You will need:

• A sturdy box
• Rubber bands
• Decorations

1. Choose a box that is sturdy enough to take the tension of several rubber bands. Often this means folding in the sides of the box for reinforcement. Make sure one side is open, like a shoe box without its lid.

2. Place rubber bands around the box so they cross the open side in a row. The rubber bands can be thick or thin, they can be all one colour or a rainbow of colours.

3. If you stretch the rubber band over the open side, what happens?

The pitch gets higher when the rubber bands are tighter. Try tuning your harp just how you want it by adjusting the tightness of the rubber bands and fixing it with tape.

4. Decorate and enjoy!

Can you play a song?

Can you sing and pluck at the same time?

What happens when you pluck two at once?

When two different rubber bands are plucked at the same time two notes are heard. This is called a chord. Like all string instruments it is the open space that helps the string make a louder noise. The strings vibrate and cause the air to vibrate too.

Harps have been made since ancient times. The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans had harps, and would play music to accompany singing or storytelling. Harps have been made out of all types of materials, including turtle shells, gourds and animal skin.