Tag Archives: unusual instruments

What Is Your Country’s National Instrument?

You probably know that different countries have different languages. And diverse cultures have different holidays and foods. But did you know that almost all countries in the world have a national instrument?

What’s A National Instrument?

What is a national instrument? It can be an instrument discovered or played in a country, like the South African vuvuzela horn. It can also be a musical instrument that holds cultural and symbolic importance for a state, a nation or a particular race or ethnicity of people. Some are drums, some are stringed instruments, some are percussion instruments but all hold a special significance to the citizens of that country and represents the unique character of the people it is identified with.

For instance, think about a balalaika from Russia or the ukulele from Hawaii. Can a country have more then one national instrument? Yes, several countries have multiple instruments listed as their national instruments. For instance, Greece has an ancient national instrument – the lyre, and also a modern one, the bouzouki. Peru has both the Afro-Peruvian cajón (box drum) and the Andean charango, a stringed instrument made from the shell of an armadillo.

Discovering Cultures Through Music

Instruments are a really fun starting point for discovering and learning about world cultures. Perhaps you have relatives or ancestors from another culture. Music is a great starting point for sharing that culture with your kids. Perhaps you’ll travel to another country, here’s a fun way to find out more about what you’ll see and hear in advance. Likewise, if you’re simply exploring the world from the comfort of your couch, finding out about national instruments is a great way to discover the many wonders of the musical world.

Below is a link to the Wikipedia compilation page of national instruments. This is a great source because each countries entry has a clickable link to learn more. Also below are links to free coloring pages and to one kids E-book where you can color your way around the world with unique musical instruments like the sitar from India or goat toe-nail rattles from Bolivia.

What’s your country’s national instrument? Did you already know it? I’d love to hear from you about this!

Links and Resources

Wikipedia’s List of National Instruments http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_instruments_%28music%29

Australia – What Is A Didgeridoo https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/What-is-a-Didgeridoo-2816257

Ancient Egypt – Color A Sistrum – https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Color-An-Ancient-Egyptian-Rattle-The-Sistrum-2166721

South Africa  – Make Your Own Vuvuzela Stadium Horn  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Vuvuzela-Make-Play-Your-Own-South-African-Stadium-Horn-1242716

Russia  -Balalaika –Poster and Coloring Page  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Balalaika-Mini-Poster-and-Coloring-Page-917136

Hawaii  – Ukulele Poster and Coloring Page  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Ukulele-A-Stringed-Instrument-from-Hawaii-Mini-Poster-and-Coloring-Page-1095283

Peru – Make Your Own Cajón - https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Cajon-Make-And-Play-Your-Own-Box-Drum-1236616

Peru – Charango – Poster and Coloring Page  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Charango-An-Instrument-from-South-America-Mini-Poster-and-Coloring-Page-613417

Argentina and Brazil – Guitar Coloring Page https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Guitar-Coloring-Page-649967

Let’s Color A World Of Music – 12 Instrument E-Book https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/LETS-COLOR-A-WORLD-OF-MUSIC-1253263

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Posted in Australian Music, Classroom Music, Early Learning With Music, First Instruments, Hispanic Music, Homeschool Musical Fun, India, Multicultural Music

Tagged ancient instruments, Balalaika, bouzouki, cajon, Charango, coloring books for kids, culture and music, Daria, Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou, Didgeridoo, Easy Instruments kids, international kids music, kids books music, kids music book, lyra, multicultural music, national instruments, Sistrum, ukulele, unusual instruments, Vuvuzela, world music, world music with daria, wqorld music instruments

Playing The Spoons As an Instrument – In Russia!

Anyone who has experienced “down home” American folk music has probably heard a musician play the spoons. If you haven’t – then you’re in for a treat and check out the post below titled: “It’s So Easy to Play The Spoons!”

But, did you know that playing spoons as percussion is a part of traditional Russian folk music as well? Although the sound of the clicking and clacking of the spoons is similar, the Russian technique of playing adds a few really neat twists that put it in a league of it’s own!

