Tag Archives: toddlers and music

A Musical Journey To Hawaii!

Hula LullabyeCan’t make it to the beautiful island of Hawaii this summer?

No worries – here are some fun and easy ways to have a Hawaiian-themed musical play-vacation with your kids!

Make Some Pu’ili Sticks!

There are many different kinds of Hawaiian hula dances.  One form of hula uses bamboo rhythm sticks (below right); called pu’ili, that are tapped together by the dancers to make interesting beats.   And the sticks are not just tapped together in front of the dancers – use can use them as a part of some terrific music and movement activities.

Making your own pu’ili sticks from paper towel rolls – much easier then finding and cutting bamboo – can be the basis of some wonderful percussion play with your child!  Find the step by step directions plus movement suggestions in the resource list below.

Sticks and Stones!

josef rocks outHula dancers also tap together smooth stones as part of their percussion fun.  They play them in a way that is similar to Spanish castanets!  Even if you can’t tap these stones together like talented dancers, you can use river rocks make up rhythms as a part of natural musical play.

A Ukulele and You!

A uke is a great first stringed instrument for a child.  It’s small size and easy chord positions mean that your little one can be playing easy songs within the first few hours of instruction.

And what about you?  Learning an instrument with your child is a great way to show your child how acquiring a new skill requires patience and practice – even for grown-ups!  And it sets the stage for wonderful bonding.  If your child is better at the uke, let them play and you clap out the beat or sing the words.  Or trade places and see what happens.  This is a fun way to make music a part of your everyday learning and enrichment.

Lilo and Stitch

Aside from the exotic Hawaiian setting of this animated Disney Classic, we love the bonus features on the DVD that share more about Hawaiian music, hula and musical instruments like the gourd ipu.

HawaiiSerious Crafting – Hawaiian Style

If you’re a serious crafter and got inspired by gourd instruments from Hawaii, this book offers fantastic instructions on making both the simple and the more complex Hawaiian instruments, including lots of percussion that can be enjoyed with any type of music.

Not up for crafting? There’s a link below where you can browse and purchase real musical gourds from a Hawaiian family-owned business that grows and makes their own.

Hawaiian Lullabye

Last of all, you might want to nod off to sleep with this beautifully illustrated book that will lull everyone to sleep with an island lullabye.  A Hula Lullabye is a great way to end an exciting day of play!

real ukelele color posterLinks and Resources

All About The Pu’ili – Blog Post
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/classroom-music/make-your-own-puili-hawaiian-rhythm-sticks/

Screen shot 2014-02-02 at 8.33.56 AMPu’ili Instruction PDF from TPT
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Puili-Hawaiian-Rhythm-Sticks-1205139

Playing River Rocks As An Instrument – Hawaiian `ili`ile

https://makingmulticulturalmusic.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/playing-river-rocks-as-an-instrument-hawaiian-iliile/

Ukulele Coloring Page
http://www.dariamusic.com/docs/Ukelele%20BW%20Coloring%20Page.pdf

Hawaiian music on Multicultural Kids Music Vids http://multikidsmusicvids.com/?cat=79

drting gourds (bright picture)Authentic Hawaiian Hula Gourds
http://www.ipufarm.com/

How To Make Hawaiian Musical Instruments – Book Review
https://makingmulticulturalmusic.wordpress.com/2014/11/03/the-ultimate-make-your-own-hawaiian-instruments-book/

Hula Lullabye Book Review
http://favoritemulticulturalbooks.com/?p=2140

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Posted in Early Learning With Music, Family Fun, First Instruments, Hawaiian Music, Multicultural Music, Native American Music, Simple Instruments

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Make An Earth Day Nature Walk Rattle!

Earth Day Rattle Finished

Take a nature walk and make a musical instrument! Here’s an easy and fun way to recycle a plastic container and spend some quality time outside all at the same time!

Supplies

Clean plastic container (wide-mouthed plastic bottles work best)!

