Music Craft: Guiro or Cabasa

Today's music craft can be played as a guiro (first photo) or a cabasa (second photo).











Materials Needed:



1. 1 clean and dried 10 oz or 14 oz tin can
2. 6 inches of a paper towel roll
3. 100-200 plastic or wood beads (make sure the holes in the beads are big enough to be strung on elastic.)
4. Glue and scissors
5. Elastic
6. Aclyric paint
7. Sand paper






Directions:



1. Lightly sand the rough side of the tin can.

2. Cut 4 evenly spaced slits in the paper towel roll (slits should 3/4 inches long).

3. Bend the edges down to form flaps (as seen in photo).


















4. Glue the flaps to the bottom of the tin can and let dry over night.

















5. Paint the tin can and paper towel roll (let dry).


6. Cut 4 to 8 - 10 inch elastic strips for the 10 oz can, or 4 to 8 - 15 inch elastic strips for the 14 oz can.


7. String 25 beads on each elastic strand.


8. String the strands around the tin can and tie the ends together.



9. Now you are ready to play!













To play as a guiro:
Hold the handle and brush a stick over the beads.




To play as a cabasa:

Hold the handle with one hand, and with the other hand move the beads back and forth (as seen in video below).

This great craft idea was from http://www.canadianliving.com/.

Music Craft: Bagpipes

Bagpipe Craft:

Materials Needed:

1. 4 paper towel rolls

2. 1 toilet paper roll
3. Brown paper bag
4. News paper
5. Tape or glue
6. String
7. Scissors
8. Construction paper

Instructions:

1. Glue or tape the rolls with construction paper.

2. Fill the paper bag with crumpled news paper.

3. Cut one of the paper towel rolls a little shorter for the blow pipe (the green colored tube was cut a little shorter.)

4. Glue or tape the blow pipe into the open end of the paper bag.

5. Poke a few hole in the toilet paper roll and insert the roll into the bottom end of the paper bag and secure with glue or tape. (As seen in photo.)

6. Make 3 diagonal slits on top of the paper bag for the other three paper towel rolls. Secure the rolls with glue.

7. Let the glue dry.

8. Drape the yarn around the 3 paper towel rolls as seen in photo.

9. Once the glue is dry hum into the blow pipe to play the pipes.

This great craft idea was from crayola.com.

Music Craft: Y-Stick Tambourine

Y-Stick Tambourine

Materials Needed:

1. Dried Y stick
2. 12 metal bottle caps
3. Spray paint (any color)
4. Strong wire
5. Hammer
6. Nail
7. Decorations (e.g. feathers, beads.)

Instructions:

1. Peel the bark off the Y stick and paint the stick.
2. Cook the bottle caps on an out-door grill for 5 minutes (just until the bottle caps get hot, this step helps to remove the rubber liner inside the bottle caps.)
3. Remove the rubber liners in the bottle caps
4. Flatten out the bottle caps with a hammer.
5. Poke a hole through the bottle caps with a nail.
6. Cut the wire for the Y-stick
7. Thread the bottle caps onto the wire.
8. Tautly string the wire between the arms of the Y-stick.
9. Have fun!

This great craft idea is from familyfun.go.com.

Music Craft: Maracas

The maracas are a percussion instrument usually played in pairs and are made of plastic, wood, or leather (Indians in Columbia made maracas out of clay 1500 years ago). The maracas are originally from Puerto Rico.



Maracas are played in Latin, pop, and classical music and are characteristic of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Columbia, Venezuela, Mexico, and Brazil. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maraca)


The maracas are played by holding a maraca in each hand on the handle and shaking the maracas back and forth.


Today we will be making a paper plate maraca.












Materials Needed:

1. Paper plate
2. Stapler
3. Beans or Rice
4. Decorations (e.g. streamers, paint or tissue paper)


Instructions:

1. Fold the paper plate in half










2. Staple the paper plate together 3/4 of the way












3. Pour in beans
4. Staple the paper plate together rest of way
5. Decorate as desired
6. Have fun!

I am participating in Family Moment Monday.

This craft idea was from Enchanted Learning

Music Craft: Rainstick

Rainstick

A rainstick is a long hallow tube filled with beads or beans, and has small pins arranged helically inside. Rainsticks were originally made to create the sound of a rain storm and it was believed that they could bring rainstorms.