Russian Spoons or Lozhki

Known as lozhki (Ло́жки), Russian musical spoons most often are the beautifully carved and decorated wooden spoons famous in that part of the world. Where American spoon players usually use two silver spoons in one hand, Russian players typically play three or more and use both hands. They can also put extra spoons in pockets or on their clothes and use them as extra percussion surfaces.

If you watch this video of a folk orchestra featuring a spoon player, you’ll see some pretty amazing hand (and foot) work!

How do you pronounce “lozhki”? You can hear the correct pronunciation of the Russian word for spoons here: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Ru-%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%BA%D0%B0.ogg

Links and Resources

It’s So Easy to Play The Spoons! http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/classroom-music/its-so-simple-to-play-the-spoons/

Balalaika – Free Coloring Page: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Balalaika-Free-Coloring-Page-3030487

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Posted in Family Fun, Halloween, Homeschool Musical Fun, Multicultural Music, Simple Instruments

Tagged childrens music., Daria, multicultural music, playing spoons, Russian musical spoons, spoons, unusual instruments, unusual percussion, world music with daria, young children and music

Best Instruments For Kids – The Ocarina!

Here’s another in our series of great first instruments for kids.

In these posts, we’ve highlighted wonderful ways to explore and enjoy music through basic instruments that are inexpensive, easy to play and develop an “I can do it” enthusiasm in your young child.

What’s An Ocarina?

An ocarina is an ancient instrument that dates back over 12,000 years, at least. It can be found in early Chinese civilizations as well as in both Mayan and Aztec cultures. Ocarinas can be found throughout Europe and around the world with wonderful variations in shape, size, sound and musical tones. In more modern times, the ocarina was featured in a Nintendo 64 video game so many people recognize it from “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time”.

What Does An Ocarina Look Like?

Just one glance at the picture above and you can see that that ocarinas from different cultures look completely different. What do they have in common? They all have between 4 and 12 holes and many of them have a small area, like a buttonhole, that allows you to string the instrument and wear it around your neck, like this beaded ocarina necklace.

Traditionally, most ocarinas were made from clay or ceramic material, but they can also be made of plastic, wood, glass, metal or even carved from bone.

Why Is This Perfect For Young Children?

This instrument is very simple. You start by blowing into the ocarina and listening to the sound. Next try covering the bottom hole or holes with your thumb and noticing if the sound is different. Then try covering one of the top holes with your finger and fluttering it back and forth. Doing this creates a bird whistle sound that is really impressive!

Next experiment with different combinations of thumbs on the bottom and fingers on the top. And don’t worry – it’s way easier then it sounds! In fact, many ocarinas come with their own little book that has finger diagrams for lots of songs, such as Happy Birthday and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Starting with these basic tunes inspires confidence and soon you’ll be creating more complex melodies on your own.

Purchase A Good Ocarina – or Two!

If you’re looking for an ocarina to buy, it’s best to avoid the cheapest ones. They might look great as jewelry but they often don’t sound good and can be really frustrating for a first time player! If you’re purchasing from Amazon or a similar service, you can read the reviews and find one that is better suited to making great music. And – while you’re at it – buy an extra ocarina, or one with a different shape or design. You may want to play with your child or see how different ocarinas have different musical scales or possibilities.

Learn To Play With Your Child!

No matter how old you are, learning a new skill can be tough. If you get an extra ocarina or two and learn with your child, they can see how developing a new talent has ups and downs as well as epic fails and triumphs. It helps them to feel okay with a process that might take a bit of time and patience to thoroughly master.

Either way, it won’t be long until you and your young one will be making beautiful music together

Ocarinas, anyone?

Links And Resources

Play The Spoons
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/early-learning-with-music/you-can-play-the-spoons-just-like-on-dog-with-a-blog/

Play The Ukulele http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/family-fun-2/the-ukulele-a-great-first-instrument-for-young-children/