Students will investigate, “How can all these materials complement each other?” as they design and build playable instruments from cardboard, leather, seeds, and beans. Through sensory-aware material testing, collaborative decision-making, and iterative problem-solving, students will connect their interests, skills, and musical intent to their design choices. Teams will also create and refine an accessible performance-space plan using simple technology, then rehearse and present their instruments. Students will communicate their creative choices, respond to peer feedback, and reflect on their growth as designers, musicians, and collaborators.

Students will investigate how cardboard, leather, seeds, and beans complement one another to create structure, vibration, and varied sounds in a playable instrument. They will connect personal interests, knowledge, and skills to intentional choices when designing, performing, and responding to music. In teams, students will test materials, solve design challenges, refine their instrument and performance-space setup using simple technology, and share decisions through sketches, demonstrations, or verbal explanations. Students will practice shared decision-making, empathetic communication, flexible leadership, and reflection on their growth and contributions.

Students will create a visual design plan showing how cardboard, leather, seeds, and beans will work together to produce sound. Teams will build and test prototypes, document sound qualities, gather peer feedback, and revise their designs. Each student will complete a playable instrument with securely sealed materials and an artist statement explaining how personal interests, skills, and choices shaped it. Teams will also create a simple performance-space plan, rehearse with basic sound or lighting technology, and present their instruments in a class performance or exhibition.

Begin with a sensory-friendly “sound discovery lab” where students tap, shake, scrape, and combine cardboard, leather, sealed seeds, and sealed beans, with options for headphones, observation, or quiet participation. In small teams, students compare sounds and ask, “How can all these materials complement each other to create one instrument?” Each student selects a role—sound tester, materials arranger, recorder, or presenter—and helps create a quick instrument prototype and choose where it should be played in the room. Teams demonstrate one sound, explain how their interests shaped their choices, and identify one design challenge to investigate.

Host an accessible “Instrument Sound Gallery” where small teams display and perform their cardboard, leather, seed, and bean instruments in student-designed performance spaces. Students demonstrate how the materials complement one another, explain how their interests and skills shaped design choices, and share one improvement made during rehearsal. Visitors can listen, view design sketches, and leave feedback using written, visual, or audio options. Students choose roles such as performer, designer, sound technician, greeter, or recorded presenter, with a quiet viewing period and prerecorded demonstrations available.