Children are born percussionists. Infants enjoy slapping their hands together, while older siblings stomp their feet and engage in complex, rhythmic hand-clapping games. From finger snapping to belly slapping, the human body is one big percussion instrument for kids. Other kid-style percussive instruments include wood blocks, tambourines, and various types of drums for parents with truly musical offspring.
It’s difficult to find a child who is unaffected rhythm. Burred lips, clapped hands, and foot sounds ranging from deep thuds to tippy-toed triplets can turn a simple walk across a room into an elaborate military march or balletic sweep with rhythmic accompaniment provided burred lips, clapped hands, and foot sounds ranging from deep thuds to tippy-toed triplets. Teaching even the youngest learners about percussion for kids is beneficial not only to their musical education, but also to their language development, as language is based on syllable rhythms. A child who is taught about rhythmic patterns will be able to recognize them in music, a story or poem, and even the tooting of horns in a traffic jam.
A musician is born when a child is given a set of wood blocks. Children do not need to be able to read music to understand rhythm, and one of the most basic ways to teach the lesson is to have the wood blocks “say” the child’s name. If the child’s first, middle, and last names are all one syllable, he or she has just mastered waltz time. The rhythmic pattern becomes more complex when two or three syllables are added to any of the names.
There is a world of drums that can be used to create percussion for children. Stretch waxed paper across a round oatmeal box and secure it with rubber bands to make the cheapest. Small hand drums for children are available at music and education stores. Larger drums, such as West African djembes, can be worn the percussionist so that he or she can dance while drumming. A drum set with sticks and foot pedals provides a new level of challenge once a child has reached a certain level of coordination.
Percussion for children is used in music all over the world. Shakers can be gourds with pebbles or dried seeds inside, or strung beads that beat against the dried skin of the gourd. Rattles can be used as musical instruments or ankle bracelets. The surface of a tambourine is very smackable, and it has a chiming resonance. Rain sticks, which tip one way or the other to create a cascade of shimmering sound, are a child’s idea of percussion heaven.