Bang a gong and everyone listens!
Gongs are amazing, loud, inspiring instruments, but where can you find one? If you have some basic supplies, then you can craft one right in your own home or classroom. And you can decorate your new gong with a Chinese zodiac symbol or some other creative theme.
Supplies
Large metal pan (like a recycled pie tin, pizza pan, or a turkey roasting pan)
Pipecleaners or yarn
Stick, broomstick or long cardboard tube
Paint, stickers, glitter, glue or textured paint for decorating the gong
12 – 18” wooden dowel or wooden spoon (for the drum beater)
Colorful tape (for the drum beater)
Step By Step Directions
You can find step-by-step instructions as a pdf on DARIA’s world music for kids website or in her TeachersPayTeachers store. Both are free, here:
http://www.dariamusic.com/docs/chinesegong.pdf
What Year Is It?
In February 2015, we’ve entered into the year of the sheep or the goat. You can see an image of a ram on the pie tin gong at the top of this post! But, there are 12 Chinese Zodiac signs so you may also want to use any of the other animals as part of your design. You might also want to find out what year you were born in.
Take a look at the chart below and you can find out if you are a pig, an ox, a monkey or a rat!
Links and Resources
Make Your Own Bolang Gu (Monkey Drum)
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/chinese-mandarin/make-your-own-bolang-gu-chinese-pellet-drum
Kids Music Videos of Chinese New Year Drums and Celebrations
http://multikidsmusicvids.com/?cat=97
Two Popular Chinese New Years Songs
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/chinese-mandarin/two-wonderful-songs-to-celebrate-chinese-new-year
“Gong Xi! Gong Xi!” – The Excitement of Chinese New Year
http://makingmulticulturalmusic.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/gong-xi-gong-xi-the-excitement-of-chinese-new-year/
