Who can use this?
Parents for special birthday parties, day care providers, pre-school teachers, classroom teachers, and music teachers – the possibilities are endless!
Where to begin?
Instrumental Petting Zoos can be created with a variety of instruments. Whatever instruments you choose, or have resources for, can be placed into the Petting Zoo.
What do I need to have an Instrument Petting Zoo?
- The Basic Set: a room that can accommodate 3 or 4 low tables to display instruments of choice, and space for the children.
- A cloth to lay the instruments on.
- Choose an appropriate group size so that all children have access to a hands-on experience. Group size can depend upon number of facilitators and/or numbers of instruments involved.
Possible Additional Supplies:
- Table tents with instrument names
- Disinfectant for mouthpieces, reeds, etc. (Listerine works well)
- Recordings of instruments on display
- Search the web for black line musical instrument pictures for children to color (some web site examples are below
Instrumental Petting Zoo Possibilities:
Woodwind |
Brass |
Percussion |
Strings |
Electronic |
Flutes
Clarinets
Recorders
Saxophones
|
Trumpets
Trombones
Several mouth pieces
|
Drums of any kind
Triangles
Maracas
Cymbals
Xylophones
Misc. Small Percussions
|
Violins
Guitars
Cellos
|
Keyboards
Electric Guitars
|
Seek volunteer parents, docents, or possibly musicians that can facilitate the petting zoo. They can show the children how to make sound on the instruments i.e. move the slide, press the keys and buttons, strike a drum, and can answer any questions children may have.
Where do I get instruments?
Contact:
- Parents who have instruments at home
- Middle school or high school instrumental directors. They may have instruments they can loan, or students who can share their talents (many schools now require community service for their students).
- Local music retailers
- Local musicians
- Education directors from your local symphony
Easy Steps to Follow
Questions facilitators can ask the children:
- What do you think this is made of?
- How do you think you play this instrument?
- Have you ever seen this instrument and where?
- Do you know someone who plays it?
- What sound do you think it makes?
Questions children might ask:
- What’s it made of?
- How tall is it?
- Where does the air go?
- What is that piece of wood on the mouthpiece?
- When can I play it?
- Can I hold it by myself?
Where can I find handouts and more information on different instruments and/or musical activities?
Many symphonies have educational outreach Web sites geared for children. Check to see if your local symphony has one. Here are some of our favorites:
www.bso.org
www.sfskids.org
www.bsokids.com
www.nyphilkids.org
www.menc.org
Your Instrument Petting Zoo can be as large or as small as you want it to be. As long as the kids can touch, see, and hear the instruments, then your petting zoo will be a success!
