What kind and brand of instruments are you using?

I have a Remo gathering drum and buffalo drum that I plan to use with my groups. I also have a split log drum that I may be able to use. I have Basic Beat egg shakers that I used with school aged children, but it sounds like they may not be appropriate for younger children who are still mouthing items. I have some other instruments, but they are more appropriate for older children and adults. I plan to buy a new inventory of instruments appropriate for babies and toddlers like the Remo baby maracas and frame drums.

Currently, I am not working with groups at this level, however, I have a Remo “Clean and Green” big gathering drum that I can disinfect, I have a couple of larger shakers from Nino, not enough for a group yet. I have some wrist bells and scarves that I would like to use. However, I do worry about wrist bells as the bells tend to fall off after some time and that’s no good for mouthing.

I primarily use maracas and bells that are easy to hold on to. I also like using paddle drums and sound shapes that have a large surface area to hit. I also love using wrist bells for those kids that are not able to hold an instrument as easily. I tend to shy away from egg shakers since they are so small, but I am very interested in the larger egg shakers that Erika mentioned in response to Rachel’s post!

I use maracas and shakers with handles within sessions so that children can work on their fine motor skills while engaging in a gross motor movement. I also take into consideration the size and texture of the instruments for kiddos with sensory sensitivities. I also like using frame drums because they’re big enough for kids to walk around with and explore the different timbres of the drum. Using instruments with lots of colors is also great for color identification and it’s also a gentler form of sensory stimulation.

I love using frame drums of all sizes with this developmental range so that they can fully explore from sitting/using their feet, to holding them up in the air. Shakers with differing handles I also find very useful, especially for fine motor skill work. Having some with a round handle and others with just a grasp handle are interesting as kids start to figure out how each is held differently. Using interesting newer sounds like an ocean drum or rain stick for a cool down is also instrument integration that I think creates a new interesting sound to the ears that is soothing and engaging.

I used Remo frame drums and paddle drums, large egg shakers, maracas and shakers with handles, and color and shape drums. I love using a kids tubano for partner play to encourage pro-social behavior with my kids. I like the paddle drums because you can use mallets to work on fine motor skills and either play along or invite someone else to play.