How to Build a Musical Instrument for School

Homemade instruments provide school children with hours of musical entertainment. Children can create simple instruments using basic materials found around the house, such as tissue boxes and paper towel tubes. Guitars, maracas and kazoos are three instruments children can make for school projects or just for fun. They can decorate the instruments with inexpensive art supplies, including paint, markers and stickers. These craft projects require minimal supervision, but parents are advised to assist young children with any measuring and cutting needed for the instruments.

Things You'll Need

• Guitar:
• Tissue box
• Shoe box
• Ruler
• Scissors
• 3 rubber bands
• Pencil
• Empty paper towel tube
• Tape
• Maraca:
• 2 paper plates
• 1 cup of either popcorn kernels, dried beans, or dry rice
• Stapler
• Paint
• Markers
• Crayons
• Stickers
• Glitter glue
• Kazoo:
• Empty toilet paper tube
• Craft paint
• Construction paper
• Craft foam
• Glue
• Wax paper
• Rubber band

Instructions

Guitar

1. Choose a tissue box, or a shoe box with a lid, to build your guitar.

2. Lay the box horizontal on a table. Stand it up so the lid or tissue hole is on top.

3. Cut a 5-inch by 3-inch oval-shaped hole in the center of the top of the shoe box. If you're using tissue box, there's already a pre-cut hole in the center.

4. Stretch three normal-sized rubber bands around the length of the box, centering the rubber bands or "guitar strings" over the hole.

5. Place a pencil under the rubber bands on the left side of the oval.

6. Tape one end of a paper towel tube to the right side of the box to serve as the guitar neck.

7. Strum the rubber band guitar strings to make music.

Maraca

1. Lay a paper plate right side up on your workspace so the lip of the plate faces up.

2. Fill the paper plate with one cup of popcorn kernels, dried beans or dry rice.

3. Place the second paper plate upside side down on top of first paper plate, lining up the lips of the paper plates so they touch all the way around.

4. Secure the two paper plates together with a staple every half inch on the edges of the plates.

5. Decorate the paper plates with paint, markers, crayons, stickers and/or glitter glue.

6. Let the paint and/or glitter glue dry overnight.

7. Shake maraca for sound.

Kazoo

1. Cut a paper towel tube in half, or use a toilet paper tube.

2. Paint the tube any color with non-toxic craft paint.

3. Allow the painted tube to dry overnight.

4. Cut construction paper or craft foam into decorative shapes, such as music notes, hearts, or stars, to attach to the kazoo.

5. Glue the decorative shapes around the tube.

6. Cut wax paper into a circle, 6 inches in diameter, or from end to end.

7. Place the wax paper circle over one open end of the tube.

8. Wrap a rubber band tightly over the wax paper circle to secure it into place.

9. To create music, make "tooting" noises into the open end of the kazoo.

References

• Making Friends
• Enchanted Learning

Resources

• Musical Instruments for Kids to Make on Kider Art.com
• Kids Musical Arts & Craft Ideas on Artists Helping Children,org