Submitted by Sue Michiels, Los Angeles, California

Idea posted November 12, 2003

If you want to use the board to teach bells and Boomwhackers®, you need the notes in many different colors.

Materials:

One yard of felt in a pale color for the board.

One pack of felt squares to make the individual notes and sticks.

One thin and one thick indelible marker, preferably black.

For a roll-up music felt board:

Either two pieces of half-inch doweling or bamboo garden sticks.

OR
For a solid board:

An old blackboard or a lightweight hard-backing board (heavy-duty railroad board would do) about 3' by 4'.

OR
It can be pinned on the wall.
To make the notes:

Use a quarter to draw about 20 circles on each color from the felt squares with a thin indelible marker. Cut them out.

Then cut out about 20 three-inch long sticks.

Find a box to put them in! I use a bead sorting box. Envelopes will not work as well as you need to be able to grab the right color circle and the stick to match at a moment's notice.

Set aside.

For a hanging roll-up board:

Take a long ruler and draw a line at the top and the bottom of the material about two inches from the edge. If you sew, turn this into a hem and sew it so that you can get the dowel through. One dowel will be at the top to hang from hooks on the wall and the other is to weight the board.

For a stretched, solid board:

Position the felt over the board so that there is at least three inches spare at each side.

Attach the felt overlap to the backside of whatever backing you are using with duct tape or craft glue. NOTE: DO NOT glue on the top side as some glue may seep through.

The lines and spaces:

Draw the lines with a thicker indelible marker on your board depending on whether you are going to use it for "Mr. Everybody's Musical Apartment" or just the staff. The lines will need to be about an inch-and-a-quarter apart. With the one I have for the staff, I have two staves but both have the treble clef drawn on them. Instead, you may want to cut out a giant treble clef and a giant bass clef depending on your needs.