Inspiring Videos

Every week I try to show a short video clip of a musician doing something extraordinary or innovative with the musical skills they probably started developing in elementary classroom music.  Of course, all of the these innovators then had to go out and practice in order to be able to do what they do. I want to show them that what we begin to do here in class can lead them to inspiring and creative endeavors if they take in the learning and run with it.

Two weeks ago we saw footage from the Norwegian IceMusic Festival in which all instruments were made of ice or snow. Fantastic! That got me interested in other "unconventional" instruments. Last week we watched footage of someone performing Bach's Tocatta and Fugue in D minor on a "glass harp" (wine glasses and water goblets filled with various levels of water and strapped to the table. Played by rubbing the rim to create friction which causes the glass to vibrate and "sing"). It was a 7 minute video. Most classes wanted to watch it all the way to the end when I asked at the 3 minute mark if they wanted to move on or keep watching.


Today I got this email from a parent...

Good Morning,
 [Xxxxxx] came home (whichever day he had music last week) excited about a video you had showed him in class--glass harp, or something to that effect?  Anyway, on Saturday he wanted to try it, so we got out a few wine glasses, put different depths of water in them, and had fun with it.  Soren loved it so much, because (this is a direct quote), "It's music *and* science!"  :-)
 Thanks again for harnessing [Xxxxxx]'s musical enthusiasms.  

 Mission accomplished.