My First Music Video

My First Music Video is an educational activity video released in 1993 by Dorling Kindersley Vision. It is intended to show children how to create a variety of simple musical instruments. It is based upon a book title called ‘My First Music Book’, which covers many of the same activities as shown in the video.

## Sections

The opening of the video shows the twelve tiles describes how ten of these tiles will show musical instruments that can be created at home from everyday objects.

The first tile fills the screen which introduces the video and how each section is presented – at the beginning of each section, a clip will show everything required to do the project. This also includes the safety warning for when the viewer is cutting things out.

The second tile shows how to create shakers. This activity requires aluminium cans, small boxes, tins and plastic cups, dried gravel, paperclips, buttons, lentils and rice, tissue paper, rubber bands, a pencil, gift ribbon, coloured paper, coloured adhesive tape, a tube of glue, small scissors, poster paints, a paintbrush, clear varnish and crimping scissors. A variety of different shakers are shown here.

The third tile shows how to make tambourines. This project requires a baking ring, petroleum jelly, modelling clay, some newspaper, wallpaper paste, a brush, poster paints, a paintbrush, clear varnish, a pair of scissors some big and small washers, two kebab sticks, embroidery thread, eight steel bells and some coloured ribbons.

The fourth tile shows how to make drums and drumsticks. To make the drums, cookie tins, giant balloons, coloured paper, a tube of glue, coloured adhesive tape, scissors and some drapery cords are required. The programme shows how to make a traditional drum and a tom-tom. To make the drumsticks, chopsticks, kebab sticks, large knitting needles, coloured felt, cotton, string, corks, wooden beads, plastic drinking straws, clear varnish, poster paints, a paintbrush, tape, scissors and a tube of glue are needed. The programme shows how to make six different drumsticks.

The fifth tile shows how to make guiros, a South American scraping instrument. This activity requires a kebab stick, small coloured beads, a cork, a big bead, coloured ribbons, a small plastic water bottle, a plastic plant label, a yard of cord, a tube of glue, poster paints, a paintbrush and clear varnish.

The sixth tile shows how to make both chiming bells and a hand bell out of flowerpots. This activity requires terracotta flowerpots, poster paints, a paintbrush, cotton cord, a pencil, coloured adhesive tape, a pair of scissors, some string and a wooden bead.

The seventh tile shows how to make a xylophone and a triangle. This activity requires four bolts, coloured cord, embroidery thread, a coloured bead, a tube of glue, eight coloured pencils, a pencil sharpener, sheets of cardboard, felt, poster paint, a paintbrush and a pair of scissors. The bolts are used to create the triangle.

The eighth tile shows how to make pan-pipes and a slide whistle. This activity requires five feet of plastic tubing, a wooden skewer, a bead, white cardboard, ribbon, a tube of glue, adhesive tape, modelling clay, poster paint, a paintbrush, clear varnish and a pair of scissors.

The ninth tile shows how to make a bubble organ. This activity requires glass bottles, poster paints, a paintbrush, clear varnish, a jug of water and some drinking straws.

The tenth tile shows how to make several string instruments, including a banjo and two box harps. The banjo requires a plastic ice cream tub, a piece of wood, a giant balloon, a pair of scissors, adhesive tape, thumbtacks, poster paints, a paintbrush, clear varnish, cardboard, glue, eight brass eye hooks and ten feet of fishing line. The box harps require boxes with lids, coloured rubber bands, coloured paper, cardboard, a tube of glue, scissors, poster paints, a paintbrush and clear varnish.

The eleventh tile shows how to make a hosepipe horn that resembles a French horn and a digeridoo, an Australian instrument. Both of these projects require a piece of hose, a funnel, a pencil, adhesive tape, scissors, poster paints, a paintbrush, clear varnish, a long cardboard tube, coloured paper and a tube of glue.

The twelfth and final tile is only labelled with musical notes and contains no instructions – it includes a collage of the different musical instruments created in the programme, adding their sounds to a tune.

## Credits

* Demonstrator – Eva Marie Bryer
* Script – Angela Wilkes
* Set Construction – Vic Moore
* Design – Tom Gordon
* Design Assistant – Adam Gordon
* Camera – Eddie McCaffrey
* With thanks to:
	+ Jane Dunston
	+ Middlesex Polytechnic Studios
* Lighting – Roddy Green
* On Line Editor – Bill Ogden
* Associate Producer – David Furnham Productions
* Directed by – David Furnham
* Executive Producers – Tom Gordon and Simon Jollands

## Home media releases

The cover for the VHS of My First Music Video has a white background and a border of bells on ribbons, with the picture collage below the title showing a slider whistle, a shaker, a flowerpot bell, a box harp, wrapped drumstick heads, several musical notes and ribbons.