Found Percussion: A New Experience In Sound

Found Percussion: A New Experience In Sound In kitchens, garages, living rooms, basements and back yards, everyday objects lie waiting to be turned into musical instruments. This includes soda cans, saws, glasses, vases, hubcaps, brake drums, silverware, trashcans and almost anything. All of these can be used to make music when played properly. Target: Elementary/Middle School/High School General Music SUPPORT FROM: DeAtley Family Foundation The A. Paul Jones Charitable Trust John & Carolyn Peterson Charitable Foundation Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation Margaret Winston National Guardian Life Insurance Company National Endowment for the Arts Friends of Wisconsin Public Television In this activity guide, students will have the opportunity to explore the word of music through found percussion. Students at all grade levels have the opportunity to become percussionists and composers while having fun working in groups and/or individually. The student performances used as the basis of this activity guide were recorded as part of the Birch Creek Percussion & Steel Band Summer Academy in Egg Harbor, WI. This nationally recognized camp offers a comprehensive summer education experience for the young adult percussionist through firsthand experience with many performances, small-group instruction, and master classes. OUTCOMES After studying this material, students will be able to: Understand that vibration is the source of sound Define and describe instrument families Define the term avant-garde and recognize composers of that genre Define and describe what constitutes a found instrument Create a musical instrument utilizing any object Compare and contrast the differences between noise and music Design, create, compose and perform utilizing found instruments Compare and contrast historical/cultural influences of found instruments WISCONSIN S MODEL ACADEMIC STANDARDS FOR MUSIC This curriculum guide corresponds with the following Model Academic Standards for Music: Music Performance: Instrumental B.4.2-6; B.8.1-3; B.12.2-3 Music Creativity: Improvisation C.4.1-4; C.8.1, C.8.3; C.12.2 Composition D.4.2-3; D.8.1-3; D.12.1-3 Music Literacy: Reading and Notating E.4.3-4; E.8.1-4, E.12.1-3 Music Response: Analysis F.4.1-5; F.8.1-7; F.12.1-4 Evaluation G.4.1-3; G.8.1-4; G.12.1-3 Music Connections: The Arts H.4.1-2 H.8.1-3; H.12.1-4 History and Culture I.4.1-5; I.8.1-3; I.12.1-3 1 Found Percussion A New Experience in Sound wisconsinperforms.org

BACKGROUND A found instrument is any object not usually considered or used in a musical way used in a musical composition. Found instruments have been around as long as music has existed. Over time and with use, many of these types of instruments have become common and well-known sounds used in music everyday. While found instruments do not have to be percussion instruments, the majority falls into the percussion category. Avantgarde composers such as Henry Cowell, John Cage, Edgar Varese and Lou Harrison were among some of the first to use found instruments in their compositions. Many of these instruments have now become accepted as normal instruments and are used in many compositions. GETTING STARTED Before beginning this activity guide, it is important for students to understand the difference between making music with found percussion as opposed to simply making sound. It is important that students understand this difference and are always encouraged to make music rather than simply sound. Be sure to set very clear guidelines as to when and how any found instrument should be played and in what manner. The selection of implements (sticks, mallets, hand playing and/or striker) should be considered carefully. Once this is complete students will learn and enjoy from the following activities much more quickly. Students should also watch the video resources listed to assist in the following activities. By doing this first, students will have a good sense of what can be accomplished and can strive to have an attainable goal. ELEMENTARY LEVEL GENERAL MUSIC ACTIVITIES I. What is a Musical Instrument? A. Watch the video Birch Creek Percussion Joy Ride to complete the following activities: 1. Explore vibration as it relates to music. Explore how different items vibrate to make sound. Explore what vibrates on musical instruments to produce sounds. 2. Name and find pictures of as many musical instruments as possible. 3. Explore the instrument families listed. Place the pictures found in the correct instrument family. What do the instruments in each family have in common? What is different? a. Brass b. Woodwinds c. Percussion d. Strings e. Keyboard/Electronic II. Name That Sound Game A. Play (live or recordings) traditional instruments behind a screen and have students guess which instrument is heard. Consider what is vibrating to make the sound. B. Now play a variety of household items behind a screen. Have students guess what item is being used to make the sound. Consider what is vibrating to make the sound. C. Play the same household item using different implements 2 Found Percussion A New Experience in Sound wisconsinperforms.org

