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Junkyard Symphony's Study Guide

ARTISTIC
STATEMENT
ABOUT JYS
WHAT TO EXPECT
TECHNICAL
INFO CHECKLIST

INTRODUCING
JYS
WHAT IS
RHYTHM
WHAT IS
PERCUSSION

EXTENSION
ACTIVITIES
MAKE AN
INSTRUMENT
PUT 4 R's
INTO PRACTICE

VOCABULARY/
RESOURCES
WEBSITES/
BOOKS
PAGE
BOTTOM

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Artistic Statement

            Rhythm is a pattern that repeats. From the gentle ebb and flow of the tides, to the daily bustle of commuters shuttling in and out of cities, to the bouncing of a basketball, to the beating of a drum, to the balance of work and play, to the oscillation of life and death in everything from amoebas to empires--the awesome power of rhythm gives shape to our lives and has captured the attention of Junkyard Symphony since our creation in 1992. Rhythm is everywhere. It surrounds us. It drives us. It's at the very center of our being; the beating of our hearts gives us life. When we drum, we give life back to our hearts.
           Feeling the connection to the rhythm of life that comes when you drum is Junkyard Symphony's passion. It is this sense of connection that drives us to investigate the ways humans can better harmonize their own patterns of production, consumption and waste disposal with the naturally occurring recycling patterns of the Earth. Think of our Earth as playing a song with wonderful rhythms. Environmental degradation occurs when our rhythms don't fit with those of the Earth.
           Being environmentally friendly isn't just a way of life, it's a way for life. Our planet depends on us just as much as we depend on it, so let's find rhythms that work.
By sharing our love of rhythm and modeling an intelligent and earth-friendly approach to waste management with our re-used instruments, We hope to teach your students an important life-long message that begins from the beating our hearts: how to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rock!
           Jonny Olsen (Junkyard Jonny)

About Junkyard Symphony

           Junkyard Symphony was created by the multi-talented Jon Olsen, also known as Junkyard Jonny. Jonny was born and raised in Ottawa. His parents nurtured his life-long passion for percussion and performance with five years of private drum lessons while he was still a child. His middle school music program introduced Jonny to the joys of ensemble playing--a thrill he continues to enjoy on a regular basis with his Junkyard Symphony pals.
           Jonny picked up acrobatic and juggling skills to enhance his part-time work as a clown while attending Bell High School. In his graduating year he drew special recognition as the maestro behind the creation of The Enviro Band, a recycle-bin-and-plastic-pickle-bucket playing group of dozens of his music-loving peers. This success planted the seed of an idea that later bloomed into Recycle Rock and Jonny’s own distinctive “Funk on the Junk” style.
           Starting in 1992, Jonny’s performances on the streets of Ottawa and beyond financed his studies at the University of Waterloo where he was to receive a degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in Fine Arts.
           Over the years, Jonny has met many talented musicians and brought them into Junkyard Symphony's musically creative fold, such Christian Duquette, also know as the Amazing Lackey, Tony Raybould, also known as Trashcan Tony, and Chris Zimmerman, also known Compost Chris. Today the company consists of 10 regulars, but as its fan base grows, so does the company. Junkyard Symphony has been performing locally, nationally and internationally, for over a quarter of a century. Touring highlights include a stint in Hong Kong, a performance for the President of Singapore, and several private performances for the Tagically Hip.
           Jonny currently lives in Ottawa with his wife Alma, daughter Gina and son Jake. For more detailed information on the career and accomplishments of Junkyard Symphony, visit the Junkyard Symphony Background


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What to Expect

Performance: Junkyard Symphony's Recycle Rock show combines awesome antics, radiant rhythms, plenty of participation and a recycling message. Junkyard Jonny and his sidekick Trashcan Tony play synchronized rhythms on all sorts of reused objects that have been transformed into percussion instruments, such as buckets, a hub cap, water jugs, garbage cans recycle bins, and tons of other fun stuff. As well as performing maginificent rhtyhms on junk, Junkyard Symphony performs circus tricks with junk, like juggling three 5 gallon water bottles while balancing on a sewer pipe. Of course the environemntal message is the theme of the show as Junkyard Symphony teaches children about the 4Rs, to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rock, as they invite the students and teachers on stage to jam with the band on reused instruments.

