• Cymbals – cymbals are simple to make. All you need are two pot lids and some string. Tie the string or yarn around the handles of the pot lids and strike them together to play.
• Harmonica – to make your own harmonica, first take a piece of tissue paper and fold it over the teeth of a comb. To play the harmonica, hum through the tissue paper. You could also use wax paper to make this musical instrument craft.
• Guitar – a guitar can be made from an empty shoebox, rubber bands and a paper towel tube. Simply cover the opening of a shoebox with a couple of rubber bands by stretching the bands around the box. Attach the handle of the guitar (the paper towel roll) by measuring the diameter of the roll and cutting a hole of the same size in the side of the box. To play your
guitar, strum or pluck the rubber bands.
There are dozens of other variations on these crafts that you can do or you can think of another instrument that you would like to make and experiment using things that you have around your house that you can use to make that instrument. Making instruments is a great way to learn about how a specific instrument works. You can vary the technical details that you add to your instruments depending on the age of the children that you are making this craft with. Feel free to take more or less time with each musical instrument craft as you find it is appropriate for varying attention spans. There are no rules when it comes to making musical instrument crafts, but there are many possibilities to explore. So have fun and don’t be afraid to try something new with your family.