World Music Day / Water Glass Xylophone
Water Glass Xylophone
Children fill glass jars with different amounts of water and tap them to discover how water level changes pitch, then play a simple tune.
How to run it
- Line up six to eight identical glass jars or bottles.
- Fill each with a different amount of water, adding a few drops of food colouring to tell them apart.
- Gently tap each with a wooden spoon and arrange them from lowest to highest note.
- Challenge groups to tune their jars and play a simple tune or invent their own.
You will need
- identical glass jars or bottles
- water
- food colouring
- wooden spoons or chopsticks
- jug
- towels
Make it easier or harderYounger children can compare two jars, high and low; older children can tune jars to a scale and write a tune using colour notation.
SafetySupervise glass closely, tap gently, set jars on a towel and remove any chipped glass straight away.
My Time Our Place · Outcome 4Children investigate cause and effect, predicting and testing how water levels change sound.
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