Workshops: Junkyard Symphony's workshops are highly structured, fun and effective. For rhtyhm workshops, The artist provides reused drums and sticks for up to 30 participants. Students play in unison, drum-circle style, while learning fundamental musical concepts including: percussion, rhythm and rhythm cycles; tempo, beat, bar and dynamics;notes and rests--whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth time signatures--3/4, 2/4, 6/8.
For recycling workshops, the artist teaches students how to make an instruments from reused materials such as Maracca from a water bottle and maccaroni or a Rain Stick from a papaer towel tube and rice. The importance of recycling and the 4 R's is covered and the students will learn some basic rhtyhms to play with their recycled instrument.

Technical Information Checklist

*Please read carefully to ensure all requirements are met.*
For multiple performances at the same elementary school, Junkyard Symphony strongly encourages mixed audiences of primary and junior classes instead of having a show for just the primaries and then a show for just the juniors.
For workshops, maximize students’ chances for success by arranging the circular seating plan to minimize social distractions. There is a max of 30 students per workshop. Please do not excede this limit as Junkyard Symphony only provides 30 drums.

Arrival and Set up
Performance: Junkyard Symphony arrives 60 minutes before the performance. Please make sure that the performance area is clear of students. Please ensure that the school custodian is notified about their arrival to best facicilate the set up process.

Facilities
Performance: The performance ca take place in the gym or theatre. If the gym has a stage the performance can take place on the stage so long as there are stage front stairs, otherwise it is best to do the performance on the ground.

Workshops: Junkyard Symphony performs the workshop in the same location as the show. Please allow at least fifteen minutes after the show to allow Junkyard Symphony to prepare for the workshop. Please provide benches or chairs for the students.

Seating:
Performance: No student chairs are required for the performance especailly if the performance is on the ground rather than the stage, but chairs for the teachers and guests is suggested. There will be pilons set up to mark the front row and center isle. Students are to sit on the left and right of the center ilse. If the performance is on the stage, high shcools may set up chairs for the students if they wish. Please leave a center isle.

Program Length
Performance: 1 hour. Shorter or longer performance available upon request.
Junk Pack: One 60 min show plus two 60 min workshops.

Post Show
30 minutes is require to pack up the equipment. Please keep students clear.

Preparing for a Visit

The following activities will help your students get the most out of their time with the performance
- Help students focus during the performance by asking them to watch for the following:
-Junkyard Symphony's drum set and their props are made from reused materials. How many reused objects can you identify?
-List the different ways Jonny “talks” to his audience without using words.
-What circus skills can you spot in the show?
-What body rhythms can you remember from the show?
-What is the message of the show?

Introducing JYS

Here’s a short introduction that you can read:
“Full of boundless energy and infectious rhythm, this talented duo has been spreading their unique brand of entertainment From Halifax to Hong Kong since 1992. Turning trash into treasure Junkyard Symphony has captured the attention of over a million people, teaching the valuable lesson of rhythm and recycling. They play on everything from buckets, to hubcaps, to garbage cans, so lets have a warm welcome for Junkyard Symphony”

Junkyard Symphony


ARTISTIC
STATEMENT
ABOUT JYS
WHAT TO EXPECT
TECHNICAL
INFO CHECKLIST

INTRODUCING
JYS
WHAT IS
RHYTHM
WHAT IS
PERCUSSION

EXTENSION
ACTIVITIES
MAKE AN
INSTRUMENT
PUT 4 R's
INTO PRACTICE

VOCABULARY/
RESOURCES
WEBSITES/
BOOKS
PAGE
BOTTOM

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What is Rhythm

           Rhythm is any pattern that repeats itself, such as night and day, the days of the week, the 4 seasons, walking, or the constant beat of a drum. Rhythm is wonderful. It surrounds us everywhere, and is inside too. Our heart creates a rhythm as it beats away pumping blood throughout our body. When we hear music, our heart responds to the rhythm and we feel the urge to dance, clap our hands, or tap our feet. Rhythm loves company.

