I always admire those people who have a piano in their home and someone to play it.

We have friends who are musical and pull out a well-worn guitar after family dinners. We have relatives who gather around the piano and have family sing-a-longs. Talented neighbors have a collection of instruments and virtuosos for each.

Unfortunately my family’s talents seem to lie in whistling and singing off key. That however doesn’t stop us from making music.

One of our favorite summer activities is to gather the neighborhood kids together and have a marching band. Selecting costumes that vary from a scarf tied around the head to an old Halloween witch’s hat, they troop into our playroom and make a selection from our vast collection of percussion instruments. Lined up again we all strut around the neighborhood, happily banging away.

Sometimes we sing while we walk. Sometimes rhythm is enough.

We’ve had a series of children’s instruments over the years. I’m not fond of the plastic “child sized” instruments sold in most toy stores. They tend to break and never sound quite as good as the real thing.

The ones I like best are well made “real” instruments. Typically much better made and not very expensive, they often last to hand down to the grandkids.

There are lots of choices from all over the world that introduce children to real instruments and other cultures at the same time. Finger cymbals, popular with dancers take a little bit of coordination but make a really pretty sound. Bongos and maracas often used in Latin music are often works of art.

Take the opportunity to explore the world with your music collection!