and striking in different places. Describe how the sounds are different. III. Create Your Own Found Instrument A. Make a list of five items that are easily found in the school that could be used as musical instruments. B. Gather these items and explore different ways to make sounds using different implement and striking the item in different places. C. Make a poster that describes what you have discovered about the sounds the different items can create. D. Make egg shakers by placing beads in a plastic egg and sealing it. Use different types of beads such as beans, seeds, plastic jewels and/or metal BB s. E. Listen to how the different materials inside the egg can create different sounds. Try to pair eggs that sound the same and/or that are different but sound good together. F. Discover Found Instruments At Home G. Bring in a found instrument from home. H. Have students take turns playing his/her instrument behind a screen while other students guess what item is making the sound. I. Explore different ways to make music with each found instrument. Can students find different ways to make sounds with the instruments? J. Organize the found instruments into families. This could be by material (woods, metals, plastics, etc.) or by how the sound is activated (scraped, hit, shaken, etc.) IV. Create Your Own Found Instrument Ensemble A. As the leader, using the call and response model, have students repeat patterns. Use different musical elements such as crescendo, decrescendo, playing faster, playing slower, louder, softer and/or using terraced dynamics. B. Have the students take turns as the leader of the ensemble. C. Divide students into small groups of four or five. Each group should create a found instrument composition. Each composition should include solo sections and sections where all are playing together. Notate the composition using icons of each instrument and perform it for the class. MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL GENERAL MUSIC ACTIVITIES Watch either Birch Creek Percussion video listed to complete the following activities: V. I. What Makes Something a Musical Instrument? A. What is required for something to be considered a musical instrument? B. Name the families of instruments and instruments within each family. C. How is the sound made in each family of instruments? D. What family would you place the following instruments and why? 1. Trumpet 2. Violin 3. Flute 4. Snare Drum 5. Piano 3 Found Percussion A New Experience in Sound wisconsinperforms.org

6. Oboe 7. Bagpipes 8. Hammered Dulcimer 9. Electronic Keyboard 10. Clarinet 11. Guitar 12. Pick up Truck VI. Compare and contrast the information gathered. Create a poster that describes a family of instruments. Be sure to include instruments in the family, tendencies and a short history of the instrument family. A. Invent a New Instrument and a New Sound! 1. Using string, a piece of predrilled wood and various sized plastic and metal washers create a set of wind chimes: a. Cut the piece of wood to 2 x 12 x 0.5 and then drill two rows of small holes along the board every half-inch. Sand the wood to avoid splinters. b. The students should cut the string to a length of approximately 1 foot. Loop the string through a washer, then through two holes (corresponding rows) in the board. Tie a knot in the string. The washer should now hang from below the board. c. Repeat until washers hang across the entire board. Trying using different sized and types of washers to create different sounds. d. By moving the board, or gently sweeping the string with a hand, the students can activate their wind chimes. e. Compare and contrast the different sounds created by different materials. VII. Activities That Explore the World of Found Instruments: Because found instruments exist everywhere and everyone can make one easily, these activities provide students an opportunity to explore, create, improvise and compose A. Push The Boundaries By Creating a Found Instrument! 1. Bring in an everyday household object that could be made into a found instrument. 2. Explore various ways to play the instrument. Try different implements and striking points. 3. Demonstrate the different sounds to the class. 4. Organize the found instruments into families based on information discovered earlier. Be sure to consider what and how are causing vibration and how that creates sound. B. Building a Composition With Others 1. Using the call and response model, repeat rhythms on the found instruments using simple rhythms as performed by the leader. Take turns being the leader. 2. Learn five simple rhythm patterns using the found instruments. 3. Divide the class into several groups with each group assigned a rhythmic pastern. Each group should play the 4 Found Percussion A New Experience in Sound wisconsinperforms.org

assigned rhythm one after the other. Next layer the rhythms in different combinations. 4. Compare and contrast the results. 5. Create a logical order to the various rhythms and develop a composition. Include solo sections and tutti sections while exploring different timbres. 6. Add dynamics and expression to the composition. 7. Using common notation, score the composition and perform it for a class or the school. HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL GENERAL MUSIC ACTIVITIES Watch either Birch Creek Percussion video listed along with contemporary popular music and classical music to complete the following activities: VIII. What Is Music? A. Discuss what parameters are required for something to be considered music. Consider the following: 1. Sound 2. Communication 3. Thought Process 4. Personal Bias 5. Structure B. Individually use the information from above to write a definition of music. C. As a group develop a consensus for a definition using the individual definitions. D. Discuss the concept of turning household or common items into musical instruments. Consider the following in the discussion: 1. What needs to occur for something to be musical? 2. What is the difference between noise and music? 3. Does all music have a melody? 4. Does all music have to be notated? 5. How are time and meter used in music? 6. Does this agree with the definition of music? E. In the video Birch Creek Percussion Joy Ride, a truck is used as a musical instrument. With that information, discuss the following: 1. How are different sounds produced on the truck? 2. What was the effect of theatrics added to the music? 3. Did this composition have a strong sense of pulse or was it more free form? 4. What was the most unusual sound and why? 5. What other sounds could have been used and incorporated into the composition. IX. Activities That Explore the World of Found Instruments: Because found instruments exist everywhere and everyone can make one easily, these activities provide students an opportunity to explore, create, improvise and compose A. Invent A Found Instrument! 1. Create a found instrument. Try to be as creative as possible. 2. Find as many sounds on the found instrument as possible. Use different implements and different strike point to create a variety of timbres. 5 Found Percussion A New Experience in Sound wisconsinperforms.org

