7 Music Instruments You Didn’t Know You Have!

Marie-Louise Lyon, MT-BC

I recently saw this video floating around facebook and it got me to thinking, “what are some super basic things you have at home that make super awesome instruments?” And so began a list of 7 creative ideas for music instruments you didn’t know you have!

Drums:

My son absolutely loves to drum! I think he started drumming long before he was born! Using tubs, coffee cans, oatmeal and formula containers, or something similar, you can make an awesome drum! Just put the lid on the container and there you go! You can beat on the drums using your hands or any kitchen utensil. 

Shakers:

Shakers are a great tool to develop both gross and fine motor skills. Shakers can be made using any size container or jar filled with small foods such as rice or beans. You can vary the sounds by the size of the container and the amount of rice or beans you put inside. Make sure to close them tightly though, because nothing is worse than cleaning up tiny bits of rice! 

Guiro:

A guiro, or as my husband would say, the fishy instrument, is a great instrument to capture the attention of kids! It has a unique sound and provides great sensory input for kids. To create the sound use a cheese grater and a wooden spoon. Run the spoon over the large bumps on the grater and voila! This will produce the cool sound and vibrations similar to the guiro. 

Water Xylophone:

This idea is generally better for older kids because it takes a lot of muscle control. Put water into glass jars or cups to create a water xylophone. Each jar should contain different amounts of water to create the different pitches. The more water, the deep the sound, the less water, the higher the sound. You can add food coloring or glow sticks to the water to create an even cooler experience!

Another great variation of this would be to use 2 liter bottles. To create the sounds, you can either blow across them (a great skill to teach breath control!) or tap the opening with a spatula.

Chimes:

A cool instrument, even for babies, is a wind chime. Not only do they sound pretty, but they are visually stimulating too! To create a wind chime, attach some nails, bolts, and other metallic items to string, then attach them to a wooden stick (like a dowel rod). You can play the chimes using your hands or using kitchen utensils. You can spice them up by painting the metal with spray paint or adding colorful ribbons.

Castanets:

Castanets are a great instrument to use when dancing around! They fit nicely into the palm of your hand, and who doesn’t like to pretend to be a flamenco dancer or bull fighter? Attach two bottle caps to a small, folded piece of cardboard or cardstock. Put it in your hand and open and close it (like you’re making a puppet talk), and you have your very own castanets. For younger kids who will have a hard time holding on to them, you can add some string to make a hand strap. You can also put sandpaper on the outside of the cardboard to give it some grip. Put on some music and dance away!

Here is a great flamenco song to play-along to:

Bass:

This has always been one of my favorite homemade instruments! Take a large box and put a small hole in the bottom. Tie a knot in some string and thread it through the hole so the longest part of the string is on the outside of the box. Attach the string hanging outside the box to a tall stick. Now you have yourself a bass! You play the bass by moving up and down the stick while plucking the string with your other hand. My son loved the sound and used the box as a drum to make a band!  

With a little research and some elbow grease, you can create a variety of instruments to use at home. They are fun to create with your kids and add another element to your music jam sessions. Let us know about the instruments you create!

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