These are instruments we can find in our local environment, made from materials around us. In Tanzania, we have many such instruments:

• Drums — like the ngoma, made from wood and animal skin
• Shakers — like kigogo, made from dried gourds or cans filled with small stones
• Flutes — like filimbi, made from bamboo or reeds
• Clappers — wooden sticks clicked together
• Bells — small metal or wooden bells

Step 1: Know Your School Song

First, learn the school song well. You must know:

• The words (lyrics)
• The melody (tune)
• The tempo (speed) — whether it is slow, medium, or fast

Step 2: Choose Your Instruments

Pick instruments that are available in your environment. Ask your teacher or look around your school and home. Any of the instruments listed above can work.

Step 3: Practise Together

This is very important. Singers and instrument players must practise together regularly. When we practise together:

• We learn to listen to each other
• We learn to keep the same speed
• We learn to balance the voice and instrument sounds

Step 4: Find the Right Position

When performing, the arrangement matters:

• Singers stand in front
• Instrument players stand beside or behind the singers
• Keep similar instruments together

This helps everyone hear each other clearly.

Step 5: Keep Good Balance

The instruments should support the singing, not overpower it. The sound of the instruments should be:

• Loud enough to be heard
• Not so loud that they cover the singing voices

Let us say your school song has this melody:

"Our school is the best, we sing with pride,"

Here is how you can accompany it:

1. A drum player keeps the beat — tap, tap, tap — at the same speed as the song
2. A shaker player adds rhythm — sh-sh-sh — between the words
3. Everyone sings together while the instruments play

This makes the song sound more interesting and enjoyable.

• Musical instruments support and enhance singing
• Choose instruments found in your environment
• Practise together regularly
• Arrange singers and players in good positions
• Keep balance between voice and instrument sounds
• Listen carefully to each other while performing

• Accompaniment — music played along with singing to support it
• Tempo — the speed of a song (slow, medium, or fast)
• Rhythm — the pattern of sounds and silences in music
• Balance — making sure no sound is too loud or too soft

In Tanzania, using local instruments to accompany songs is common at school events, church services, and weddings. For example, during a idakua or birthday celebration at school, you can use drums and shakers to accompany the birthday song, making the celebration more joyful and lively for everyone.