Small amount of sand (or salt or sugar)

Tape (to seal the rattle)

Find A Great Green Space

Can you connect with nature in your front or backyard? If so, head on out and enjoy. If not, there are always parks, play areas, nature sanctuaries and arboretums within a short distance from most homes. And even if you think you know your area, a quick internet search will probably turn up some new places to discover where you can have a picnic or snack, do a nature craft or simply enjoy the great outdoors!

Collect Your Treasures

Bring a small bucket or container to collect your treasures. As you walk, keep an eye out for interesting items such as acorns, nuts, leaves, seeds, seedpods or pinecones. You might come across a feather or small shells if walking by a lake or stream. You may find beautifully shaped rocks or pebbles or smooth sticks that you’d like to collect.

Earth Day Rattle ContentsIf you’re walking at a local park, there are often naturalists who can help you identify what you’ve found or tell you more about what you’ve just collected or discovered.

Make Your Rattle

Start each rattle by pouring in a small amount of sand (or salt or sugar). Then, carefully add each item you’ve chosen to the container. Although you can do this craft without the sand, it will add a soft whooshing sound and then each treasure you add to the bottle will appear and disappear into the sand as you shake the container.

Seal It Up!

Once you are finished, seal up your rattle with a sturdy tape, such as colorful duct tape or electrical tape. It adds a nice design element and keeps small hands from opening the lid and creating a safety hazard.

Play Along To Some Some Earth Day Music!

What does your rattle sound like? Is it soft or loud? Did a friend, sibling or parent make a rattle, too?  Do their rattles look and sound, alike or different?

You can explore all kinds of listening skills with these quiet rattles and they are perfect for paying along with your favorite music. If you’d like some green musical inspiration, play along to the Earth Day anthem on the video below or click the link below for a free download of “We’ve Got The Whole World In Our Hands”.

Links and Resources

Free song download - “We’ve Got The Whole World In Our Hands” http://www.dariamusic.com/earthday.php

14 World Music Instruments That Can Be Made From Recycled Materials https://makingmulticulturalmusic.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/14-world-music-instruments-that-can-be-made-from-recycled-materials/

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Posted in Early Learning With Music, Ecology/Nature, Family Fun, First Instruments, Holiday Songs, Homeschool Musical Fun, Music and Hearing, Musical Crafts, Simple Instruments, Special Needs/Kids of All Abilities

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Celebrate Chinese (Lunar) New Year With A Year of The Sheep Gong!

sheep gong craft picBang a gong and everyone listens!

Gongs are amazing, loud, inspiring instruments, but where can you find one?  If you have some basic supplies, then you can craft one right in your own home or classroom.  And you can decorate your new gong with a Chinese zodiac symbol or some other creative theme.

Supplies

Large metal pan (like a recycled pie tin, pizza pan, or a turkey roasting pan)
Pipecleaners or yarn
a smaller pie-tin gongStick, broomstick or long cardboard tube
Paint, stickers, glitter, glue or textured paint for decorating the gong
12 – 18” wooden dowel or wooden spoon (for the drum beater)
Colorful tape (for the drum beater)

Step By Step Directions

You can find step-by-step instructions as a pdf on DARIA’s world music for kids website or in her TeachersPayTeachers store.  Both are free, here:

http://www.dariamusic.com/docs/chinesegong.pdf

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Chinese-Gong-From-Recycled-Materials-486935

horse gong imageWhat Year Is It?

In February 2015, we’ve entered into the year of the sheep or the goat.   You can see an image of a ram on the pie tin gong at the top of this post!  But, there are 12 Chinese Zodiac signs so you may also want to use any of the other animals as part of your design.  You might also want to find out what year you were born in.

Take a look at the chart below and you can find out if you are a pig, an ox, a monkey or a rat!