           We use rhythm in music, but rhythm can be found in sports. A team that gets into a good rhythm of passing generally gets into a rhythm of scoring. Rhythm is even found in academics. A good balance of work and play leads to greater success in the classroom. As Jonny always says “Study… play… study….play… will make your day, but play… play… play…. will let good grades slip away!”

Find the rhythms of daily life. Ask students to think about a simple action or activity they do every day, e.g., brushing their teeth, getting dressed, walking to school. When everyone has come up with something, ask them to recreate their actions all at the same time when you give the signal and to stop all at the same time when you repeat the signal. Introduce the idea of tempo (how quickly or slowly they move) and have the class repeat their actions trying different speeds--rushing to get it over with; feeling tired and moving slowly; moving like robots with circuitry problems that cause them to malfunction. Get their feedback on how moving at different speeds effects the way they feel.

Use body percussion to practice simple rhythms with the whole class. Depending on the age of your group, you many want to assign one of the rhythm patterns below to pairs or groups of three to practice on their own first. After a few minutes of practice time, create your on “standing body percussion circle”. Have each group perform their rhythm for the group to echo back to them. Experiment with dynamics (the loudness or softness of the sounds produced) and working in unison.

Some Simple Rhythms

Lap Rhythms!

Junkyard Jonny playin' some percussion


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What is Percussion

Percussion means "the forceful striking of one object against another," and the instruments in the percussion family are played by being struck, shaken, or scraped. The first type of percussion instrument was simply anything hit together to produce sound. Percussion instruments have strong ceremonial, sacred, or symbolic associations almost everywhere.

Drums are known to have existed from around 6000 BC. Certain drums symbolize and protect tribal royalty in much of Africa and were also used to transmit messages over long distances. Drums also played a major role in medieval and Renaissance Europe. The snare drum and its relatives were used in the infantry to send coded instructions to the soldiers

In an orchestra, the percussion section provides a variety of rhythms, textures and tone colors. Percussion instruments are classified as tuned or untuned. Tuned instruments play specific pitches or notes, just like the woodwind, brass and string instruments. Untuned instruments produce a sound with an indefinite pitch, like the sound of a hand knocking on a door.

There’s an immense variety in the style and construction of instruments in the percussion family worldwide. Here’s a cross-cultural sampling of just a few:

Drums
The Chinese have a wooden drum they call a mu-yu (“wooden fish”). It is round and hollow, like a temple block.

The Hawaiians make a drum called a pahu hula (“dance drum”). They make it by hollowing out a log and stretching shark skin over the end. They also make a coconut-shell knee drum called a puniu, also with a fish-skin head. The drum is attached to the player’s leg and is played with a little strap made from braided leaves.

Djembe Player


Gongs
In China, there is a gong chime called a yun-lo, or “cloud gong”. It is a lattice frame with ten different small gongs suspended within it.

Xlophones
The Indonesian gamelan orchestras often feature a xylophone called a gambang. In Java, gambangs are made of wood; in Bali they are made of bamboo.

In the small west African nation of Gambia, musicians play a xylophone with resonators made from gourds. It is called a balo or balafon.

In Uganda, the people play a great big xylophone made from big pieces of wood laid across banana tree trunks, or someTempus Sans ITC across big bundles of straw. This instrument is called an akadinda. It is often played by several players at once.

Information found at the New York Philharmonic Kids’ Zone www.nyphilkids.org

Extension Activities
1. Create Found Instrument Ensembles.

Encourage students to explore the different kinds of sounds they can make with objects in their environment. Have each person bring in a sound-producing object (e.g., a stick, a bicycle horn, an empty plastic bottle, etc.). Working in small groups, have your students create rhythmic sound compositions to perform for the class. Reinforce the concepts of dynamics, tempo, crescendo/decrescendo, and unison with this activity.

This activity addresses the following Overall Expectations of the Ontario K-8 Arts Curriculum: Music--recognize a variety of sound sources and use some in performing and creating music [Grades 2 through 5 inclusive]; Specific Expectations, Knowledge of Elements--identify examples of dynamics in pieces of music and describe how loudness and softness are achieved [Grade 2]; Creative Work-- create rhythmic patterns (e.g., ostinati), using a variety of sounds [Grade 2].

