Instruments Around
the World
This was a great project that incorporated geography with
the arts and humanities.
1
GRADE LEVEL
Curriculum/State Standards
Students will use graphic tools to
locate and describe places.
Students will identify the families of
different instruments.
Students will understand cultures from
around the world.
Students will create simple melodic or
rhythmic accompaniments.
Overview
Students studied the instrument
families. They then incorporated
geography by learning where different instruments originated. They then
worked with volunteers to make their
own instruments and played them in a
group.
Project Objectives
• The student will identify the seven
continents of the world.
• The student will identify where different instruments originated from.
• The students will understand that
music is part of different cultures.
• The student will identify the instrument families.
Materials
large maps to locate instruments
child- size instruments to explore
oatmeal boxes
pencils
spools
yarn
construction paper
large craft sticks
large plastic easter eggs
cardboard tubes
tissue paper
metal containers
bells
wire
feathers
gel markers
rubber bands
boxes of different sizes
Readiness Activity
We reviewed the seven continents. We
sang the seven continents song and
then identified them on the map. We
then discussed the instruments and discussed where they belong in different
families. We made charts and created
murals.
5
DAYS
Continued on the back...
$285
TOTAL BUDGET
THIS WINNING PROJECT IDEA WAS SUBMITTED BY:
Danielle Doelling
Brandeis Elementary School
2715 E. Kentucky St., Louisville, KY 40211
“Instruments Around the World”
project continued...
Strategies/Activities
Prior to beginning, I taught students
the seven continents song. We mapped
and located the seven continents on a
map. I also introduced the instrument
families. We made charts and placed
different instruments into the charts.
I played music samples from different instruments. Once students had
an opportunity to begin to understand
mapping and the instrument families, I
introduced child-sized instruments for
them to play with and explore. They
discovered how the instruments made
music and then placed them on a large
chart of the instrument families.
After the initial activities, I introduced
seven instruments that the students
could make, having each one come
from one of the six inhabited continents: drums were aboriginal from
Africa, clapsticks from Australia, bell
tambourines from Brazil, maracas
from Mexico, Chinese dizi Flute; box
zithers from Austria, and bagpipes
from Scotland. I broke the students
into groups and they worked in their
groups to make different instruments.
I had everyone make the clapsticks
and then allowed the groups to choose
which instruments they would make.
I introduced the countries, and we
located them on a large map. We also
listened to music from the countries.
Students then worked with volunteers
to make the instruments. After they
were completed, students created a
small presentation with their instruments.
A brief synopsis of how to make the
instruments follows:
Drums: Oatmeal boxes- Take oatmeal
boxes and decorate with sequins, yarn,
construction paper, tissue paper, feathers or any other decorations. Glue the
spools onto the pencils to make drum
sticks.
Clapsticks: Get large craft sticks. Allow
students to paint them. They can be hit
together to make a rhythm.
Maracas: Take large easter eggs and
but in beans. Attach a piece from a
cardboard tube as a handle. Decorate
with tissue paper and other decorations.
Shake!!
Tambourines: Take a tin that has a top
(like a cookie tin). Decorate with paint,
markers, sequins, etc. Take wire and
string through jingle bells. Place the
wire around the tin. When students bang
on the tin, it makes the jingle sound.
Chinese Dizi Flute: Take cardboard
tubes. Use modeling clay around the
rounded edges to create a finished look.
Cut holes in the tube. Decorate with gel
markers, yarn and other decorations.
Bagpipes: Take a lunch bag and attach
different sizes cardboard tubes. (Cut
holes in the bag). Decorate. (This is on
the Crayola website)
Box Zithers: Take boxes of different
sizes and put rubber bands of different
sizes over the boxes. Pluck the strings.
Decorate
Culminating Activity
Students presented their instruments.
They presented a small musical
number with their group. They showed
where their instruments came from and
introduced their instrument family.
Evaluation Method
checklists
formative assessment through the
charts and discussion
formal assessment based on the presentation based on a rubric