“I shook my tambourine the whole time, because it helped me remember that even though I was going through different neighborhoods, I was still me.” (88)
"I desperately wish I had my tambourine with me now, because even after everything I'm still wearing heavy boots, and sometimes it helps to play a good beat." (2)
"It's pretty amazing that I can play "The Flight of the Bumblebee," because you have to hit incredibly fast parts, and that is extremely hard for me, because I don't really have wrists yet." (3)
Oskar is talking about how he can play "The Flight of the Bumblebee" on the tambourine.
"I shook my tambourine as we walked up the stairs to the subway, and held my breath when the train went underground." (196)
"At first that made me self-conscious. I suggested to Mrs. Rigley that maybe I could just play tambourine in the orchestra or something." (142)
Music
I think that using the tambourine is a way that Oskar is able to express himself. Like when he was in the arts and crafts store asking if his father had shopped there, and when he had a good idea, he was beating his tambourine.