The History of Music

In Europe, around 23,000 B.C. or 25,000 years ago, rhythm instruments were said to have existed, and were used to make different sounds. They consisted of wood on stone, bone on stone, and wood on wood. People in ancient times would use their bodies as instruments, such as stamping their feet, clapping their hands and singing songs. Religious ceremonies would use wind instruments such as horns or flutes.

When the Middle East and Europe became more sophisticated , better instruments were made not just for religious purposes anymore, but for entertainment as well. It seems that every culture has had their own type of music, and that every culture seems to use the same types of instruments such as drums, rattles, horns, flutes and different types of stringed instruments. Today, music can be made all sorts of ways, from using complicated technology on a computer to as simple as using an empty paper towel roll and putting uncooked rice inside it and placing wax paper at both ends with a rubber band, to make a shaker. Anyone can play an instrument. All you need is practice and patience, especially for the more complicated instruments. For the real simple ones, like the paper towel roll, you can start playing right away!

Another idea of a simple and easy to do instrument is taking an empty tissue box and taping several strings across the top of the box, over the hole, like a guitar. When you’re done, strum the strings and see what kind of sound it makes. Another idea is taking some empty glasses and filling each one with different levels of water and tapping on the rim with a pencil, it sounds like a xylophone. Don’t forget to decorate your instruments with colored markers or paint or even some glue and colored tissue paper. The glasses filled with water can be decorated with dry erase markers. When your finished, the marker washes right off! It’s a lot of fun and a good release of stress to play an instrument.

Shirlan