A rainstick is held at a 45 degree angle allowing the beads to fall gradually to create the sound of falling rain. Rainsticks can also be tapped to make a more controlled sound and can be used as a shaker to create percussive rhythms. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainstick)

Rainstick Craft:

Materials Needed:

1. Aluminum foil
2. Glue
3. Scissors
4. Crayons
5. Paper towel roll
6. Small dried beans

Instructions:

1. Trace two circles around the paper towel roll on construction paper (as seen in photo).











2. Draw a bigger circle around each circle just drawn (as seen in photo).




3. Draw spokes connecting the inner and outer circle (as seen in photo).






4. Cut out the circles along the outer circle lines and cut along each spoke up to the inner circle line.

5. Cup one circle along inner circle line and glue it on to one end of the paper towel roll.

6. Cut out 2 pieces of aluminum foil 6 inches wide, and 18 inches long. Twist the aluminum pieces into a spring shape (Most foil rolls are the perfect width when cut in half).


7. Put the aluminum springs into the roll.

8. Pour beans into the roll.



9. Cap off the other end with the other circle as done in step 5.



10. Decorate the tube as desired.

Have fun making rain!

This craft idea was from http://www.enchantedlearning.com/ .

I am participating in Family Moment Monday.

Music Craft: Painting

Art Project: Painting to Music

Materials Needed:
1. Paints
2. Paint brush
3. 2 blank pieces of paper
4. 2 paper plates
5. 1 classical song
6. 1 rock song (can be any style of music as long as the 2 styles of music contrast)
7. CD player



Instructions:


For this project we will be painting to 2 different styles of music and comparing the differences between the paintings.

1. Give your child a paper plate with some paints squeezed out on it, a blank sheet of paper, a paint brush, and a cup of water. (As shown above.)

2. Let your child paint to the first song for 5 minutes. (Time can be shortened or lengthened depending on your child's attention span.) Make sure to let your child paint to each style of music for equal amounts of time.

3. Put the first painting aside when the 5 minutes is up.

3. Have your child paint to the rock song on a blank piece of paper with a new set of paint for 5 minutes.

4. Note the differences between the two paintings, and discuss the differences between the paintings with your child.

5. Tell your child that different styles of music can move us in different ways and can sometimes be shown through painting.

My Daughter's Results:


For both trials, my Daughter painted to the same classical and rock song for 3 minutes each.
For trial #1 she painted to the classical song first. For Trial #2 she painted to the rock song first.



Trial #1: Classical Painting, Rock Painting







Trial #2: Classical Painting, Rock Painting

Note: This project is not implying in any way that one musical form is better than the other.

I am participating in Family Moment Monday.

Music Craft: Box Guitar

Box Guitar Craft


About Box Guitars:
To the left are examples of box guitars that were made in the 19th century. Box guitars were made out of discarded cigar boxes with a broom stick inserted in the end. Box guitars were popular and cheap to make.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigar_box_guitar)







Box Guitar Craft:












Materials Needed:
1. Kleenex box
2. Paper towel tube
3. Paint (optional)
4. Paint brush (optional)
5. 3 rubber bands
6. Pencil/pen
7. Scissors
8. Tape



Directions:

1. Paint the Kleenex box and the paper towel tube (optional).

2. Put the paper towel tube on the end of the box and draw a circle on the Kleenex box around the tube.















3. Cut out the circle in the Kleenex box.













4. Push the paper towel tube through the Kleenex box hole and secure it with tape.


















5. String rubber bands around the Kleenex box.

6. Secure a pencil underneath the rubber bands on one side as shown below.

7. Now you are ready to rock!














This great idea was from:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/Boxguitar.shtml

Music Craft: Egg Shakers

Egg Shaker Craft


Egg shakers are a smaller version of the maracas. Musicians like to use egg shakers because they are small, cheap, and easy to pack around. You can use egg shakers to keep a beat, and to create rhythms as you slide them back and forth. I have created a simple version of an egg shaker that you can make with your kids. Hope you have as much fun as we did making them and shaking them!

Materials Needed:

1. Empty egg carton
2. Duct tape
3. Beans/rice/dry sand/corn (or something similar)
4. Paint/markers
5. Crepe paper streamer
6. Glue
7. Scissors

Directions:

1. Cut out the compartments in the bottom of the egg carton







2. Cut sides to make even

3. Fill one of the compartments with beans/rice
4. Place an empty compartment on top of filled compartment

5. Cut 2 strips of duct tape ¼ inch wide and 6 inches long

6. Tape the compartments together (use 2 pieces of tape for strength)

7. Paint the shakers

8. Let dry

9. Cut a strip of crepe paper 6 inches long and ¾ inches wide

10. Fold the crepe paper in half long ways

11. Glue the crepe paper on the egg shaker

12. Let glue dry

Now they are ready to shake!

Note: If you make more than one shaker, you can try putting different objects in each of them to get different sounds (e.g. rice in one and sand in another.)