Chinese ZodiacLinks and Resources

Bolang Gu on redMake Your Own Bolang Gu  (Monkey Drum)
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/chinese-mandarin/make-your-own-bolang-gu-chinese-pellet-drum

Kids Music Videos of Chinese New Year Drums and Celebrations
http://multikidsmusicvids.com/?cat=97

Two Popular Chinese New Years Songs
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/chinese-mandarin/two-wonderful-songs-to-celebrate-chinese-new-year

“Gong Xi! Gong Xi!” – The Excitement of Chinese New Year
http://makingmulticulturalmusic.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/gong-xi-gong-xi-the-excitement-of-chinese-new-year/

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Posted in Chinese (Mandarin), Classroom Music, Early Learning With Music, Family Fun, First Instruments, Holiday Songs, Homeschool Musical Fun, Multicultural Music, Musical Crafts, Simple Instruments

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Make Your Own Bolang Gu – Chinese Pellet Drum!

doggy bolang gu

The Chinese Lunar New Year is quickly approaching!   Here’s a fun musical craft for one of the most popular noise-makers played by children at this time of year.

The Bolang Gu (波浪鼓；pinyin: bo lang gu) is a simple instrument also called a monkey drum, a pellet drum or a rattle drum.  It’s  a two-sided drum with small beads or pellets attached to it’s sides. When the drum is played the pellets bounce off both sides and create a really unique sound.  Although these clever little instruments are often used by street vendors and seen as children’s toys, they also date back to ceremonies held in the Song Dynasty of China and are part of religious rituals in Tibet, Mongolia, India, and Taiwan.

Make Your Own Bolang Gu

Bolang gu suppliesMaking your own version of this creative little craft is easy.  The supplies you need for one drum are: 2 paper plates, 1 cardboard paper towel roll, stapler, tape, a bit of string or twine, 2 beads and any materials you like for decoration.

Decorate Your Drum

If you’re going to decorate your plates, it helps to do this first. In fact, it can be a good idea to have many plates and try lots of designs, then select your favorites for the two faces of your drum.

What themes to use for your decorations? Choose any of the Chinese zodiac animals, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese New Year printables or whatever else inspires you! Once your plates are created, move on to the next step.

Assemble Your Drum

Place your two paper plates “back-to-back”. Apply a few staples to hold them in place. Press the top part of your cardboard tube together slightly and insert about 1 – 2 inches inside the paper plates, where you want the handle to be. Bolang Gu halfway craftContinue stapling around the plates until you reach the other side and staple right up to the handle. This should hold it firmly in place, but you can also add decorative tape to make it even more sturdy and to add a design element.

Add the Pellets

Now it’s time to add the beads. Start my making two holes on the right and left side of the drum halfway up the paper plates. Use a hole punch to make your 2 holes or have an adult help by poking the holes in the paper plates with the tip of a nail or an awl. Knot a bead onto a small piece of string, twine or embroidery thread and tie onto each side, leaving about 2 – 3 inches of string. The length of string allows the beads to bounce back and forth to create the signature sound of the drum.

Play Your Drum

Although this little drum looks so simple, there are actually quite a few ways to play it. Place the handle between two hands and “rub” back and forth for the classic sound effect of a monkey drum. Or hold in one hand and rotate the drum back and forth while you move your arm like a dancer. In fact, if you take a look at the video below, the three dancers are using bolang gu as part of a wonderful and energetic dance routine.

Feel free to get just as creative and make up your own moves and inventive ways to make music with your new drum!

Links And Resources

Make a Bolang Gu -  Activity PDF:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Monkey-Drum-Chinese-New-Year-Drum-Craft-1748044

colorful brown dog screensnapMake Your Own Chinese Gong – https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Chinese-Gong-From-Recycled-Materials-486935

Year of the Dog Artwork https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Chinese-New-Year-Brown-Dog-Art-Work-for-2-Musical-Crafts-3644746

Color an Erhu – A Two-Stringed Chinese Violin https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Erhu-Chinese-Violin-Instruments-From-Around-The-World-1037355

Gong Xi Gong Xi- About The Song Plus Lyrics https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/A-Chinese-New-year-Song-Gong-Xi-Gong-Xi-3629545

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Posted in Chinese (Mandarin), Classroom Music, Early Learning With Music, Family Fun, First Instruments, Homeschool Musical Fun, Musical Crafts, Simple Instruments

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Jingle Tubes For The Holidays or Any Day!

jingle tubes 2These are so much fun, why wait for the holidays to make some?
To make jingle tubes, start with these “found around the house” supplies. You’ll need either the inner cardboard roll from paper towels or a round container, such as an oatmeal, cornmeal container or a coffee can. You’ll also need a piece of felt large enough to fit around your tube. Plus, look for a bit of glue, a marker, safety pins and jingles and some colorful tape, if desired.

