Music is such an addition to a carnival , some would say an essential, so here are a few quick ideas for making your own instruments

Yogophones are essentially a strong plastic yogurt pot with a tube , cardboard , wood or plastic inserted into the bottom this pushes up onto a balloon stretched over the top a blowing tube is inserted in the side of the pot and blown. This vibrates the balloon and makes the noise. The tube acts as a resonating chamber and holes can be cut to vary the note. Decorate as your favorite fantasy instrument and poop tonelessly down the road

Drums can be made to similar degrees of competency with huge cardboard or plastic tubes cut to length. Rip stop nylon , parchment, thin, strong PVC or other experimental material is stretched over the end of the tube and staple gunned on. This usually last for a parade or even two before the over enthusiastic children beat the daylights out of the "skin" and it goes soggy and limp.

The really keen makers out there will find ways of stringing and tuning drums but for a quick parade with young people making the drums by the above method is about what can be expected unless you have really committed staff focused only on this aspect. You will also need participants with developed skills to create the refinement that you may aspire to.

If contemporary recorded music is needed and you want to steer away from a truck with a PA system on it then possibly try something more portable. We have used a small luggage trolley with a 12 V car battery and a car stereo and high wattage car amplifier with car speakers tied to it with luggage straps . This needs investment and so if I were you, I would plan it a bit better than that. You could ask, yes ask, a supermarket for an old trolley so you can get big, high wattage car speakers attached. Sound from the small ones get lost in the open air. Don't try ordinary PA speaker even with pokey with car amps unless you are sure the ohms are matched ( usually car audio equipment opperates on 4 ohms but check )

When using car batteries remember that they are wet acid devices so use a sealed one and don't let young children be in charge of the PA trolley. . Do not let ANYONE connect the battry to the amp using the the wrong wire this will probably fry your amp and cost you a new one not to mention the frustration of setting off on a parade with NO SOUND. Clearly mark the terminals and clips. appoint a trusted techy. If you need microphones you will need some form of 12V mixer and this will cost too. It may still be cheaper than hiring a PA van and it is certainly more fun.

Small World Theatre	Small World Centre	What's On West Wales	Intergenerational	Allotmemt

		WWW		http://www.rhandir.org

Small World Theatre, Canolfan Byd Bychan, Bath House Road, Cardigan, Ceredigion, Wales, SA43 1JY

Tel: 01239 615952 Fax :01239 615835

e mail info@smallworld.org.uk

Masks	Giants
Parades	Dragons
Music	Planning
Lanterns	Space to make it all