Here's how to turn a straw into a musical instrument.

Get yourself a straw that's not too sturdy.

Snip off the corners of one end. They need to be quite equal, and it can be quite tricky to get this right.
Once you've got the cut right, you can try to make a note.

You need to put the straw horizontally between your teeth, and clench and blow.
It's quite difficult at first but if you put it further in and out of your mouth and blow harder and softer, you'll soon get the hang of it.
Now you can start to tune your straw.

Long straws make deep notes, while shorter ones produce higher notes.
Or, why not cut slits into your straw, and then you can try to play it like a recorder.
You can add volume to your straw by making an amplifier!

Take a piece of paper and roll it into a tight cone shape.
Tape it together then get the working end of your straw and poke it through the middle, until there's just a tiny bit left inside.
Stick the straw to the cone and simply blow.
© BBC MMI

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