2.Connect Across Cultures

Learning about various drums and styles of drumming is a good way to introduce students to the music of different cultures and historical periods. This guide suggests audio-visual and Internet support materials you may want to use for this purpose in the “Resources” section. For language arts and/or drama tie-ins on this theme, the following books from the Ottawa Public Library’s collection are recommended:

Books
J. Alison James, The Drums of Noto Hanto, illustrated by Tsukushi. JUVENILE This beautifully illustrated book tells the ancient story of how the villagers of Noto Hanto, Japan, used drumming and masks to frighten away fierce samurai marauders. It lends itself well to various forms of adaptation--a reading with choral participation; a readers’ theatre performance; a full-blown dramatic adaptation with masks and drums. Taiko drumming and the distinctive music of Japan is the multi-cultural connection here.

Gerald McDermott, Musicians of the Sun. JUVENILE With the help of the four musicians--Red, Blue, Yellow and Green--the Lord of the Night does battle with the Sun to bring music and colour to the Earth in this visually stunning adaptation of an Aztec myth. Again the story invites student participation, especially in the creation of the magical music of drum, shell, flute and rattle.

Nina Jaffe, Patakin: World Tales of Drums and Drummers. Juv 398.27 J23 Jaffe describes the distinctive drums used by people from ten different cultural groups and recounts tales from each culture in which these drums figure prominently. This is an excellent resource for language arts/drama activities for junior and intermediate students.

Mickey Hart and Fredric Lieberman, Planet Drum: A Celebration of Percussion and Rhythm. 786.9 H325 This lavishly illustrated compendium of the history and lore of percussion instruments and rhythm across all Tempus Sans ITC and cultures is full of amazing tidbits of information to share with your students. The book was written as a literary companion to Hart’s classic world music CD Planet Drum (1991) on the Rykodisc label. Recommended as a crash course in the history of percussion for teachers or senior secondary students.

These activities address the following Overall Expectations of the Ontario K-8 Arts Curriculum: Music--identify...music of a variety of cultures and historical periods [All grades]. Specific Expectations, Creative Work--create or arrange music to accompany a reading or dramatization, using appropriate rhythm instruments, body percussion, or “found instruments [Grade 3]; --create an accompaniment for a story, poem, or drama presentation, using their knowledge of beat, rhythm, tone colour [Grade 4] and melody [Grades 5 and 6]; Drama and Dance, Overall Expectation--interpret and communicate the meaning of stories...and other material drawn from different sources and cultures using a variety of drama and dance techniques [All grades].


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3. Respond Through Art

Students at any grade can be given the chance to offer their personal response to a Junkyard Jonny concert or a selected world music percussion track through the creation of visual art. Possibilities here include:

--drawing a picture of the event.
--making a collage on a rhythm and recycling theme using images found in magazines, in newspapers on the Internet, on cereal boxes and other types of packages, etc.
--working spontaneously with paints or pastels in an effort to capture the essence of a given piece of percussive music on paper.

In follow-up discussions encourage students to explain how the choices they have made in the creation of their art work reflect their thoughts and feelings about the musical experience that inspired it.

This activity addresses the following Overall Expectation of the Ontario K-8 Arts Curriculum: Music--communicate responses to music in grade-appropriate ways (in this instance through visual arts) [All grades]; Specific Expectations, Critical Thinking--communicate their thoughts and feelings about the music they hear using language and a variety of art forms and media [All grades].

4. Make Your Own Percussion Instruments

Castanets
Modern castanets consist of two pieces of hardwood hinged together in the shape of a shell. When the wood pieces strike each other, they create an untuned sound that is often associated with Spanish dances. Primitive castanets in different shapes and forms have been found on all continents. The ancient Greeks used a version of castanets called "krotala" in their religious ceremonies. Castanets have been made from a variety of materials--sticks, shells, stones, ivory and even bone.

You will need
-heavy cardboard
-plastic or metal bottle caps


Cut a strip of cardboard as wide as your bottle caps and three cm longer. Attach the bottle caps to each end and fold in half to make a clicking sound.

