3.4 Grow a musical instrument

Introduction

This cross-discipline lesson was developed as part of the Africa unit of the course Musical Travels for Children . It can be used separately, as part of a science unit on plants or agriculture, part of a music class focusing on instrument-making, or part of a social studies unit on the culture(s) relevant to the instrument(s) you are making. (Gourd instruments are an integral part of the musical traditions of many cultures in the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific Islands, as well as Africa. Please see below .)

Included below are the Activity Lesson Plan , suggested Cultural Information on the instruments to include in the lesson, and a list of Suggested Instruments . The instructions for each instrument are minimal; the assumption is that this is a classroom project in which the information and process are more important than the resulting instrument. If you want the result to be high-quality musical instruments, look elsewhere for detailed instructions on the specific instrument you want to make.

Activity lesson plan

Goals and standards

• Goals - The students will learn about a process used in many cultures to make musical instruments, or parts of musical instruments, using gourds. Depending on your classroom goals, your goal for this activity can include any of the following: familiarity with the biology/agriculture of gourd plants; familiarity with the process of turning fresh gourds into useful objects; familiarity with the cultures which traditionally use this process to make musical instruments.
• Objectives - As a group, the students will grow gourd plants, harvest and dry the gourds. Alone or in small groups, they will use dried gourds to make traditional musical instruments.
• Student Prerequisites - None
• Teacher Expertise - Teacher expertise in music is not necessary to present this activity.
• Grade Level - K-12 (adaptable)
• Time Requirements - Over a period of several months, approximately four class periods will be needed for planting the gourds, harvesting them, making the instruments, and playing the instruments. During the growing and drying processes, you may also want to set aside shorter time periods to check on the growing and drying gourds. Since you are working with natural processes, some flexibility will be needed in time planning.
• Music Standards Addressed - National Standards for Music Education standards 8 (understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts), and 9 (understanding music in relation to history and culture).
• Other Subjects Addressed - The activity also addresses National Standards in the Social Studies standards 1 (culture), 3 (people, places and environments), and 8 (science, technology, and society), and National Science Education Standards in Physical science, Life science, and Science and technology.
• Evaluation - Assess student learning by evaluating participation in the activities and/or by checking knowledge and understanding using oral or written quizzes following the activities.
• Adaptations - If time or space constraints do not allow the students to grow their own gourds, you may be able to buy some at a local farmer's market, or on-line from national suppliers. Look for local, fresh, gourds in the fall. Dried gourds can tear or break; some students may need help with the gourd preparation step, or may need you to do it for them.
• Extensions - The students may use their instruments to actively explore aspects of music, culture, and acoustics, for example, by doing the activities in Simple Rhythm Activities , Music Conducting: Classroom Activities , A Tempo Activity , A Musical Dynamics Activity , A Musical Accent Activity , or Calypso and Found Percussion , and the resonance activities in Sound and Music . Older or highly motivated students may want to put in the effort to make high-quality instruments.