Paper Plate Tambourines
2 paper plates (any size)
dried beans, rice or ???
colorful ribbon or yarn

Decorate backs of plates with paint, markers, stickers, stamps....(allow paint to dry completely before completing next step). With plates facing each other, punch holes (1/2 to 3/4 inches apart) around the edge of the plates. Cut enough long pieces of ribbon/yarn to tie in each hole...leaving the tails trailing down. Or run a long length of ribbon/yarn through the holes around the plates...and tie off, leaving a tail.

Maraccas
I have used the plastic lemons that you get lemon juice in. We fill them with rice and stick a popsickle stick in the hole for a handle. Voila, Instant maraca!
Joni Levine

Morocco Castanets
The Berbers are a people with a long tradition of lively music and storytelling. Among their distinctive instuments are metal qaraqib - or large castanets. This application is made from juice bottle lids, can be decorated and played in minutes. Using a 4 inch strip of tape, secure (rubber bands used to bind broccoli work well) a rubber band to the back of each jar lid and create a hing. Then using another 4 inch piece of tape on top of the first, attach the center of three 2-foot strips of curling ribbon to the hinge of the castanets. Curl the ribbon with a scissors edge and start tapping!
Sandy(MICHALLA)

Silly Shakers
Shake! Shake! Shake your sillies out with these easy to make instruments. In advance collect an empty, plastic soda bottle (16oz. or 20oz.) for each child. Clean the bottles and remove the labels. Have each child pour several spoonfuls of popcorn kernels into his bottle. Hot glue the lid to the bottle. To decorate the shakers, have each child use a paint brush and thinned glue to glue various colors of tissure paper squares to the bottle. When the glue is dry, encourage each child to sing the song "Shake My Sillies Out" (as made popular by Raffi) while shaking their colorful instrument.
Sandy(MICHALLA)