Music activity
Instrument Demo: Show and Tell
Show your favorite instrument (or homemade one) to a grown-up.
Materials and setup
- instrument
- paper or slides
- streaming service
- recording device
How this changes by age
Pre-K (ages 3–4)
Show your favorite instrument (or homemade one) to a grown-up.
Steps
- Pick an instrument you have at home — even a shaker counts.
- Say its name.
- Play one sound on it.
- Play a loud sound and a soft sound.
- Take a bow.
Learning objectives
- Name an instrument
- Produce contrasting sounds
- Present to an audience
Kindergarten (ages 5–6)
Give a 3-minute demo of an instrument.
Steps
- Pick an instrument (real or homemade).
- Prepare 3 facts: name, where it comes from, how it makes sound.
- Prepare 3 things you can do on it (loud, soft, fast).
- Rehearse your demo once.
- Present to a family member and take one question.
Learning objectives
- Prepare informational content
- Demonstrate basic technique
- Answer an audience question
Early elementary (ages 6–8)
Research an instrument and give a 5-minute demo with a handout.
Steps
- Pick a real instrument from any culture (e.g., ukulele, harmonica, berimbau).
- Research 5 facts (origin, construction, how sound is made, famous player, genre).
- Make a 1-page handout with the facts plus a labeled drawing.
- Find a short recording to play during the demo.
- Rehearse the demo twice.
- Present to your family. Pass out the handout.
Learning objectives
- Research an instrument in depth
- Create a printed handout
- Deliver a structured demo
Upper elementary (ages 8–10)
Research a real instrumentalist and perform a 10-minute lecture-demo.
Steps
- Pick a real, well-documented performer (e.g., Yo-Yo Ma, Béla Fleck, Anoushka Shankar, Wynton Marsalis, Lila Downs).
- Research their instrument, training, and 3 notable recordings.
- Build a 10-minute lecture-demo: 2 min biography, 3 min instrument overview, 3 min listening to clips with pauses for commentary, 2 min Q&A.
- Make a simple slide deck or poster.
- Record the lecture-demo and watch it back.
- Revise once, then present live to family. Write 3 sentences of self-evaluation.
Learning objectives
- Research a specific performer in depth
- Structure a lecture-demonstration
- Self-evaluate a recorded talk
Safety and evidence note
Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.
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