Step 1 – Measure and cut a piece of colorful felt that will cover the cardboard paper towel roll or round container and leave a slight area for overlap.
Step 2 – Determine where you want the jingles on the finished stick and use your marker to make small indications showing you where jingles will be pinned in place.
Step 3 – Pin each jingle with a safety pin on the inside part of the felt. Hold it up to the cardboard tube or container to check your work.
Step 4 – If using a cardboard tube, glue the edges where the felt overlaps and staple the ends in place.
Step 5 – If using an “oatmeal style” container, check the position of the jingles then glue the entire felt piece into play and allow the jingle tube to dry before using.
Step 6 - For both projects, you might also wish to secure the felt in place with an additional piece of electrical tape.
Some Fun Ways To Play
Shake jingle tube back and forth or up and down.

Sing any of your favorite holiday songs along to a beat created by your jingle tube.

Try one of your favorite songs slowly. Try it quickly, keeping the beat with the jingle tube.

Play jingle tubes along with recorded music.

Make jingle tubes or color coordinated jingle tubes as part of any holiday music presentation.
Resources
Four Jingle Bell Crafts E-book from TeachersPayTeachers http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/4-JINGLE-BELLS-CRAFT-ACTIVITIES-940926

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Posted in Classroom Music, Family Fun, Favorite Songs, First Instruments, Holiday Songs, Homeschool Musical Fun, Musical Crafts

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Sing A Song About Your Child – For Christmas or Hanukkah

12 daysWhat child does not love hearing their name in a song?

A fun way to get ready for Christmas or Hanukkah with your small child is to create a simple song about the holidays using your family’s activities or your child’s name as part of the lyrics. Even if you feel you’re not a particularly creative parent or a seasoned songwriter, you’ll definitely get some holiday cheer out of writing a homemade version of either of these two tunes!

Create Your Own 12 Days of Christmas Carol!

Did you know that the 12 Days of Christmas song was originally a memory game? When it was sung, each person added a verse and had to recall the previous items on the list. Although you probably heard it with the same list of items as seen below, you can get inventive and make up a version with things that are special to your family or your classroom. Here’s the most popular version of the items for the 12 days:

1 A Partridge in a Pear Tree

2 Turtle Doves

3 French Hens

4 Calling (or Colly) Birds

5 Golden Rings

6 Geese A-Laying

7 Swans A Swimming

8 Maids A-Milking

9 Ladies Dancing

10 Lords A-Leaping

11 Pipers Piping

12 Drummers Drumming

What can you substitute?  Check out the post below to see how one classroom in the Caribbean came up with a very funny version for the holidays from their island home:

http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/uncategorized/write-your-own-12-days-of-christmas-carol/
dreydl use this oneWho’s Dreydl is It Anyway?

If you’re learning about Hanukkah or getting ready to celebrate this special holiday, you can adapt the popular dreydl song to include your child’s name. Simple and yet truly delightful, substitute your child’s name for “I”.  In other words, instead of singing “I have a little dreydl”, try “David has a little dreydl” or:

Sarah has a little dreydl
She made it out of clay
And when it’s dry and ready
Her dreydl she will play

Oh dreydl, dreydl, dreydl
She made it out of clay
And when it’s dry and ready
Her dreydl she will play

You can find the complete set of lyrics plus an explanation of what the Hebrew letters mean on the free dreydl coloring page below.

