Hand Percussion Instruments

Tambourine, Doumbek, Djembe, Bongos

Percussion Family INFORMATION

The percussion family includes instruments that make sound by being struck, scraped, or shaken by the hands or played using a striker, such as sticks or mallets. This family includes all types of drums, shakers, cymbals, glockenspiels, xylophones, as well as keyboard instruments like the piano. Some percussion instruments are pitched, meaning they play a variety of pitches or notes, such as a xylophone, while others are what we call unpitched, such as sticks or shakers.

On this page, we introduce four percussion instruments that are played with the hands: the tambourine, the doumbek (pronounced “doom-beck”), the djembe (pronounced “gem-bay”), and the bongos.

With each experience, you can watch and listen along with the children. While listening, you may notice that the children move their bodies along with the music, and naturally show what they hear through bouncing, clapping, dancing, patting their legs, or almost any other movement that you can imagine! This is part of their music learning, and you can encourage them to move while they listen.

After you watch and listen to each video, depending on the age of the children, you may initiate a discussion about what they heard and saw. Children often feel more comfortable contributing if the questions are specific; abstract questions (such as “how did it make you feel?”) may be difficult for the young child to answer. We have additional suggestions below, but some questions that you may consider are:

• Was the music fast or slow? Loud or soft? Smooth or choppy? (etc.)

• Did this music remind you of other music or sounds that you’ve heard before?

• What kinds of movements did you make when you were listening?

MEET THE INSTRUMENT: Tambourine

In the following video (2:45), Jared Soldiviero presents the tambourine, and details how this instrument is constructed and how it makes sound. This video can be enjoyed along with your children in class.

The tambourine typically has a frame made of wood, or sometimes plastic, and a head like a drum, although some types of tambourines do not have a head. They also have metal jingles around the frame that make sound when the tambourine is shaken or struck with the hand. Tambourines can be heard in many different types of music from around the world: Turkish, Greek, Italian, and Persian folk music, samba music, orchestral music, and also in rock, contemporary folk, pop, country, gospel, and jazz.

After watching the video, you can engage the children in discussion about what they remembered or noticed about the tambourine. Children may share ideas about other instruments that it reminds them of, or other music or sounds that they have heard before. If you have a tambourine in your music center, you can pass it around the circle so that each child has a chance to make sound on their own.

Some questions that may initiate a discussion:

• Do you remember some of the names of the parts of the tambourine?

• What did Jared do to make sound on the instrument?

• What is the tambourine made of?

• Does this remind you of any other instruments that you have seen before?

Meet the Instrument: Doumbek

In the following video (2:42), Jared presents the doumbek, and details how this instrument is constructed and how it makes sound. This video can be enjoyed along with your children in class.

The doumbek is also known as a “darbuka” or “goblet drum,” and is often heard in Egyptian folk music, as well as music from western Asia, north Africa, south Asia, and parts of Eastern Europe. The doumbek has a drum head that is stretched over a goblet shaped body, and is typically played with the hand. In some areas of the world, you may hear a doumbek played with a stick in one hand along with the fingers of the other hand.

After watching the video, you can engage the children in discussion about what they remembered or noticed about the doumbek. Children may share ideas about other instruments that it reminds them of, or other music or sounds that they have heard before. If you have a similar drum in your music center, you can pass it around the circle so that each child has a chance to make sound on their own.

Some questions that may initiate a discussion:

• Do you remember some of the names of the parts of the doumbek?

• What did Jared do to make sound on the instrument?

• What is the doumbek made of?

• Does this remind you of any other instruments that you have seen before? Is it similar or different than the tambourine? To other drums that you’ve seen before?

Meet the Instrument: Djembe

In the following video (2:35), Jared presents the djembe, and details how this instrument is constructed and how it makes sound. This video can be enjoyed along with your children in class.

The djembe is another type of goblet style drum, that originally comes from western Africa. The djembe is played with the hands, and is able to make a wide variety of sounds, including very loud sounds.

After watching the video, you can engage the children in discussion about what they remembered or noticed about the djembe. Children may share ideas about other instruments that it reminds them of, or other music or sounds that they have heard before. If you have a similar drum in your music center, you can pass it around the circle so that each child has a chance to make sound on their own.

Some questions that may initiate a discussion:

• Do you remember some of the names of the parts of the djembe?

• What did Jared do to make sound on the instrument?

• What is the djembe made of?

• Does this remind you of any other instruments that you have seen before? Is it similar or different than the doumbek that we saw Jared play before?

Meet the Instrument: Bongos

In the following video (3:15), Jared presents the bongos, and details how this instrument is constructed and how it makes sound. This video can be enjoyed along with your children in class.

The bongos are a set of two drums that are attached and that are meant to be played together. One is slightly larger than the other. The bongos come from Cuba, and can often be heard in different types of Cuban folk music, salsa music, and Afro-Cuban jazz.

After watching the video, you can engage the children in discussion about what they remembered or noticed about the bongos. Children may share ideas about other instruments that it reminds them of, or other music or sounds that they have heard before. If you have a similar drum in your music center, you can pass it around the circle so that each child has a chance to make sound on their own.

Some questions that may initiate a discussion:

• Do you remember some of the names of the parts of the bongos?

• What did Jared do to make sound on the instrument?

• What are the bongos made of?

• Does this remind you of any other instruments that you have seen before? Is it similar or different than the doumbek that we saw Jared play before? How about the djembe?

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