3. Develop a notation key representing the different sounds. 4. Write a solo composition for the newly invented found instrument. Be sure to use the notation key to develop the score. 5. Have another student record the composition using only the written score. Next record the solo that you have written. 6. Compare and contrast the two performances. If there were differences try analyzing the reason and resolving the differences in performances. B. Create An Ensemble 1. Form groups of three to five people. 2. Using the found instruments create a found instrument ensemble. 3. Augment the soundscape by adding other sounds using items found in the teachers desk including such possibilities as plastic bags, rubber bands, paper clips, string, rulers, paper, staplers, pencils, pens, binder clips, etc. 4. Write an original composition. Be sure to notate every sound being used. 5. Perform the song for the class and/or the school. MAKING CONNECTIONS CROSS CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: Music and art are often a reflection of the times and the region. The following activities are intended to make connections with other curricular areas and broaden the understanding of the life and times of the people that created the music. X. History: The term avant-garde can be attached to composers that used found instruments as part of the compositional process. These composers also aligned with artists that were given the same name. Often these composers pushed the boundaries by exploring new soundscapes. This is often a reaction to what came before and also strongly connected to the culture of the time of the composer. A. Define the term avant-garde. Create a poster with the definition and include three composers recognized as avant-garde. B. Research the following composers. Compare and contrast compositions and consider how the events of the time influenced his/her music. 1. Edgar Varese 2. Henry Cowell 3. John Cage 4. Phil Glass 5. Charles Ives 6. Frank Zappa 7. Pamela Z 8. Explore what was happening in America that influenced these composers and inspired him/ her to compose in this manner. Compare and contrast the use of found instruments used in musical compositions. Discuss how these external influences could have contributed to the increase in popularity for found percussion or other effects. C. Draw a timeline that includes the major avant-garde composers and artists that also includes the 6 Found Percussion A New Experience in Sound wisconsinperforms.org

major historical events. Compare and contrast the people with the events. XI. Geography: Where a composer lives is often reflected in his/ her music. This information can help students understand choices made by composers in a composition and/or influence the choice of instruments. A. Identify where famous found percussion composers lived during his/her time of composing. B. Mark on a map the location of each composer. Be sure to consider if the composer moved from one place to another. C. Compare and contrast the information and look for trends. Be sure to gather regional information that may have affected the composer s choices. Also consider how the composer changed for his/her career. D. Compile the information and develop product-based summary of the information. Options could include making a poster, video, mock interviews, etc. E. Is there a common thread between the locations of composers and the composition? XII. Social Studies: In this activity students have the opportunity to be the creator of something that could be considered avantgarde. The goal for this activity is for it to be as student driven as possible. To begin, students should watch video of John Cage s Living Room Music and Water Walk as preparation for the following activities. A. Compare and contrast musical scores of music that uses found percussion. Be sure to explore that use very traditional practices as well as those that are more avantgarde. B. Gather ten found instruments that are specific to your area or represent something unique to your community and that are everyday household items. C. Develop a plan that utilizes all of the found instruments and that provides a logical beginning, middle and end of a musical composition. D. Notate a score that includes a timing of musical events in the composition. Use icons as notation along with timing indicators for duration of musical events. E. Record the performance and play it for different audiences. Gather feedback from the audience regarding the composition. ASSESSMENT OPTIONS XIII. Exams and Questioning A. Utilize traditional exams and quizzes. B. Engage in knowledge based games. C. Engage in teacher/student discussions. XIV. Writing Exercises A. Write a descriptive essay. B. Complete answer based essays. C. Write a narrative based on activities. D. Write an analysis of a composition that uses found instruments. E. Write a biography based on a composer and his/her use of found 7 Found Percussion A New Experience in Sound wisconsinperforms.org

percussion instruments. Some possible are: 1. Edgar Varese 2. Henry Cowell 3. John Cage 4. Phil Glass 5. Charles Ives 6. Frank Zappa 7. Pamela Z XV. Projects A. Create several found instruments. B. Compose a solo for found instruments. C. Create, notate and record a found instrument ensemble. D. Create a poster describing the development of found instruments. XVI. Retelling the Story/Discussion A. Engaging in role-playing activities. B. Sharing observations to people outside of the class. C. Connect with other students VIDEO RESOURCES Birch Creek Percussion Video Performance of Skeleton Key Birch Creek Percussion Video Performance of Joy Ride Square Peg Round Hole Performance of Living Room Music by John Cage I ve Got A Secret Television Show Clip Performance of Water Walk by John Cage as performed by John Cage Video link of Living Room Music: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=sohjrfr1yvw Video link of Water Walk: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ssulycqzh-u studying the same material. 8 Found Percussion A New Experience in Sound wisconsinperforms.org