UreMusic Education

Making a lyre harp requires some craftsmanship and a significant commitment to planning and organizing the structure of the harp. For the most part, you can use any structure you like, but the most common lyre harps consist of a triangle-shaped brace attached to a wooden base that supports the instrument. This activity should not be completed by a complete novice woodworker and if you have any doubts about your abilities, ask for help from someone more experienced in making instruments. Step 1 Lay out two spruce blocks that are approximately 15 inches in length. Using a chisel, carefully carve the sides of one of the blocks until you have a structure that is dome-shaped so that one side is completely curved and the other is flat. This will be your side brace. Step 2 Draw a curved shape on the other piece of spruce. The degree of the curve will affect the pitches, so try and create a subtle curve that dips down about 1 -inch at the lowest point of the curve. This will be your top brace....

A cello endpin holder keeps the cello from slipping out of the grasp of the performer. The endpin is inserted through a loop in a cord, while the other end of the cord is connected to the leg of the chair that the performer sits on. This makes it possible to keep the cello a predetermined distance from the performer. While commercial endpin holders are relatively inexpensive and look professional, in an emergency situation you can create an endpin holder with a piece of rope. Step 1 Cut a piece of rope approximately 2 1/2 feet long. The length of the rope may be different depending on your preference for how close you want the cello to be to you. Step 2 Tie one end of the rope into a small loop. Ensure the loop is large enough that it will fit around the cello endpin. Tie the other end of the rope so that it is large enough to fit around the leg of the chair. Step 3 Connect the larger loop to the leg of the chair by lifting the chair and putting the chair leg through the loop. Straight...

Use a clean pie pan to create a tambourine. Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images Making a metal tambourine is accomplished easily by using a pie pan as the base. Tambourine's may be used to help accentuate the rhythm of a composition, provide a metallic rhythm sound and create effects within a musical composition. Complete this project with a minimal amount of materials available in most any household. Make sure to supervise any small children since the project requires the use of a sharp knife, coordination and careful cutting skills. Step 1 Purchase a pie pan or use an old one lying around the house. When using an old pie pan clean it thoroughly using soap and water. Dry the pan with a cloth. [ Step 2 With a knife, cut four slits about 1 inch wide and 4 cm tall into the side of the pie pan, spaced evenly around the pan. When completed you will have two pairs of slits on opposite sides. The slits should be horizontal and parallel with the rim of the pan. Step 3 Puncture a hole...

Step 1 Purchase a woodwind or brass music lyre and flip folder depending on the instrument you play. The flip folder is standard and both woodwind and brass instruments use the same flip folder. You can purchase items online or you can visit a local music store. Step 2 Insert the music lyre into the small rectangular box on the end of a brass instrument's main tuning slide. On a woodwind instrument, wrap the cylindrical attachment around the instrument and tighten the attached screw to create a secure fit. Step 3 Press down on the thumb clip at the top of the music lyre. Place the clip in the middle of the flip folder and release the clip. This will keep the flip folder in place. Woodwind players should purchase a music lyre specific to their instrument. Each lyre is slightly different to fit different instruments.

Creating the look of rain on stage requires a carefully orchestrated group of people standing above the stage on the catwalk with large buckets of rice. While some productions use real water, and drainage systems to create the atmosphere of rain on the stage, this process creates a mess and usually causes water damage. Using rice has the advantage of being able to quickly sweep the stage and get the next scene ready in a matter of minutes. As the rice falls, it will reflect light and create the sound and look of rain falling. Pour rice into seven buckets. You will need about 50 pounds of rice to create a prolonged effect of rain. Instruct the stage hands to stand on the catwalk above the stage and throw rice from the buckets in a circular motion towards the stage during the performance. Quickly brush the rice off stage in between acts, using four stagehands with four large push-brooms.

Creating your own music-themed t-shirt is great for promoting your band, solo album or just expressing your own musical interests. Music involves the art of expressing emotions, feelings and moods that aren't easily expressed in other media. Thinking deeply about abstract music concepts such as melody, rhythm and the system in which music functions, distributes, performs and materializes will help you to create a T-shirt that reflects your personal musical ideals. Graphic Artist  Hire a graphic artist to help design your T-shirt. Determine ahead of time what style of music you want to be displayed and discuss your favorite bands or musical interests with the artist. Have them create a sketch of the design for you before drawing the completed product. A graphic artist will be able to help you think of creative ways of expressing your music interests. They may suggest combining certain musical symbols in a mosaic that when looked at close-up will show several musical symbols interlac...

Making musical instruments out of natural materials will allow you to explore your creative side and create music with friends and family. Whether you choose to make an instrument out of wood or bamboo, you can easily learn to make chimes and flutes. Chimes provide the simplest musical instruments to create and play and provide a legitimate route for those who would like to play non-melodic instruments. Flutes require a greater degree of skill in both playing and creation.  Flutes  Step 1 Purchase a large stalk of bamboo about 8 inches long. Step 2 Place the bamboo stalk in a vise with the end of the bamboo stalk facing up. Step 3 Use a hammer and a 1/2-inch wide nail to hammer through one end of the fibrous material of the bamboo stalk. Do not hammer all the way through the stalk. Leave about 1 inch at the other end, so that the flute remains closed. When you hammer the material inside, the stalk will separate, leaving the stalk hollow. Step 4 Hammer a hole1 inch from the...

Plastic Easter eggs can be used to make an acoustic instrument. Acoustic instruments create sound without the use of external amplifiers and external power sources. This means that anything that has its own acoustics can be considered an acoustic instrument. With this knowledge, it becomes easier to conceive and construct your own instruments. Acoustic instruments can be made with string, metal, wood and even paper. Xylophone Step 1 Cut seven pieces of pipe. Each pipe should be about 1 inch shorter than the previous pipe. This will allow you to create several different pitches. Tune the pipes by cutting the sides to match your pitches. Step 2 Create a wooden frame to hold the pipes in place. Use hard wood such as oak or maple and cut two sides that are 3 inches high, by 1 inches wide and 12 inches long. Create an additional two inserts that are 2 inches high, by 1 inch wide and 4 inches wide. Place the inserts between the two sides and attach them with wood glue and two nails in each s...

Pots and pans make great percussion instruments. Making instruments at home is an activity that most people can do in their spare time. While you aren't going to be able to make a professional instrument out of materials you will find around the house, it is possible to create a small family orchestra for your own amusement and enjoyment. With a few basic materials, you can make an orchestra of homemade instruments. Strings Effective homemade string instruments are possible. Find a coat hanger that is made of wood. You may have to go out and buy one if you don't have one already. Get some thumb tacks and several pieces of string. Attach seven thumbtacks on both sides of the coat hanger from the outside edge working in toward the middle. Make sure to align the tacks evenly. Cut seven pieces of string and wrap the string around the thumb tacks. Tighten the string until it creates a resonant plucking sound. Do this for each set of thumbtacks and tighten or loosen the strings as...

Sound is a basic requirement for all music. The ear interprets frequencies that are sent through the air by the process of creating vibrations in a particular object. The material of the object changes the timbre of the vibrations and allows humans to perceive several tone qualities. The sound difference in a clarinet and an oboe exist because of the way different materials affect the sound. Experiments can test the physiological and physical properties of sound. Music and Heart Rate Do you think that the heart rate will change when listening to different types of music? You will have to take resting measurements before the music is played. Ask the participant to sit in a chair and take his pulse by counting the number of heartbeats per 10 seconds. Multiple that number times six to get his resting heart rate. Play the music and see if the type of music changes the person’s heart rate. Continue taking the pulse of the participant. The best music for this experiment will be a sound t...