| Music is the essence of life and I think that | | | | whereby one bottle should be almost filled to |
| no one is untouched with this beautiful gift | | | | the top and the other one with very little |
| given to mankind. Even children also love to | | | | water. The other bottles should vary |
| play music and enjoy it when they get a | | | | somewhere in between the two. You can use as |
| chance to do so. For this, you require | | | | many or less bottles as you like. A knife or |
| various expensive musical instruments but | | | | spoon would wok well as a mallet. Hit the |
| what if you make your own music instruments | | | | side of the bottle or glass gently as each |
| at your home with little efforts? It is a fun | | | | one shall make a different sound. You can |
| and inexpensive idea to make Gongs, | | | | even experiment with different levels of |
| xylophones, hummers and triangles for | | | | water to decide which note pitch you would |
| children to play. | | | | like most. If you have a piano or other |
| | | | musical instrument that shall make various |
| 1. To make a Gong you need an old pie tin or | | | | pitches then you can tune your bottles or |
| a lid of a large metal popcorn tin, a metal | | | | glasses to the instrument. |
| table knife or spoon for a mallet, a hammer | | | | |
| and nail, a string. You have to pound two | | | | 3. Making a hummer is also very easy where |
| nail holes on the edge of the pie tin or on | | | | you need to have an empty cardboard toilet |
| the side of the popcorn lid two or three | | | | paper or paper towel tube, a rubber band and |
| inches apart. Thread the string through the | | | | a wax paper. Cut a round piece of wax paper |
| holes and tie a knot. The string should be | | | | that is larger than the ends of the tube. |
| about 1 ½ to 2 feet long enough so that | | | | Cover one end with the wax paper and hold in |
| you can easily hold it without touching the | | | | place with the rubber band and make sounds |
| pan or tin. Hit the pan with the spoon or | | | | into the opposite end of the tube. |
| knife and you have a loud sound. To soften | | | | |
| the sound, you need to wrap the knife or | | | | 4. You can also make a triangle with the |
| spoon with a piece of cloth and then use a | | | | help of a horseshoe or 4 to 8 inches of metal |
| child socks to cover the knife or spoon. | | | | pipe, string and a knife or spoon. Loop the |
| | | | string at the curve of the horse shoe or |
| 2. To make a Xylophone you require glass pop | | | | thread it through the pipe. Tie a knot at the |
| bottles of same size and then shape work best | | | | top and hit the horse shoe or pipe with the |
| for a homemade xylophone and for this | | | | knife as soon as it dangles from the sting. |
| purpose, water glasses shall also work. Fill | | | | Make sure that the string is strong enough to |
| the glasses with different amount of water | | | | hold the pipe. |