This is more of an inspiration post than instructions. Feel free to alter this how you see fit. This project be beneficial for any student. The student must observe the pattern of the strings and macaroni, and it helps fine motor skills! Both positive effects! If you use large noodles, this would also be great for young students.
If you’re student or parent, you could even surprise your harp teacher with this!
I used some outdated macaroni. You could also buy colored macaroni, or dye another type of macaroni, but I like to use things that would otherwise get tossed. 🙂 The small macaroni can be tough to string, so if you’re purchasing macaroni, I’d suggest some noodles that have larger holes.
You could use this project with all types of students! Some ideas are:
- new students
- young students (larger macaroni)
- family homework assignment
- music camp activity
Supplies:
Macaroni
Food Coloring
Rubbing Alcohol
String
This free printable (optional)
First, dye the macaroni. For this project, I used red and blue, and left some undyed for the white. I used this as a guide for dying the macaroni, but just guessed on amounts. 🙂 I also let the macaroni stay in the bag for awhile (I think I saw that here).
After the macaroni has soaked, allow it to dry.
Finally, bag some up and give it to your student with instructions. You can be as detailed or as vague with your instructions as you want. Feel free to use the printable above, but sometimes students will pleasantly surprise you if you leave a lot of it up to them! One student make the project mimic how the strings go from long to short. Nifty idea, eh?
I had students supply their own threading material. One used fishing line and one used a type of yarn/thread.
Be sure to talk about the project and ask how/why they did things the way that they did and show interest! If it’s not perfect, don’t worry. You certainly don’t want to squish your student’s enthusiasm! The main thing is that the student made a real effort and did the project. Look for specific things that you can truthfully compliment.
Let me know on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or in the comments if you try this!
-Barbara
Barbara Fischer runs Fischarper, LLC and loves her job as a harpist and private music educator. She enjoys blogging about various aspects of the music field on fischarper.com/blog. For more music resources, check out the Fischarper store. Find out where you can find Barbara on the interwebs here. And you can sign up to receive Fischarper updates by joining the email list.