6 DIY Musical Instruments You Can Make This Weekend

One of the things we love about the Loog is that parent and kid need to work together and build it before playing any kind of music. It creates a relationship with the instrument and helps kids understand how the different parts come together to create the sounds he or she will later make to create music.

The concept isn’t new, and we’ve covered cigar-box guitars in the past. Yet every single instrument can be stripped down to its most basic form and created at home for just a few bucks. Sure, it might not sound exactly the same and quality varies… but the lesson remains the same, and kids actually get a better understanding of how music works and how tinkering here and there with materials can create different sounds. Plus, you just spent an entire day doing something fun – with your kid!

We searched the web to find some arts-and-crafts-like instruments you can make with your kids as soon as this weekend. So here are some of our favorite DIY musical instruments we found:

1. Straw Pan Flute
We were skeptical that this easy DIY Pan flute would work, but hey – surprises are awesome! Experiment around by flattening the straw tips. Find full instructions here.

 

 

 

2. Pin Strummers
This is as basic as it gets and it’s great fun to experiment with different items and the sounds the bobby pins generate on each one. Full instructions here.

 

 

 

 

3. Tin Can Drums
Everybody needs a little percussion in their lives – and this is the easiest way to beat your own drum. Full instructions here.

 

 

 

 

4. Homemade Tambourine
Excellent to pair up with your kids’ Bob Dylan skills Full instructions here.

 

 

 

 

 

5. Rainsticks
This might be the South American side of us speaking but rainsticks are AWESOME. And really easy to make. Full instructions here.

 

 

 

 

6. Soda Can Theremin

And if you’re looking to up it up one more step, this is the perfect way to go. Nerd and music cred in just one craft. Enjoy! Full instructions here.