Cymbals
Cymbals are concave brass or bronze plates that are played by being struck together or with a stick or mallet. A gong is a large, heavy cymbal. They may be used to keep time and/or to add a bit of extra drama to music. Belly dancers use cymbals to accentuate their body movements and Buddhist monks use them as a meditation aid.

You will need
-pairs of matching covers from old pots and pans
-yarn or ribbon


Decorate the handles of the pots covers with yarn or ribbon. Strike the covers together to play them.

Rain Sticks Legend has it that the Chilean Indians invented the rainstick to make rainy weather. The rainstick is a type of tubular rattle that throughout the ages has been used by many cultures in various ways.

The rainstick has an unusual internal structure. An interior maze formed of either cactus spines, wooden pegs, bamboo or palm slivers distinguishes the rainstick from other tube rattles. The cylinder is filled with pebbles, hard seeds, beans, sand, rice, or tiny shells. One traditional method of making rainsticks is to use cactus. The spines or thorns are "hammered" inward and lava rock is poured inside the hollow tube. The sounds created when the lava rock hit the many thorns inside the cactus tube mimic the sound of rain falling on the leaves.

You will need
-a long, sturdy cardboard tube from wrapping paper rolls
-nails or strong toothpicks that match the tube’s diameter
(the standard tube has a 1.5” diameter)
-two metal caps from frozen juice containers or jars
-enough dried beans, buttons or pebbles to fill 1/3 of the tube.


Poke holes in a spiral along the whole length of the tube. Stick the nails into the holes and tape or glue the nail heads down to the tube. If you are using toothpicks, glue them in place, trim off excess length and wrap around several Tempus Sans ITC with tape. Cap off one end of the tube by gluing the metal cap in place. Fill the tube 1/3 full with beans, buttons, pebbles or something similar. Glue the cap on the other end.

The Shakerine
This Junkyard Jonny invention is a cross between a maraca and a tambourine. A maraca is a rattle-like instrument from Latin America made from a dried gourd containing dried peas or seeds to which a handle has been attached. Maracas are usually played in pairs. The tambourine is a shallow, handheld drum made of a circular wooden frame with a calfskin or plastic drumhead stretched across the top. The tambourine has small discs called jingles set into its circular frame which produce sound when the tambourine is shaken, rubbed, or struck on the drum head with the knuckles.

You will need
-a small empty water bottle
-two juice bottle caps
-a two-inch nail with a large head
-scotch tape
-8 ½ x 11 paper and scissors
-markers
-macaroni
-a hammer


Cut the paper in half and decorate it with an illustration of your favourite animal or anything you like. Put your name on the paper so it and the decorations will be visible when you wrap the paper around the water bottle. Tape the paper in place. Have an adult help you punch a hole in the middle of the two bottle caps and the lid of the water bottle using the hammer and the nail. Slide the two bottle caps on to the nail, then slide on the cap. Use the tape to tape the sharp end of the nail so that all objects remain attached to the nail. Fill the bottle with macaroni. Screw the bottle caps and cap onto the bottle. Shake it!


ARTISTIC
STATEMENT
ABOUT JYS
WHAT TO EXPECT
TECHNICAL
INFO CHECKLIST

INTRODUCING
JYS
WHAT IS
RHYTHM
WHAT IS
PERCUSSION

EXTENSION
ACTIVITIES
MAKE AN
INSTRUMENT
PUT 4 R's
INTO PRACTICE

VOCABULARY/
RESOURCES
WEBSITES/
BOOKS
PAGE
BOTTOM

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5. Put the Four Rs into Practice

Students and teachers can help solve the growing garbage problem and conserve our planet’s very precious resources by taking action on Junkyard Jonny’s four Rs of waste reduction--Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rock!

Reduce your school’s production of garbage by introducing a Litterless Lunch program. Promote the idea of lunches where

            --the lunch is pack in a reusable lunch kit or cloth bag*
            --food is packaged in reusable containers
            --reusable plastic water bottles replace drink boxes
            --recyclable packaging and compost-ready scraps are collected
*An old-fashioned “brown bagger” can dispose of over 14,000 paper bags in a lifetime. What a waste!

