Using Instruments In A Sound Story

One fun way to use these instruments is to use them in a sound story. A sound story involves reading a story and using instruments to create sound effects for parts of the story. Below is a poem I wrote called "Stormy Day". To make "Stormy Day" into a sound story, we can play the instruments from earlier posts to make sound effects of different types of weather.

Stormy Day

"I woke up to the sound of rain
Soft droplets on my windowpanes

I groaned and said “Great, rain again,”

I hoped it wouldn’t storm

Bright lightning then lit up the room

And seconds later came a BOOM

I shivered and my day felt doomed

I really hated storms

And then the wind began to howl

A shrieking, hissing type of growl

My mood was getting very foul

I could not stand a storm

Then from the sky came snow and sleet

I couldn’t stay home; I had people to meet

I heard it crunching beneath my feet

The snow from the darned storm

Then suddenly the skies were clear

The sun shined brightly full of cheer

and then I lost all sense of fear

I was free from that awful storm!

I met my friends down at the school

To joke and play and jest and fool

We threw snowballs and acted cool

and we laughed about the storm"

To use your instruments with this poem:

- Play your rainstick when you hear the word "rain"

- Play your thundertube when you hear the word "BOOM"

- Play your wind bottles when you hear the word "wind"

- Play your sand blocks when you hear the word "crunching"

- Play your sun chimes when you hear the word "sun"

Another good weather-themed story to use these instruments with is "Stormy Weather" by Debi Gliori

How To Make Sun Chimes

What are sun chimes?

Sun chimes are made out of found metal objects. A group of these metal “chimes” are hung together and can be hit with another piece of found metal. The tinkling sounds that are made when the chimes are struck represents the sun shining.

Supplies you need to create sun chimes:

- found metal objects (in this case, I used old spoons)

- drill

- safety glasses

- string

- a plastic lid

- something to decorate your sun chimes with (paint, stickers, markers, etc.)

Directions:

1. Get an adult to drill holes in one end of each of your found metal objects (chimes) and also to drill enough holes in the plastic lid for each chime.

2. Decorate your chimes and lid. Be creative!

3. Put a strand of string through each chime and tie a double knot.

4. Pull the loose end of each string through the plastic lid and tie a double knot.

5. Make sure to have one string longer than all of the others. This chime is used to hit the other chimes.

6. To play your sun chimes, use one chime to strike the others.

How to Make Wind Bottles

What are wind bottles?

Wind bottles are really just ordinary glass bottles that are filled with different amounts of water. When you blow across the tops if the bottles, they produce different pitches and they amplify the sound of your breath, resulting in the sound of howling wind!

Supplies you need to create wind bottles:

- glass bottles

- water

- something to decorate your bottles with (paint, stickers, markers, etc.)

Directions:

1. Decorate the bottles however you wish. Be creative!

2. Partially fill up the bottles with different amounts of water.

3. Blow across the top of the bottles, being careful not to blow into the bottles. You will create the sound of wind blowing!

How To Make Sand Blocks

What are sand blocks?

Sand blocks are hand-held blocks of wood that have a sandpaper face. You can play the sand blocks by rubbing two of them together, making sure to have the sandpaper faces touching each other. Practice rubbing the sand blocks together at different speeds and with different amounts of pressure to achieve various sounds.

Supplies you need to make sand blocks:

- two square wood blocks, about the size of a deck of cards

- two smaller wood blocks to use as handles

- sandpaper

- wood glue

- something to decorate your sand blocks with (paints, stickers, markers, etc.)

Directions:

1. Glue a smaller wood block to the centre of the face of one of the larger wood blocks to make a handle.

2. Glue sandpaper to the opposite face of the larger wood block.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the remaining wood blocks and let them dry over night.

4. Decorate your sand blocks however you like. Be creative; you can use paint, markers, crayons, stickers, glue, and other supplies to make your sand blocks unique.

5. To play your sand blocks, rub them together so that the sand paper scratches together. It sounds like someone walking through snow!

How To Make A Thunder Tube

What is a thunder tube?

A thunder tube is a percussion instrument which, when played, mimics the sounds of a thunder storm. The thunder tube is played by creating vibrations with a metal coil which is attached to a cardboard tube by gently wiggling the tube from side to side. These vibrations echo inside the cardboard tube to produce a sound very similar to thunder. The thunder tube is an easy instrument to play and it makes very realistic sound effects!

Supplies you need to make a thunder tube:

- an empty potato chip can with the plastic lid discarded

- a metal coil (approximately 1 and a half feet long)

- a glue gun

- paper (enough to cover your potato chip can)

- tape

- scissors

- something to decorate your thunder tube with (paints, stickers, markers, etc.)

Directions:

1. Use scissors to poke a small hole in the bottom of the potato chip can, and then stick one end of the metal coil through the hole.

2. With the help of an adult, use the glue gun to glue the metal coil in place so that it does not rattle around.

3. Cover the potato chip can with paper and secure with tape.

4. Decorate your thunder tube however you like. Be creative; you can use paint, markers, crayons, stickers, glue, and other supplies to make your thunder tube unique.

5. To play your thunder tube, gently wiggle the instrument from side to side and hear the sound of thunder!

How To Make A Rain Stick

What is a rain stick?

A rain stick is an instrument from South America that mimics the sound of rain. Traditionally, rain sticks were made from a hollowed-out cactus by removing the spikes and poking them into the empty cactus shell. Then, one end of the cactus would be sealed and dried beans would be poured into the cactus. Finally, the other end of the cactus would also be sealed. The rain stick can be played by slowly turning the stick from horizontal to vertical. The sound of rain is created by the sound of the beans sliding through the cactus and bouncing off the spikes inside.

Supplies you need to make a rain stick:

- cardboard tube (can be a paper towel roll or a gift wrap roll)

- nails (approximately 40)

- tape

- large sheet of paper

- dried rice or beans

- two small squares of fabric

- two elastic bands

- something to decorate your rain stick with (paints, stickers, markers, etc)

Directions:

1. Carefully poke the nails into the cardboard tube so that only the nail head is visible from the outside.

2. Cover the tube with the large sheet of paper and tape securely.

3. Decorate the tube however you like. Be creative; you can use paint, markers, crayons, stickers, glue, and other supplies to make your rain stick unique.

4. Cover one end of the tube with your fabric and secure it with an elastic band.

5. Fill the tube with about 2 cups of dried rice or beans.

6. Cover the remaining end of the tube with the other piece of fabric and secure it with the other elastic band.

7. Now try slowly turning your rain stick from horizontal to vertical to make the sound of rain!