Homemade Instruments: Water Xylophone

Here's a fun musical instrument that can be made with items you probably have around your home!

Materials:
5-8 water glasses, all the same size
water
food coloring (optional)
spoon

 
Fill each glass with a different amount of water. If you’d like to make a colorful “keyboard” you can add some food coloring to the water. Use different color for each amount of water - You'll create a rainbow of color and sound!``   


Now, try some of these fun musical activities:

Experiment with the tone of the glasses. What happens when you add more water to the glass? What happens when you take some water out?

Make a “keyboard” - organize the glasses from lowest tone to highest tone. Can you play a scale that matches the notes on your piano keyboard?

Now, you can use your new keyboard to play a song. You may need to adjust the amount of water in some of the glasses to get the right tune. Tunes with 3-5 notes are great to start. Mary had a Little Lamb, or Are You Sleeping are two good options.


Once you have your song perfected, make a video of your performance to share with your teacher during your next lesson!

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