Reuse as much as you can as often as you can. Reusing is preferable to recycling because the item does not need to be reprocessed to be used again.
            --try using both sides of each sheet of paper
            . --reuse materials in arts and crafts projects or to make instruments
            --repair items that break down when you can instead of buying new ones
            --donate old clothing or household goods to charities and thrift shops

Recycle materials that can be reclaimed for use in new products.
            --start a recycling program for paper and pop cans in your school
            --educate yourself and your peers on what can go in your recycle boxes
            --check the garbage cans in each classroom for items to recycle
Rock!. Have fun! Be creative! Get funky! Just look at how much fun Junkyard Symphony has reusing junk. Check out these great web sites for more inspiration:

How to Set up a Litterless Lunch Program

www.ocdsb.edu.on.ca/General_Info

Ecology Kids--A fabulous site for all grade levels. Includes interactive games and a searchable database about animals, energy, conservation and a host of other topics!
www.ecokids.ca

Earth Pulse--A National Geographic site which takes a monthly look at the different conservation issues facing the earth. Grade 5 and up.
www.nationalgeographic.com/earthpulse/

Easy Being Green--The OCDSB’s energy conservation web site, with climate facts, energy tips, games, activities, curriculum tie-ins and more! Grade 5 and up.
www.ocdsb.edu.on.ca/General_Info

Environmental Kids Club--The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sponsors this site where kids can learn about the environment, garbage, and recycling by reading a comic book, colouring and playing interactive games in Recycle City. Grades 1 and 2.
www.epa.gov/kids

This activity addresses the following aspect of the Ontario K-8 Science and Technology Curriculum: aspect of the Ontario K-8 Science and Technology Curriculum: Relating Science and Technology to the World Outside the School--demonstrate ways of reusing materials and objects in daily activities (e.g., reuse of plastic containers for storing food); recognize that objects made of certain materials can be recycled (e.g., pop cans, plastic jugs, newspapers) [Grade 1]



Vocabulary List

A Junkyard Symphony concert and workshop, along with the activities in this guide, cover the following terms and concepts from the K-8 Ontario Music Curriculum:

4/4 time. Time signature that indicates that there are four beats to a bar and the quarter-note gets one beat. Also called simple quadruple.

Beat. A steady pulse.

Body percussion. Clapping of hands, snapping of fingers, or tapping of any part of the body to produce different sound effects.

Crescendo. A common term for the gradual increase in volume.

Decrescendo. A common term for the gradual decrease in volume.

Dynamics. The varying degree of volume.

Eighth-note. A note that is held for one-half of a beat.

Found instrument. An object that can produce a rhythmic or pitched sound ( e.g., stick, comb, pop bottle).

Half-note. A note that is held for two beats in simple time.

Percussion instrument. An instrument that one has to hit, scrape, or rattle in order to make a sound.

Pitch. The highness or lowness of a sound.

Quarter-note. A note lasting one beat in simple time.

Rhythm. A repeating pattern. In music, a pattern of long and short sounds.

Tempo. The speed of a piece. Some common tempo indications are: allegro (quickly and lively), moderato (at a moderate speed), andante (somewhat slowly, at a walking pace), largo (slowly).

Unison. The sound produced when two or more instruments or voices play or sing the same pitch.

Whole note. A note that is held for four beats in simple time.


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Resources

[Call numbers are for the Ottawa Public Library Collection.]

CDs
Sai-so. Kodo, 1999 Music from the Japanese taiko drumming ensemble whose name means “heart beat”. Music D786.9 K6s

Roots: African drums. National Percussion Group of Kenya. Denon, 1989. Music CD D781.6296761

Olatunji!: Drums of Passion. Olatunji. Columbia, 1990. Yoruba music of Nigeria. Music CD12960

Pulse, a STOMP Odyssey: original motion picture soundtrack. Various artists. Six Degrees, 2003. Music CD 781.542 P9825

Sacred Drum Visions. David & Steve Gordon. Sequoia, 2002. Music CD 786.9 G662

Heart of the World. Sarah Pirtle, A Gentle Wind, 2003. Songs for kids on an eath-friedly theme, including the "Recycle Hokey Pokey". Children's Musi-CDs. 782.42083.PG72