So whether you’re spinning a top or lighting a tree, you can easily give a special child in your life the gift of a perfectly personalized song!

Resources

Write Your Own 12 Days Song:
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/uncategorized/write-your-own-12-days-of-christmas-carol/

Free Dreydl Coloring Page and Song Lyrics
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Dreidel-Coloring-Page-985694

Dreydl Song and Activity From TeachersPayTeachers (.99)
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Dreydel-Dreidel-Song-and-Game-Activity-921898

Sheet Music For The Dreydl Song From TeachersPayTeachers (1.99)
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Oh-Dreydl-Dreidel-Sheet-Music-966158

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Posted in Babies and Music, Classroom Music, Early Learning With Music, Family Fun, Favorite Songs, Holiday Songs, Uncategorized

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Beautiful Rainbow World – A bright, soul-filled photography book of global children – Sing-along and smile!

BRW Book CoverWe’re pleased to share this guest post from two  multicultural moms who created a lovely and inspiring photography book of a rainbow of world children. 

The Beautiful Rainbow World book is the culmination of a long road of dreaming.  We; Lynne Raspet and Suzee Ramirez, had been planning to create a children’s book since the birth of our first daughters (now 15+ years and four more kids between us later). Issues of race and diversity were always a part of our consciousness. With our family being very multicultural (European, Asian, African, and Indigenous American) the only truth we knew was that each of us comes into this world to love and be loved. We decided to create a photography book for children that included kids from all around the globe. Our friend Daria agreed to collaborate with us and let us use the lyrics to her song “Beautiful Rainbow World” for the text. (To extend the book, Suzee added a second verse to the original song with Daria’s input and permission.) Beautiful Rainbow World is an 80 page 7”x 7” book that appeals to adults as well as children. Awesome bonus ~ Daria’s song is available as an mp3 download for each copy of the book sold. The soul-filled photos will draw in each reader ~ the smiling faces and sparkling eyes will speak to your spirit. You will put down this book feeling better than when you picked it up… We are so excited to see our dream project become a reality!

The Beautiful Rainbow World Book is available from:

Multicultural Kids (http://www.multiculturalkids.com/peaceful-green/beautiful-rainbow-world/)

And Amazon:Beautiful Rainbow World

About Suzee and Lynne -   Creators of The Beautiful Rainbow World Book

We are sisters. Together we own Multicultural Kids, providing products that encourage children to discover and appreciate the amazing world and its people. Lynne is a mom of four who bounces all over the country with her Air Force pilot hubby and loves discovering new places to travel and adventure everywhere they live. Suzee has two lovely animal and nature-loving girls and is married to her fellow entrepreneurial husband. She enjoys yoga, being creative, traveling, and everything outdoors. Our paths have included teaching (Lynne was a bilingual English/Spanish kindergarten teacher) and graphic design (Suzee has been in this field for many moons and also was partner in a design group prior to owning Multicultural Kids). We feel as though all of this experience gives us a very unique perspective in this genre of publishing connection to children’s literature and the design aesthetic being very aligned with our lives’ journeys.

Connect with Multicultural Kids here:  (http://multiculturalkids.com/)

 

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Posted in Babies and Music, Classroom Music, Early Learning With Music, Family Fun, Multicultural Music

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Bongos For Babies – And Big Kids, Too!

One of the easiest drums for anyone to play are bongo drums.  With roots in Afro-Cuban culture, this smaller set of hand drums is just the right size and shape to invite a child to sit down and tap and play away.

A Bit About The Bongos

Bongo drums are a great instrument for exploring rhythms and beats as well as Latin American culture with children. Originating in Cuba, there’s one larger drum, about 7 inches in diameter and one smaller drum, about 5 inches across.   In Cuba, the bongo player is called a bongocero.

bongos in the grassMake Your Own Bongo Drums

It’s easy to make a set of simple working bongo drum at home. All you need are a few basic materials starting with two round containers of different sizes. Coffee cans, oatmeal and corn meal containers work well for this project. Then you’ll need creative materials to decorate the two drums. Look for construction paper, stickers, colorful tape, markers or glitter and glue. Last, you’ll need sturdy tape – like electrical tape or duct tape – to attach the drums together.

