PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Practice Makes Perfect
As we all know, practice makes perfect. This clip highlights several children playing musical instruments and challenges the students to write about a time when they felt proud of themselves for working hard at something.
Other
The Mudcat Cafe: Bongos, Banjos, Fiddles and More
Use this site to learn more about how to construct bongos, banjos, fiddles and more.
PBS
Pbs Kids: Sid the Science Kid: Sandbox Symphony
Make an interesting musical composition by choosing from a menu of traditional and nontraditonal instruments.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Straw Oboe
Try making this straw oboe to explore the resonance characteristics of the sound it makes.
Other
Chord Studio
Have fun composing your own music with this easy to use online tool. Select the chords you want your song to have and choose the various instrument styles. You can sign up for a free account so you can save your songs and edit them later.
Michigan Reach Out
Sounds Like Science: Kazoo
At this site explore the energy transfer that is involved in making sound through playing a kazoo.This activity is wonderful for both science and music teachers.
California State University
Island Maracas
A great multicultural art instructional activity that also connects visual art to music. Pupils create a set of paper mache maracas emphasizing rhythm and expression in the painting details. Upon completion students will have the...
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Coffee Can Cuica
In this activity students will use the engineering design process to make a musical instrument called a cuica. This musical instrument uses "stick-and-slip" vibrations to make the sound.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Head Harp
Want to make music with your head? In this experiment, create a musical instrument by wrapping a string around your head.
Other
Blokfluitkids
Colorful, interactive Dutch language website that introduces students to recorders and wooden flutes. It shows how the flutes are made and the different sounds they make. Site also activities that let students play along (practice...
Handbell World
Handbell World: Handbell Notation Symbols and Definitions
Handbell ringing is a unique form of music-making and uses techniques that don't apply to other instruments. Music written for handbells looks much like piano music, with the addition of symbols which indicate these unique techniques....
Hunkins Experiments
Hunkin's Experiments: Sound Experiments
Hunkin's Experiments is a group of simple cartoon illustrations of scientific principles. Some would work well in the classroom, but others have little value beyond entertaining students. All of the projects are easy to do. This group of...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Gears Go Round!
Music boxes, bicycles, and clocks all have one thing in common: GEARS. You might say that gears make the world turn, since they are in so many mechanical instruments. How do they work and how do you know which gears to use? Find out in...