How to Make a Music Instrument

Creating your own homemade instruments is a fun craft activity, and one that is great to perform with young children. A homemade maraca is an excellent first instrument craft as it is a simple instrument as well as a fun instrument to play with once completed.

Things You'll Need

• Funnel
• Beans
• Balloon
• Toilet paper tube
• 4 cups of water
• 1 cup of flour
• Newspaper, cut into one- to two-inch wide strips
• Markers or paint

Instructions

1. Use the funnel to fill the balloon with beans. The amount of beans used will change the sound. You can test the sound of your maraca by inflating it a little, pinching the opening closed so it stays inflated, and shaking it. You can then change the amount of beans to taste.

2. Inflate the balloon, being careful not to suck in any beans as you do so.

3. Tie off the balloon.

4. Fray the top two inches of the toilet paper tube, with the pieces being about a half inch wide.

5. Place the inflated balloon, with the knot down, into the frayed end of the tube, so that the frayed edges fan out and around the balloon, and glue the two together.

6. Combine the water and flour in a pot and bring to a boil.

7. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the mixture to cool. Adding a few ice cubes can speed up the process.

8. Apply the paper mache by laying a strip of newspaper along the balloon's surface, and using your hand to apply some of the mixture over its surface. Repeat until the entire balloon and maraca are well covered in mache, as more layers will yield a stronger maraca.

9. Allow the maraca to dry, then decorate as desired with the markers or paint.

References

• Mexican Maracas