Experimenting and more experimenting
- Lucy Devine
- May 21, 2020
- 3 min read
Second time writing this blog... Wix crashed and somehow lost the first draft. I am so frustrated that this happened again.
I am loving the maker project Larissa and I are working on, as it is allowing me to be so creative. I am loving playing with things and figuring out how stuff works.
We discussed my website idea and Larissa is all for it, and here is what we decided to have in the website:
Homepage.
About page.
Resource page (with links to readings and other materials on the Maker movement).
Instrument page (Instructional videos, instructional procedures, video of the instrument working, lesson plans and activities, and music to play on the instruments).
Testimonials about the designs working (if we can get any).
Contact us page --> email and links to blogs.
Link to a Facebook page where people can share ideas and experiences.
We decided we want to create some pretty solid instrument designs over the next two weeks. After that we want to meet up and refine our ideas and start bring the project together.
Now it is all about getting some working instruments. I have watched so many videos, looked at so many websites, read my brother's textbooks on sound wave physics and so much more. There is so much information out there! I am going to include my favourites so far that have had the most impact on this blog.
Kris King made some really great reeds out of a 7/11 slushy cup. This is a super great idea has the plastic is already curved and therefore is easier to shape into a reed. His ideas have been a huge inspiration.
These guys made a really awesome video of how they built a thongaphone and gave me the inspiration to make one too! I loved thongaphones as a kid and I would have loved them even more if I could make them in class!
This was just fun and I would love to give it a go if I have time.
This awesome drum.
These were my favourite individual ones. The man who made the drum also had an awesome video where he has made so many instruments for preschoolers. Its truly awesome, a lot of inspiration in there.
Then, of course, there are Lindsey Pollack's designs which are really great. Everything is up on his website, along with finger hole measurements which I am definitely intending on using! Most of his designs use a clarinet or saxophone mouth piece which isn't ideal in a school classroom setting. But I found one instrument where he makes his own reed and it sounds pretty cool!
Pollack's website:
So after all this research I was ready for my first trip to Bunnings. Here is what I bought! I definitely looked a but strange hitting bits of PVC piping with a thong in the middle of Bunnings.
Off it was to experimenting and here was what I created:
I am really happy with how this is going. It is quite difficult to play and requires quite a lot of air. I think the tube needs to be smaller, and maybe I should try sanding the straw to make it easier to vibrate.
I was then walking around my garden and noticed a hose end looked very similar to a trumpet mouth piece. And it kinda worked! Definitely potential in here.
Then I took inspiration from the 7/11 cup video and actually made a really good reed. I didn't use any actual reed tools so it could be used in a classroom.
So there is where I am up to with instruments. I am getting very close and I think by Sunday I should be near my final designs. yay!
In twitter world I have been getting some great feedback on my designs.
After my little rant a few weeks ago about music education James pointed me in the direction of a great book. I'm not even half way yet but there are so many great insights in it. Loving it!
I also had a really lovely comment from class mate Lara which really made my day. She has even offered to try our instrument designs with her primary school band which is so cool!
Here is Lara's blog if you would like to check it out. :)
That's all for today. I have a lot more things to say, but this is more than enough for one blog. Keep your eyes peeled to find out more!
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