Making music has become now almost like a technology driven science. Even kids learning music are often forced to go through demanding practice schedules on professional quality musical instruments. One component of the music making experience has been heavily pushed to the back – and almost forgotten. FUN.

Playing and making music shouldn’t be a chore. Nor an annoying and tedious burden. Especially for children, who are supposed to develop a positive relationship with music, but often are exposed only to high academic demands from their music teachers and parents. No surprise, that many aspiring young musicians lose their interest, and only later in life some realize the negative impact of the loss of music.

But how to make music more enjoyable for young players? How to make it fun?

A very good response to these question could give a recently released book Make Music! A Kid’s Guide to Creating Rhythm, Playing with Sound, and Conducting and Composing Music from authors Norma Jean Haynes, Ann Sayre Wiseman and John Langstaff.

The title explains very well what this book is about. This is a new – 2019 edition of the 2003 book, in which the co-author Norma Jean Haynes included stories and perspective how music is used in diverse communities.

The book covers all possible ways how a child can get to make some sounds, which potentially can result in music. The seven main chapters cover:
•	Body Music – how to use our and other bodies to listen to sounds and to make music
•	Household Things – how to make music instruments from everyday objects and then perform for example a ‘Kitchen Concerto’
•	Percussion – how to make beats and rhythms using instruments made from plastic and recycled materials
•	Breath Music – how to make tones using vibrating air, whether it is our own breath, or the wind blowing through a window, including dandelion trumpets and a comb kazoo.
•	The String Section – how to pluck, strum, or bow and get a musical sound.
•	Instruments from the Workshop – this is about making a bit more sophisticated instruments with some help from adults. Included are rainsticks, tongue drums, window wind harp, kalimba and others.
•	Creating Music – with all those funny instruments, even more funny thing is to try to make music. That includes ‘inventing’ a musical score, recording and sharing sounds, orchestrating, songwriting, making mixtapes, rap and hip hop.

Throughout the book a reader can find many interesting anecdotes about important musicians, instruments and also historical facts, that educate and entertain at the same time. Included are also other resources, explanations of musical terms, or interesting websites. For those little musicians, who are still learning how to read, there are large photos and 35 plans how to make instruments at home.

All together, on 144 pages, with just a minimum written text, a reader who makes it all the way through the book, can get a thorough, although a very basic understanding about what making music, and music in general, really is.

I have had a opportunity to read this book and to write this review, thanks to the website NetGalley. And I am absolutely convinced, that this book is a bare minimum, that every good kindergarten, elementary school and children caregiver, should have in their library, when offering any music related activities. This guide helps children better understand what it is about to make music, to have fun making sounds and to put together their own instruments.

Simple, funny and educational!

This would be a great resource for any primary classroom or adult who is involved in teaching music with young children. 
Full of creative ideas and theory explaining how each creation works there are links with science as well as the basic theory of music. 
With each activity accompanied by instructions and photographs many of these ideas would be simple to implement in the classroom. 

I would not hesitate to use most of these ideas in a classroom to ensure that children are engaged in an exciting and inspiring music curriculum.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

This is a wonderful resource for all types of people from children and their parents looking for a fun project and a great analog way in this digital world to spend a few hours doing something fun, to camp/scout leaders and primary/elementary school (music) teachers looking for something hands-on and a bit different from learning to play the recorder and ukulele and to discover music and rhythm in a very experimental way. 

The instructions for the construction of the instruments is very clear and the suggestions on what to do with them, once made are also clear and have lots of variety. 

I would recommend this book, but not as an ebook. It doesn't work at all, or they will have to alter the formatting in a major way.

This book will be a welcome resource for elementary school teachers, camp counselors, scout troops: you name it, really anywhere that kids with imagination congregate.  Some music concepts are taught but, more importantly, kids are encouraged to use their resources, be creative and make music.  There are so many ways to do this; to name a few-fill water glasses with differing amounts of water and tap on them, hum, sing, make instruments from what you find in the kitchen, conduct, sing in harmony...the ideas are plentiful. 

I enjoyed this look at how to help children to develop a love of music.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

Make Music: A Kid's Guide to Creating Rhythm, Playing with Sound, and Conducting and Composing Music is a fresh edition of this book for a younger audience by Norma Jean Haynes; Ann Sayre Wiseman; and John Langstaff. It is currently scheduled for release on April 30 2019. Music is for everyone — no experience required. This book invites kids and families to celebrate the joy of sound with a variety of inventive activities, including playing dandelion trumpets, conducting percussion conversations, and composing their own pieces. Kids explore rhythm with clapping, body drumming, and intonations. They learn to create found sound with kitchen pots and pans, the Sunday paper, or even the Velcro on their sneakers. And step-by-step instructions show how to make 35 different instruments, from chimes and bucket drums to a comb kazoo and a milk-carton guitar. 

Make Music is an engaging and informative read that offers information on a wide range of sounds, music, and how to create instruments and music of your own with things that are generally readily available. I like that cultural and historical references are included with the discussion of different sounds and music. I think those connections can help young readers and musicians feel more engaged. I think the message that making and enjoying music is for everyone no matter the skill level or style. I think finding a creative outlet, or enjoying the talents of others, is important. Parents, teachers, and caregivers of all kinds can share this book with the young people in their lives to help foster an appreciation for all kinds of music, and to create instruments and sounds together. I think this would be a great addition to a school, classroom, or home library because one can always return to the activities and projects and repeat them- or use them to inspire new ideas. Some of the concepts, like music notation, that are near the end of the book are particularly good for revisiting after some experimentation and practice.

Make Music is a delightful book for encouraging an existing interest in sound and music, or to help foster in interest. The activities and information offered is varied and should be engaging for a wide range of readers.

This book is a lot of fun and full of a bunch of ways you can make music.  The first chapter is all about Body Music - Clapping your hands, filling your cheeks full of air and patting them, using your voice! (And my least favorite, whistling) The next chapter is all about making instruments out of things that you can find around the house - bowls, pots, pans, etc. Who knew you had a whole orchestra right in your house? The 3rd chapter is all about Breath music - making tones by vibrating the air - making a kazoo out of a comb, making homemade flutes, etc.  Then we move on to strings! There are instructions on how to make a guitar out of a cereal box (and some other supplies you probably have around the house).   Instruments from the workshop are more indepth instruments that probably need some help from adults to make.  These all seemed to be a bit over my head!  The last chapter talks all about creating music and how you can make musical scores.  This book has a ton of great ideas and definitely fun things to do on a rainy (or snowy!) day.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated. This book will be released April 30, 2019 from Storey Publishing.

Working as a Children's Librarian, I have found that school aged children are using the library more and more often for music education. This book is full of useful information, fun photos, and creative learning activities. I highly recommend this book for music/drama teachers or librarians who want to start running musical programs.

This book is a good catalyst for creating music projects with your child.
It shows you how to use your body and musical instruments you create to make music.
Some of the projects seemed less than amazingly interesting, but all in all this is a good book for giving you musical ideas.

This is the type of book we love to sell, encouraging kids to make and do and learn.  It’s colourful and vibrant. A bit too much woodwork and drilling for some families though! If there is online resources too that is good.