Water & Music

Water & Music

This summer we have played a lot with water while the weather is hot.  Besides cooling us off, water is a natural source of music!  It makes the prettiest sounds when it splashes and trickles.


Water Music
One of my favorite pieces of music is Water Music by George Frideric Handel.   Handel wrote Water Music in 1717 for 50 musicians to play for King George I and guests while floating down the River Thames.  It is a lovely piece.  I like to watch it performed by the English Baroque Festival as performers dressed in the style of the day dance in Baroque style.

Water Wall
A fun way to experiment with water and sound is to make a water wall.

Water Wall

We made holes in a bunch of plastic containers and bottles and zip tied them to an old piece of frame we had left over.  We also used funnels and swimming noodles to make curves.  It took some time to line up the holes and containers so that the water would drip into the bottom container instead of onto the ground.

We loved how the water flowed through one container into another.  And it made the most beautiful sounds!





This is my favorite part of the the water wall.  We put a bunch of holes in the lid of a plastic jar and it would flow into another container. 
This activity taught about the sounds water made plus a lot of engineering principles!

Water Xylophone
A great way to play with water is to make a water xylophone.  Fill a bunch of glasses with varying amounts of water.  We put food coloring in ours to make it pretty.

Take a metal spoon and tap on the glasses.  The different levels of water will make the glasses have a different tone.  You can keep them all mixed up or you can put them in order from highest to lowest.  The girls made up all kinds of songs with the xylophone.  It is a really interesting and absorbing experiment.

Relaxation

There is nothing as relaxing as the sound of water. 





Just imagine the ocean's waves crashing on the beach or a mountain stream trickling through the forest.  It is natural music made by water!

Enjoy!



Fun with Music - Kid-Made Instruments and the Great Outdoors

Welcome to our Fun with Music series! 

Angelique Felix and I have been writing about fun ways to engage our children in music.  Today's topic is Kid-Made Instruments and the Great Outdoors. 

Be sure to check out Angelique's post on Musical Outdoor Play at angeliquefelix.com

Kids love crafts-especially the ones that make a lot of noise!  There are a lot of ways to make instruments that make music.  Now, I will be the first to admit that I am not very crafty or talented making things with my hands.  So I like projects that are extremely easy with very few supplies.

My number 1 go-to instrument is the Paper Plate  Tambourine.

Supplies:  Paper plate

        Beans

          Stapler

                        Pens or crayons

Color the plate any design.

Fold the plate in half and fill it with beans. 

Staple the outside edge of the plate so the beans don't fall out.

Ta-da!  You have a tambourine!

Instrument #2  Water Bottle Shakers

Supplies:  Clean and dry water bottles

Different fillers such as cut up straws, beans, and beads

Fill the bottles.  This is a great fine-motor building activity.  It takes a bit of concentration to get the small objects in the water bottle's small opening.

Finished Water Bottle Shakers.

Instrument #3  Drums

Supplies:  Empty tubs

Scissors

Wrapping paper

Tape

We wrapped the outside of the tubs with the wrapping paper.  If you put the paper on inside out the outside will be white and can be colored any design.

Tap on the lid of the drum for a nice hollow sound.

Instrument #4  The Tin Can

Supplies: Unwrapped tin can with ridges

Metal spoon

Run the spoon up and down the ridges for a wash-board kind of sound.  This instrument is extremely easy but is one of the most popular!  It is amazing that something as plain as a tin can will make such an interesting sound.

After making our instruments, we sang a bunch of songs such as The Alphabet Song, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  The girls enjoyed it so much they kept singing for about an hour even after I went back into the house!

You are probably wondering where the great outdoors is in this post.  Well, we made all our instruments and played our orchestra while outside!  Music doesn't always have to be a solemn occasion while sitting  silently in a chair.  We can take our fun outside and let the whole neighborhood hear! 

We sang while playing our instruments but other times we put on a CD and kept time with children's music and classical music.

I found some wonderful articles about homemade instruments.  My instruments are easy even for those craft-challenged like me.  Take a look at these links, if you would like more ideas:

Make a Driftwood Tambourine with Mama Scout

Tin Drum with Red Ted Art's Blog

Paper Towel Roll Shakers with Z is for Zel

Fancy Egg Shakers with Mama Smiles

Be sure to check out play-expert Angelique Felix's posts at angeliquefelix.com

Visit the other Fun with Music articles!

Introduction

Sing with Your Child

Classical Music and Creative Art Project

Kid-Made Instruments and the Great Outdoors.

5 Classic Musical Games