Learn how to make your own pan flute at home! It is an easy DIY and we have included a song to play along with to build oral motor skills. Videos at the bottom of this blog.
Making a pan flute is quick and easy! It is fun to play and a great way to encourage building oral motor skills. Find the materials and written and video directions below.
Oral motor skills are extremely important for development. By strengthening and teaching awareness of the muscles of the mouth and lips, we learn how to speak, enunciate, swallow, eat and drink, and breath. When playing instruments such as a pan flute, a harmonica, a recorder, or a whistle - oral motor muscles are being used and strengthened. This development is vital and easy to encourage through instrument play.
Materials:
1. 8 plastic straws
2. Tape
3. Scissors
4. String (optional)
Directions: (video directions below)
1. If you have bendy straws, cut off the bendy part and that end of the straw
2. Lay your 8 straws out. They should all be the same length now.
3. Place one straw to the side. This will be the longest straw on the pan flute.
4. Cut each successive straw shorter as you make the pipes of the pan flute.
5. Once you have cut the straws and arranged them from longest to shortest, lay out a long piece of tape.
6. Lay the straws down on the tape from longest to shortest, putting the shortest end near the edge of the tape piece. All of the straws should peek out over the top of the tape and create a level line of straws.
7. Once all 8 straws are laying on the tape, wrap the tape around the straws, leaving half a wrap of tape not attached
8. To add a strap, cut a piece of string that is long enough to go over your head
9. Place one end of the string snug next to the straws and close the tape over it
10. Place the other end of the string snug next to the straws on the other side of the pan flute and close the tape
Now that you have your pan flute, give it a try! Make your lips into a whistling or "ooo" shape and try to blow over the top of the straws.
Watch our video directions and play along song below! For more DIY instruments or other music activities, explore our blog and website!