Crash bang wallop! Using percussion and everyday objects as instruments
Children who have had plenty of opportunity to play with different materials will have already made many instruments, be they simply biscuit tins, pieces of paper, etc. An instrument is simply something that can be played in some way to produce a sound. The instruments made by children of this age group will be things that they have discovered themselves through play, which are then given added significance by an adult recognising them, and thereby gain the status of ‘instrument’.
One way of doing this is to have a sound table, where items that make a sound are placed when children ‘discover’ them. In this way, a shell that is scraped with a stick becomes an instrument.
Objects that make sounds can be sorted into different categories, such as what the instruments are made of (metal/wood/plastic), or how loud/quiet, high/low the sound an object produces is.
Often objects can be used to produce sound in a variety of ways. Bottles for instance can be struck with beaters, or blowing across the top can produce a note. The full range of dynamics can also be explored, especially seeing how quietly the sound can be made.
The sounds that children discover can be incorporated into or act as a launch pad for stories, imaginary journeys or games. For example, bottles chinking together might become a game about being a milkman; a whistle might inspire a game about going on a train journey.
When involving instruments in an activity, bear these possibilities in mind:
- How loud/quiet can the instrument be played?
- Does the instrument make a long sound, or a short one?
- Can you change how long the sound is?
- How fast/slow can you play the instrument?
- Is it a high or low sound?
- Can you start/stop playing when someone else shows you to?
Buying the right instruments
It is important to a child’s exploration and play to own a good selection of musical instruments. When thinking about what instruments to buy, bear in mind the following factors:
Size
Not all instruments are easy for a small child to play
Quality and durability
Remember that most musical instruments are not made specifically for children and are very easily breakable
Quality of sound and ease of use
Some instruments such as recorders are difficult to play so that they produce a satisfying tone
Hygiene
Needs to be considered for instruments that you blow through like recorders and ocarinas
Outdoor/indoor
Can the instrument be used in the garden as well as indoors?
Tuned and pitched instruments
It is useful to invest initially in pitched instruments, as these are the most difficult sounds to make or discover from everyday objects. The most practical things to use are xylophones or metallophones and chime bars with beaters to play them with.
Untuned instruments
We also recommend you use a selection of the following instruments: Egg shakers, maracas or hand held shakers, wooden agogos (two tone hand held wooden instruments), metal agogos (two tone metallic instrument), wood blocks and good quality wooden instruments generally, triangles, tambourines, hand held drums (played with hands), claves (pairs of wooden sticks), bongos or conga drums, jingle sticks or bells.
