Design & Build a Musical Instrument

Activity Option 1: Gallery Walk

Display 5-10 unique instruments (tambourines, maracas, xylophones, etc.) around the classroom. Number each instrument.

Print off a copy for each student of the Gallery Walk Musical Instrument Questions reproducible [Google doc] [Word doc] [PDF].

Note: the reproducible has questions for up to 10 instruments; print accordingly. This could be collected and used for assessment.

Place students into small groups corresponding to the number of instruments you have on display. Assign each group to an instrument station. At their station, have them observe and handle the instrument and then answer the questions that correspond to that instrument’s number.

To observe the other instruments, students will do a gallery walk. When each group has completed their questions, have them move to the next station in numerical order (i.e., station 3 moves to station 4; station 10 moves to station1). Continue until each group has completed all stations.

Community Connections

For many different communities around the world and in Canada, instruments can have a ceremonial or sacred significance. Use of these instruments may need specific teachings, be used by specific people and are not intended for certain audiences. 

Remember to recognize the significance and honour the values of such items. It is important to ensure that appropriating or romanticizing an object is an act of oppression and discrimination. Through teacher learning and awareness paired with consultation of the caregivers some instruments may need to be omitted from the activity.

Idea

Collaborate with music teacher in order to obtain musical instruments and facilitate the gallery walk.

Idea

Students could also do the gallery walk with a partner.

Activity Option 2: Video

If you are unable to get instruments in your classroom, print 1 copy for each student of the Activity Option 2: Video Musical Instrument Questions reproducible [Google doc] [Word doc] [PDF].

Play the video Learning Music - Wind, String, Percussion Instruments for Kids from Smile and Learn  (8:50 min.) and have students individually answer the corresponding questions from the reproducible.

After the gallery walk or video activity, ask students to read out some of their answers from the reproducible. Prompt them to explain their choice of answers.

Images and Videos

Turn on the closed captioning so that students can see the text while listening to the dialogue.

Idea

Pause the video after each instrument to allow students to answer the questions.

Discussions

Discussion prompts can include:

• “What made you decide what kind of instrument this was?”
• “How did you answer questions when you were unfamiliar with the instrument?”
• “How did you know what sounds the instruments made?”
• If you closed your eyes or covered your ears, how was the sound different?
• What are different things to consider when designing your instrument?

Facilitate a free exploration using the materials and objects students have brought to class or those that you have provided.

Have students create sounds using different objects. Circulate around the classroom during free exploration to encourage inquiry.

During free exploration, have conversations with students about the instruments they will be building.

Idea

Relate the sounds students make in the free exploration to the sounds of the instruments from the gallery walk and the videos you have shown them. For example if you have a bucket, have students hit it and ask what instrument it sounds like. Ask them which materials could work well together and have them justify why.

Idea

Support students' decision-making processes by asking them questions regarding their design process.

• “What materials do you think would make the best sounds?”
• “How do you plan on building your instrument?”
• “How can you make an instrument produce different kinds of sounds?”

As a class, have students co-construct success criteria that their prototype instrument must meet. This criteria will be the basis of their show and share.

There are four properties of sound. In order to support students with generating the success criteria review this Properties of Sound interactive presentation [html] [pptx] [PDF].

Note: Consider the following criteria to make the activity more successful:

• Instrument must have the ability to make sounds of two different pitches (high and low)
• Instrument must be able to be used by one’s hands (not blown into)
• Instrument must only use the materials provided

Discussions

During brainstorming, ask students questions about how they can successfully reach this outcome. Some potential questions could be:

• “How do you plan to do this?”
• “What kinds of challenges do you think you could face?”
• “How can you test your instrument as you build it?”

Idea

Students could view the interactive presentation as a class, individually or in small groups.

Have students complete the Build a Musical Instrument Design Sketch Plan reproducible [Google doc] [Word doc] [PDF].

This could also be done using Google draw or a jamboard if students are working virtually.

Idea

On a whiteboard or chalkboard demonstrate how to label a design image. Show students how to label materials they used and the different parts of the design. Ensure students understand how to include measurements on their design plan.

Idea

If students need a more scaffolded experience, they could watch the How to make Musical Instruments for Kids or 4 MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Crafts you can do anytime | Fast-n-Easy | DIY Labs that illustrates several methods to build musical instruments upon which they could model their own. 

Alternatively, provide students with some instruments that have some assembly done and students put together only a few pieces.

Have students build their instrument based on the Design Sketch Plan.

As they build the instrument, have them use the reminders from the Design Sketch Plan to test the sound quality of the instrument as they work, and revise if required.

Encourage students to document their own troubleshooting on the third page of the reproducible.

Have students complete the My Musical Instrument: I Can Statements reproducible [Google doc] [Word doc] [PDF].

Students will use their completed I Can Statements as a guide for the show and share.

Give students about five minutes each to present their instruments to their classmates. Students may do a video, poster, slideshow, etc.

Idea

Students could create multimedia projects such as short videos, slideshows or posters to present their musical instruments.

Have students fill out the My Musical Instrument: Reflection reproducible independently or in a group depending on how they chose to work on their projects [Google doc] [Word doc] [PDF].