• Musical crafts for kidswoman with a tambourine image by Maria Bell from Fotolia.com
  
  Music is a universal language in itself; a group of people from various countries can come together and be touched by the same music. Teachers recognize the importance and the benefits of music in the classroom, as a learning activity, a craft opportunity or for exercise fun.
  
  Studies show that students scored higher on standardized tests in a variety of areas when they studied in a classroom rich with music and musical activities, according to the American Music Conference.
  
  

Tin Can Drum Set with Cymbals

• Gather various sizes of clean cans from vegetables, fruits or juices for each drum set. Place the cans on a piece of thick [corrugated] cardboard, some cans upside down and some on their sides. Drums need not be attached to the cardboard, and can be touching or set apart.
  Balance aluminum pie pans on the cap end of a 2-liter bottle filled partway with water for stability.
  Pencils, dowel sticks, or even wooden spoons make great drumsticks.
  
  

Musical Tapping Canes

• Have the children tie lengths of crepe paper streamers to yard sticks. Play children's music and let them create their own tapping noises with the canes as they dance.
  Children can take their musical canes home or leave them in the classroom for future use.
  
  

Gongs for Tapping

• Give each child an aluminum pie plate. Help children punch holes around the sides of the pie plates. Tie colorful ribbons through the holes. Give each child a pencil or ruler.
  Encourage the kids to sing their favorite songs while tapping their "gongs."
  
  

Paper Bag Maracas

• Have each child decorate two paper bags. Place a few beans or pebbles into each bag. Children may use their maracas and move around, while music plays.
  
  For older children, challenge the kids to compose a list of other items that would make noise inside the paper bags.
  
  

Dancing Bells

• Jingle bellsJingle Bells image by Towards Ithaca from Fotolia.com
  
  String jingle bells onto a 5-foot length of yarn or string. Clump two or more bells together, varying the number in the clusters of bells. Tie each cluster of bells in place before adding more.
  
  Two children will play the dancing bells set, one holding each end and moving the string slowly or quickly to make different sounds. Make more than one set of bells for classroom use, or let each child make a set to take home.
  
  

PVC Xylophone

• Xylophone musical funxylophone 1 image by iMAGINE from Fotolia.com
  
  Arrange lengths of PVC pipe: 6, 8, 10, and 12 inches long, in order, and about 1 inch apart. Use a 2-yard length of twine to tie the pipes together, beginning at the bottom of one side and going up, over, and down to the other side.
  
  Tap or rub the xylophone with a dowel stick, pencil, or wooden spoon to make music.