Decorate The Drums

bongo suplpliesStart by decorating the two drums. If you’re working with construction paper, cut out a cover for each drum and allow your child to design their drum on a flat surface. Then, tape the cover into place around each drum. If not, feel free to allow the child to decorate the rounded surface of the drum. Stickers and colorful tape, work well for this type of approach.

Once you’ve completed the decoration process, use the electrical tape or duct tape and secure the drums together. Wrap the tape around both drums several times.

Now, you’re ready to play!

How Are Bongo Drums Held?

playing bongosTraditionally bongo drums are held between your legs, with the smaller drum to your left. However, if you’re playing with a child, feel free to place the bongos where it’s easiest for them to reach. This might be front of them on the floor or on their lap as they sit cross-legged.

Tapping Out A Beat

As always, I encourage the parent, caregiver or teacher to make a set of drums themselves and learn alongside their child. Here are some tips on basic techniques for beginner bongoceros, young and older!

Start by tapping the larger drum with your hands, using the upper part your palms (toward the base of your fingers). Tap the center, then other areas on the drum head and notice the difference in the sound. Do the same with the smaller head. Play back and forth between the larger and smaller head.

Next, try tapping the large head with one or more fingertips and you’ll hear a quieter sound. Try the same on the smaller head. Now you can mix and match the sounds you’ve just discovered and form them into patterns. Start simple and find patterns you enjoy or put on Latin American music and try to match the patterns from the song. You can also create new rhythm patterns that fit with the music you hear as well.

Once you’ve made your homemade bongos, feel free to use your new drums to “just jam” or to learn and play some of the great beats from Afro-Cuban and Latin American folk traditions. Here’s a basic bongo drum pattern called “el martillo” that almost anyone can learn with just a bit of practice.


Resources And Links

Bongo Craft PDF from TeachersPayteachers

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-And-Play-Your-Own-Bongo-Drums-1430615

10 Music Crafts For Exploring Hispanic Heritage

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Celebrate-Hispanic-Heritage-Musical-Craft-And-Coloring-E-Book-1427919

Hear, Color Or Play a Guiro

http://www.dariamusic.com/guiro.php

Free Musical Crafts and Coloring Pages From All Over the World – From DARIA MUSIC

http://www.dariamusic.com/crafts.php

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Posted in Family Fun, First Instruments, Hispanic Music, Homeschool Musical Fun, Multicultural Music, Musical Crafts, Simple Instruments, Uncategorized

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Best Instruments For Young Children – A “Play By The Numbers” Dulcimer!

dulcimer black + white coloring pageThis simple and satisfying “first instrument” is a lot of fun and  introduces any child or grown-up to the basic skills needed to play any fretted, stringed instrument such as the guitar, ukulele or mandolin.

Play For A Child, With A Child, Or Let The Child Play!

Learning an instrument with a child is a great way to teach them about the learning process.  It can be helpful for a child to see that every person continues to learn throughout their lifetime and how that process works.  Watching you try to play and struggle a bit, then persist, and succeed teaches persistence, patience and determination.  Learning a simple instrument – even with the ups and downs involved – is a great way to bond with a child while building musical skills at the same time!

josef and dulcimerPlay By Numbers

Play-By-Numbers song sheets for the tin can dulcimer or any dulcimer are just as easy as they sound.   Each number corresponds to a “fret”, one of the long spaces you’ll find on the fretboard of your instrument.  To play, push down gently but firmly at the center of each fret and then strum or pluck the string with the other hand.

If the songbook says 2, then press the 2nd fret in the middle and strum until you get a good sound.  Get the picture?  And if you see a “0”, that simply means to pluck or strum the instrument without holding down any fret.

Play By Numbers Songs

Want to start with an easy song?  How about “Mary Had A Little Lamb”?

