Brief History of Music
Music may very well have existed even before man. The first musical instrument was likely to have been a hollowed out stick that one could blow through to make sound. There are 6 major periods of Western Music:
Middle Ages (400-1400)- This period consisted of mostly chants and church music. Some greats included Hildegard and Machaut.
Renaissance (1400-1600)- Music became more sophisticated and a variety of different styles emerged. Some greats included Marcello and Monteverdi.
Baroque (1600-1750)- Music became even more complex with lots of experimentation with instruments and form. Some greats include Bach and Vivaldi.
Classical (1750-1800)- Music now follows well defined forms with the main form being the Sonata. Some greats include Beethoven and Mozart.
Romantic (1800-1900)- Music shifts to emotional and expressive as it tells a story. Some greats include Tchaikovsky and Brahms.
20th Century (1900-2000)- This period took on a rule of “no rules”. Lots of new styles and ideas. Some greats include Stravinsky and Bernstein.
The collaboration of all these periods makes up the roots of music. And, it keeps on growing and growing.
Making Your Own Music – Instruments
-Empty and rinsed 20 oz. soda bottles
-Sand, dry beans, rice or small pebbles
-Low temp glue gun
-Decorations such as stickers, ribbon or yarn
1. Using the funnel, fill each bottle 1/3 full with your sand, beans, rice or pebbles. (You can easily make colored rice by mixing rice in a bowl with some food coloring)
2. Secure the lid on with the hot glue.
3. Decorate your maraca with ribbon, yarn, stickers, anything you like.
-Empty tin cans, various sizes (bottom end should be removed with can opener too)
-Low temp glue gun
-Large needle or hole punch
-Dowels (3/16” x 12”): 2 for each drumstick
-Spools (3/4” x 5/8”): 2 for each drumstick
-Piece of leather (large enough to cover both ends of your tin can)
1. Start by cutting your decorative fabric to fit around your can. Glue in place.
2. Next, place your can onto the leather and trace with a pen. Measure 1 inch from your traced circle and draw another circle. Repeat this process so you will have a covering for each end of your drum. Cut out your circles along the outside line.
3. Go around the outer circles and mark holes where you will string your laces through. Make sure not to get too close to the edge. Use a large needle or a hole punch to poke out your holes.
4. Run your lace through the holes like you are sewing and place over the top of your can. Cinch up tight and tie. Turn the drum over and repeat the process for the other end. String some laces diagonally from the top to the bottom of the drum if desired. Your drum is now complete!
5. For your drumsticks, put hot glue on one end of the dowel and poke into the spool. Set aside to dry. Repeat the process for your second drumstick. Once dry, you are ready to start drumming!
6. If your child can’t get enough, they can learn drumming at a number of locations!
-Paper towel or toilet paper tubes
1. Decorate the tube by coloring designs with the markers.
2. Cut a piece of wax paper about 4” x 4”. Place the wax paper over one end of the tube and secure it tight with a rubber band.
3. With your scissors, poke a small hole in the tube near the end with the wax paper. (The hole should be no bigger than the end of a pencil)
4. Play your kazoo by blowing into the open end.
-You can play your maraca in several different ways. Shake it once per note, twice per note, play every note of the song or try every other. You can shake it in the air or shake it against the side of your leg.
-For your drums, try making different sounds depending on where and how hard you strike the drum. You can hit the drum once per beat, or a couple of times. Try some drum rolls too!
-For your kazoo, experiment making different tones by changing the form of your lips or changing how hard or light you breathe into your kazoo. Make distinct beats by saying “to” as you blow into the kazoo.
Familiar songs that everyone knows work the best and provide the most fun (and laughs). Consider some classics like:
-Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
-If You’re Happy And You Know It
-Mary Had A Little Lamb
-You Are My Sunshine
-Skip To My Lou
-When The Saints Go Marching In
-She’ll Be Coming Around The Mountain