Make a Fancy Sailor’s Kazoo

We love Kazoos at Together! 2012 CIC – if you can breathe, you can play one by humming into it, if necessary with someone else holding it for you. A Kazoo is a percussion instrument – the sound is produced by making the ‘drum skin’ vibrate. It takes a bit of practice, particularly with a home-made Kazoo, but it’s great fun.

To make the Fancy Sailor’s Kazoo you need:

  • A toilet roll inner OR a similarly shaped empty kitchen salt or spice container
  • Kitchen paper (waxed for use in the oven)
  • A rubber band
  • Kitchen foil
  • A skewer or sharp pencil.
  • Glue stick and scissors.

materials

Using a toilet roll inner:

1) Pull off or cut out a piece of foil that is longer than your toilet roll inner and is wide enough to wrap around the outside.

2) Cover the toilet roll inner with glue.

3) Wrap the foil around the toilet roll inner.

4) Glue the edge and stick it down.

5) Tuck in the ends and smooth them down.

6) Take your sharp pencil or skewer and make a hole about a third of the way from one end of your Kazoo. Push it through to make a hole on the opposite side too. You can use your thumb and forefinger to cover these holes to change the sound the Kazoo makes.

7) Cut off a piece of kitchen paper large enough to cover the end of your Kazoo and to overlap it.

8) Use your rubber band to fix the paper over the end of the Kazoo that is nearest to the holes. Pull the paper as tight as possible by adjusting the ends. That’s it, you’re ready to play!

Using an empty kitchen salt or spice container:

You need a container that is shaped like a toilet roll inner and has a removable lid and bottom. The advantage of this design is that you can clean the mouthpiece more easily.

1) Remove any labels and the lid and bottom from the container and wash the container thoroughly.

2) Take your skewer or the point of the scissors and make a hole about a third of the way from one end of your Kazoo. Make a hole on the opposite side too. You can use your thumb and forefinger to cover these holes to change the sound the Kazoo makes.

3) Cut two strips of kitchen foil that are long enough to wrap around the container. Glue these on.

4) Cut off a piece of kitchen paper large enough to cover the end of your Kazoo and to overlap it.

5) Use your rubber band to fix the paper over the end of the Kazoo that is nearest to the holes. Pull the paper as tight as possible by adjusting the ends. That’s it, you’re ready to play!


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