Making
a Shekere:
Things you
need:
An empty plastic
milk or soda jug.
Some string
Different colored
beads, shells, or other small trinkets, each with a hole large enough
for the string.
Time! (this
is great to do while you're listening to music!)
• First
make a braid out of three long strings. Tie your braid like a
loose collar around the top of your jug.
• Now
cut twelve (or more) strings that are FIVE TIMES the length of
the jug from very top to very bottom.
• Fold
over each string so it is double. Put the loop over the braid,
and pull the ends through. Now tie a knot so the strings will
stay in place. Do that to each string, in even intervals around
the jug.
• Now,
take one bead and string it on the right string of a pair. Take
another string and put it on the left string of the pair next
to it. Tie those strings together, not too tight! Keep going,
all the way around the jug till you've done a whole row! Try to
keep the spaces even between the knots. Now start again and do
another row. Keep going and going until you reach the bottom of
the jug.
• At
the end, make another braid and tie all the strings to it, leaving
the braid about as big a circle as the top one was. Now trim the
ends of the strings. Keep it loose so the beads make sound when
you shake it. If you hit the bottom of your jug with your palm,
listen to the sound it makes!
Making a
Pie Pan Tambourine
A tambourine
is both a drum and a shaker. Make one from stuff you find around
the house.
• Find
two aluminum foil pie pans -- the kind from frozen pies.
• Put
them together with the bottoms facing out. Use duct tape, packing
tape or stapes to fasten the edges together halfway around, making
a pocket.
• Put
a handful of dry rice, popcorn or beans in the pocket.
• Fasten
the rest of the way around the edge.
• Decorate
with stickers, feathers, strips of paper fastened around the edges,
or whatever you like.
Shake it! Slap
it!
Making a
String Instrument*
Things you
need:
A small box,
plastic container or hollowed gourd for each child
Fishing line
Brass fasteners
or packaging tape
• Put
the "body" (box, plastic container or hollow gourd) of your instrument
on your desk
• Cut
6 strings from fishing line. Each piece should be long enough
to be flattened from one end of the container to the other.
• Using
fasteners or tape, secure each piece of line so that it’s
long enough to strum.
Pluck away!
*Courtesy
of Aimee Ganble and Dr. Judith Borelli-Caldwell for World Arts West.
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