This week’s challenge shouldn’t be a challenge at all – try exploring different ways of making music!
First up is an easy-to-make straw pan flute.
Supplies:
- 6-8 straws
- Sticky tape
- Washi tape (optional)
- Scissors
Straw Pan Flute Instructions:
- Cut your straws by twos into different lengths.
- Cut out a long piece of tape and lay it out sticky side up.
- Once you’ve cut your straws, line them up from shortest to longest on top of the tape.
- Secure your straws with more tape at each level so they don’t move around.
- If you have colored paper or washi tape, you can decorate your pan flute.
Now it’s time to see what kind of sounds your pan flute makes!
Next, take a tour through the experiments in the Chrome Music Lab.
Try out Song Maker, where you can, you guessed it: Make your own songs!
When you open Song Maker, you’ll see a grid and different options for making your song.
The top two sections are for your melody and they’re divided into 4 measures, or 4 groups of 4 beats. Divide those sections even further – every two squares equal a quarter note and every one square equals an eighth note.
Music is all about patterns, so keep that in mind while you’re creating.
The smaller section on the bottom is for your rhythm. The top dot is for your snare drum and the bottom dot is for your bass drum.
On the bottom of your screen, you’ll also see several different options for creating your song. You can choose different sounds for your melody and rhythm, change the tempo, and even use your mic to add vocals if you want.
Start adding elements of your song by clicking inside the squares.
Can you spot the patterns in this song? Give it a listen here: Sample Song. Then get started making your own!
Check out the other experiments too: Rhythm and Chords will teach you some of the basics of creating music, while Spectrogram lets you see what sounds look like, and Kandinsky will turn your art into music. Give it a try!
If you’re interested in learning more about music or creating more instruments at home, check out these books from the library.
Book Recommendations
Make Music: A Kid’s Guide to Creating Rhythm, Playing with Sound, and Conducting and Composing Music by Norma Jean Haynes
Music by Neil Ardley
Maker Projects for Kids Who Love Music by Rebecca Sjonger
Making Music by Anne Sayer Wiseman