blow and toot into them!  Couldn't be easier and great to accompany a nursery rhyme.

Rhythm sticks: tie ribbons or streamers to wooden spoons and bang together in time with the music.  Ideal!

Saucepans drums: an old favourite and super fun if you really don't mind a big, metallic noise!  Set up some saucepans, upside down on the floor and give them a bang!  Use wooden spoons or pasty brush for a more muted sound!

Cymbals: Clang two lids together or hit one with a wooden spoon.  Don't use glass lids and be careful of dents!

Percussion: try jingling keys, tapping metal cutlery together, rubbing 2 scrubbing brushes together or even two pencils for a more gentle noise!