Tell Us About Your Instruments.

[Meredith Pizzi]

What kind and brand of instruments are you using in your groups with children of this developmental level?

[Ian Crawford]

Ooh, fun question! My go-to instruments for this age group are egg shakers (or chiquita shakers), small ocean drums, lollipop drums, a buffalo drum, and a large gathering drum. The drums are all Remo except the ocean drums which are Hohner.

I find that the small ocean drums are really great for this age group. It’s so easy to make a sound, you can tap them, shake them, sway with them, spin them like a steering wheel, roll them on the ground, or whatever else you can think of. That said, I also can’t stand them sometimes because they are IMPOSSIBLE to keep quiet!

I’ve also recently grown very fond of the buffalo drums. So much can be done with just one drum, with or without accompaniment. The nice sound makes them so satisfying to play. I sometimes just sing a simple song and hold the drum out for each child to play one at a time. Works great for this age group (they get so excited waiting for for their turn to play!)

[Laura Myers]

Since I am not currently working with kids at this level, I have nothing to list. However, I am impressed with the amount of instruments available for use with young children. I know not all are as safe as others, so I would stick with instruments that other mt’ s who work with young children would recommend.

[Ericha Rupp]

Currently I utilize the small ocean drums, maracas, crow sounders, small rhythm sticks, small rain sticks, small handbells, small rattles, 4″ rainbow circle drums, sand blocks, large gathering drum, buffalo drum, lollipop drums, and fruit shakers. All are made by Remo and Hohner.

[Shonda Malik]

I have a collection of small drums by Remo. I did have a small ocean drum which I also found a favorite of the kids but it went missing. I need to replace that soon. All my clients really enjoy the lollipop drum. I also get a lot of use out of a jingle strap that can be fastened with the velcro either around their waist or arms/legs for movement songs. I do love to use my buffalo drum and the deep sound seems to be attractive to my younger clients. I also use a small cabasa a lot and the kids love to use their fingers to roll the beads.

[Kristina Rio]

Laura, It may be helpful for you to think about this question differently and answer with what you use currently in your other work and if can see any of those instruments working for children in this developmental level based on what you learned in the videos! It’s also a great discussion to maybe say why a certain instrument would not work for this developmental level. Remember you can be flexible with the questions to ensure you get the most out of these review questions.

[Laura Myers]

Thanks Kristina for encouraging me to look at this question differently. Funny thing is, I couldn’t tell you what brand any of the instruments are at my work, aside from the Malmark Chimes and the Not so Loud Tubanos. Neither of which I would use with kiddos. The Tubanos are to tall and the chimes are not little kid proof in my opinion. The maracas I have are not made of a plastic that would hold up for kids use, they are one hard hit from busting open. I do have rhythm sticks that may be suitable for the older kids in SM.
When I begin my own SM program, I hope to purchase instruments that are suggested from SM, and that are fun and safe for kids.

[Lysa Wright]

I actually have a lot of the same instruments seen in this video! I really like jumbo Chiquitas and maracas, making sure they are of appropriate size. I don’t discourage the 18 month and younger kids to not mouth, but it makes me feel safer when they don’t put the entire maraca head in their mouth! I also have used a Remo gathering drum, bells, triangular shakers, or small tambourines. I also have other children’s instruments that make unique sounds, they seem to be very intrigued by those! I facilitate many sessions every day at multiple locations, so I definitely prefer plastic instruments. My instruments are sanitized more than 10 times some days. I have my own little rotation of instrument sanitization. 🙂

[BJ Waelz]

I love the remo shape drums, they are small, colorful, easy to manipulate. I also use sticks from my old kindermusik program, egg shakers and single bell jingles that are easy to hold and manipulate. The children also love the large gathering drum. I do have some plastic bells and shakers that are designed more for infants as well.

[Adrienne Salmon]

My favorite instrument to use with this age and developmental group would have to be my Remo Lollipop drum. Kids love it, and we make lots of jokes about whether or not the lollipop would taste good if we tried to eat it. We use lots of bells, shakers, and those are great because the bells can be attached to the wrist, not requiring a grip. Also, with one of my clients, we frequently use LP maracas, the smaller maracas which are about the same size as the egg shakers, with a handle at the end. This works really well for some clients for whom the egg shaker is too big to hold in their hand. It is also good for kiddos who’s hands are clenched; they are usually able to hold the handle of the shaker, whereas extending the hand to grab the large egg shaker can sometimes be difficult.

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