Music can make learning letters fun. Award-winning children’s performer, Daria from Dariamusic.com is here to show you how:
Music is a great way to play and to learn! By exploring instruments from other cultures, children can discover different languages, customs, and holidays. That’s not all. Those instruments can also be used to play simple musical games that make learning exciting. One example of this is creating a homemade version of an African shekere and using it to play letter games.
What is a Shekere?
Although rattles are found all around the world, the shakere (shay – kur – ay) is a special type of rattle made from a dried gourd covered with netting. Attached to the netting are noise-makers such as beads, seeds, or shells. Most historians think that the shekere was invented in West Africa but was so well loved that different versions appeared across the continent with variations in sizes, shapes and playing styles. Check out the sizes and different bead work on the shekeres pictured above!
How do you play a shekere? It can be held and rattled, shimmied, shaken or tossed gently from hand-to-hand or from one person to another. It’s a truly versatile instrument!
Make Your Own Shekere
If you would like to purchase a real Shekere Kit you can visit my music store here.
Since making an authentic shekere involves drying a gourd – a process that can take several months to a year, we wanted to share a simpler, recycled version of this craft. Start with a plastic jug from the recycling bin and instead of netting and noise-makers, “bead” by applying stickers, creating any type of pattern that you want. Using round stickers or different colored reinforcements creates the look of actual beads. For the letter games, write letters from A to Z in different stickers around the jug. After completing your design, you may wish to cover the surface of your plastic jug with clear packing tape so the stickers don’t rub off.
To make your shekere sound like a rattle, add a small amount of any simple filler such as birdseed, pasta, dried lentils, pebbles or beads. Seal up the top with a sturdy tape and your percussion instrument will sound great when played in your hands or tossed as part of a game.
Find the Letter Game
Toss the shekere around while music is being played. Stop it (like in musical chairs), and call out a letter to find as fast as possible or sing a simple rhyme such as:
Round and round and round it goes
Where it stops nobody knows
Find the letter ___!
Shake and shake the shekere
Here is what I have to say
Find the Letter ___!
Some easy variations:
Toss the shekere around while music is being played. Stop it (like in musical chairs), and call out a letter to find as fast as possible or sing a simple rhyme such as:
Round and round and round it goes
Where it stops nobody knows
Find the letter ___!
Shake and shake the shekere
Here is what I have to say
Find the Letter ___!
Some easy variations:
Letter Seeking A-Z
Have the group sit in a circle and toss the shekere around until the rhyme or music stops. The person holding the instrument must find the letter the group is seeking from A-Z. The whole group or class wins when they’ve completed the alphabet
The First Letter of My Name Race
Children can find the first letter of their name and then move out of the circle. If the group or class finishes within a certain time, they win!
Play Along with a Song from Africa
You can play your shekere along with any type of music. It will sound especially good with music from Africa, like this South African song that I recorded. The lyrics are in Zulu and English. The song is about a special day when the mothers from a village go to town to sell what they have grown. When they return, they are bringing special treats to share with their children. The song shares what the children are seeing as their mothers are coming home.
What other ways can you explore your new instrument? Can you come up with your own games or even write a new song to sing and play along with? When it comes to music, the possibilities for both fun and learning are endless!
Fun Resources
Hear a shekere sample or shekere song here:
http://www.dariamusic.com/shekere.php
Check out 8 simple world music instruments – sounds, songs and coloring activities:
http://www.dariamusic.com/cajon.php
20 Different easy world music crafts for kids:
http://www.dariamusic.com/crafts.php
Award-winning children’s performer DARIA (Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou) has seven cd’s that have won national honors. She has the most awesome job of traveling the world to sing for kids and peace. Her website; located at dariamusic.com, was given a 2009 Parents Choice Award for its rich variety of music and cultural content.
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Thanks!
Sarah
So, so cool! My youngest son is a huge music fan and will love shaking his way through the alphabet. Thanks for sharing.
Yet another fabulous instrument idea from Daria! And how cool to turn it into a literacy activity, too! Great job!
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