5   4   3   4   4   5   5    5             4   4   4        5   7   7
Mary Had A little Lamb, Little Lamb, Little Lamb

5   4   3   4           5   5    5
Mary Had A little Lamb,

5        4      4           5      4     3
It’s fleece was white as snow

“Happy Birthday” By The Numbers

Here’s “Happy Birthday” on the Appalachian lap dulcimer.  Numbers for both “Happy Birthday” and “Feliz Cumpleaños”, a Spanish version of that song, are below.

0               1      0      3   2        0           1   0          4    3
Happy Birthday to you.  Happy Birthday to you.

0              7    5          3       2      1                         6     5        3         4     3
Happy Birthday, dear (add their name), Happy Birthday to you.

0             1  0   3  2      0      1   0    4  3
Cumpleaños feliz, te deseamos a ti.

0               7 5  3  2  1   6     5   3  4      3
Cumpleaños felizes, te deseamos a ti.

Have any questions about these instruments?  These are two instruments I really enjoy playing so I’d be happy to answer your questions.  Drop me a line in the comments section below.

Links And Resources

Freebie Dulcimer Coloring Page (Follow Me On TPT for more freebies like this!) https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Appalachian-Dulcimer-Free-Coloring-Page-3863460

Post On The Tin Can Dulcimer
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/classroom-music/best-first-instruments-for-kids-a-tin-can-dulcimer/

Hear A Dulcimer   
http://www.dariamusic.com/dulcimer.php
Hear A Dulcimer Song   
http://www.dariamusic.com/dulcimer.php
Color A Dulcimer (Online)  
http://www.dariamusic.com/color_Dulcimer.php

 

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Posted in Early Learning With Music, Family Fun, First Instruments, Homeschool Musical Fun, Simple Instruments, Special Needs/Kids of All Abilities

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Best “First” Instruments For Kids – A Tin Can Dulcimer!

bean can instrumentIf you can count, you can play this instrument.

It’s just that easy!

This simple one-stringed instrument made from a humble tin can is a great confidence booster for either young kids or adults who may doubt their musical ability.  Constructed like an Appalachian (stringed) dulcimer, you can play any note up and down the fretboard and sound great!  And check out the “play-by-the-numbers” songs or songbook and you’ll be able to master songs you recognize literally within minutes.  What fun!

It’s Bigger Cousin – The Dulcimer

The stringed dulcimer from Appalachia is a really similar instrument made with a wooden body and a few more strings.  If you’d like to see one, color one or hear one being played, check out the links below. This tin can instrument simplifies it even more.  There’s only one string to play and a long fretboard marked with numbers.  To play it, you read the numbers to the song and push down the correct fret with your fingers.

fretboard yellowWhat’s A Fret?  Don’t Fret About It!

Okay, pardon my pun here.  The frets are the long spaces on the  fretboard.   When playing the instrument, push down gently but firmly at the center of each space – or fret- and then strum or pluck the string with the other hand.

So if the songbook says 3 – 4 – 5.  They press down of the 3rd fret in the middle, the 4th fret in the middle and the 5th fret in the middle.

And if you see a “0”, that just means to pluck or strum the instrument without holding down any fret.

can and picks yellowPick-Ing It All Up!

You might want to pluck the one string with your fingers, but most folks prefer a pick.  That’s a tough piece of plastic shaped in a teardrop or triangular shape used to strum over the strings.  Some picks are softer and some are harder.  If you have a few picks from a music store, try them out and see which ones you like the best.  It not, cut up a milk jug or a similar piece of tougher recycled plastic (like a coffee can lid) and make your own.

What Does It Sound Like?

The tin can instrument is a ton of fun.  Check it out here as we play the first song we learned on it – “Oh When The Saints Go Marching In”.

Links And Resources

Hear A Dulcimer
http://www.dariamusic.com/dulcimer.php

Hear A Dulcimer Song
http://www.dariamusic.com/dulcimer.php

Color A Dulcimer (Online)
http://www.dariamusic.com/color_Dulcimer.php

 

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