Videos
World drums. NFB, 1989. 60 minutes. One hundred and fifty musicians and twenty-three ensembles from around the world come together to play on one stage in a spectacular, toe-tapping performance. (Awards: Oakland; Chicago.) V786.9 W927

Kubota. National Film Board of Canada, c1991. 21 minutes. A film featuring architect, sculptor, and musician Nobuo Kubota in a sound-sculpture performance using traditional musical instruments and sound-making devices fashioned from ordinary objects and toys. Praised by music educators as a valuable tool for teaching creativity in sound exploration and musical innovation, the film reveals the infinite percussion possibilities of simple objects. Support material available. NFB videos V786.8 K95

Playing from the Heart. BBC production. San Francisco, Calif. : Globalstage Productions, c1998. 98 minutes. Story about the young life of Evelyn Glennie and her battle to become a world class percussionist in spite of her deafness. Includes an interview with Evelyn and a brief look at London, and performances. Children’s videos section.


Web Sites

Percussion Sites
Pulse-- a STOMP odyssey web site, featuring interactive music creation games, activities and information on the science of sound
www.pulsethemovie.com

New Yourk Philharmonic Kid's Zone-- gives lots of information about drums www.nyphilkids.org/lockerroom/main.html

Toronto Tabla Ensemble-- performs works for the tabla, a set of two drums used in classical North Indian music.
www.tablaensemble.com/

ArtsAliveMusic-- is an amazing site for teachers and students created and maintained by the National Arts Centre. It is a must-visit site for Canadian music educators.
www.artsalive.ca/en/mus/index.html

Sites on The 3Rs
Ecology Kids--A fabulous site for all grade levels. Includes interactive games and a searchable database about animals, energy, conservation and a host of other topics!
www.ecokids.ca/pub/index.cfm

Earth Pulse--A National Geographic site which takes a monthly look at the different conservation issues facing the earth. Grade 5 and up.
www.nationalgeographic.com/earthpulse/

Easy Being Green--The OCDSB’s energy conservation web site, with climate facts, energy tips, games, activities, curriculum tie-ins and more! Grade 5 and up.
www.ocdsb.edu.on.ca

Environmental Kids Club--The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sponsors this site where kids can learn about the environment, garbage, and recycling by reading a comic book, colouring and playing interactive games in Recycle City. Grades 1 and 2.
www.epa.gov/kids

Don't throw it Out! Re-use, recycle alternatives- This site hosted by the City of Ottawa provides information on the Ottawa-Carleton blue/black box programs and on re-use and recycling alternatives. www.opl.ottawa.on.ca

How to set up a Little Lunch program www.ocdsb.edu.on.ca


Books on Percussion

Drums, Tomtoms and Rattles:Primitive Percussion Instruments for Modern Use. Bernard S. Mason with drawings by Frederic H. Kock. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1974. Non-fiction 789.1 M398 This book offers detailed descriptions of how to make simple versions of percussion instruments inspired by a wide variety of indigenous cultures, plus lovely line drawings of traditional aboriginal decorative drum art.

Orff and Kodaly. Adapted for the Elementary School. Lawrence Wheeler and Lois Raebeck, Dubuque, Iowa : W. C. Brown, c1985. Non-fiction 372.87 W563 This text looks at techniques for school music instruction and study, and includes a section on rhythm bands and orchestras.

Planet Drum : a Celebration of Percussion and Rhythm. Mickey Hart and Fredric Lieberman. Harper San Francisco, New York, c1991. Non-fiction 786.9 H325

Moses Goes to a Concert. Isaac Millman. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, c1998. Moses and his schoolmates, all deaf, attend a concert where the orchestra's percussionist is also deaf. Includes illustrations in sign language and a page showing the manual alphabet.

The Drums of Noto Hanto. J. Allison James. Illustrated by Tsukushi. JUVENILE. This beautifully illustrated book tells the ancient story of how the villagers of Noto Hanto, Japan, used drumming and masks to frighten away fierce samurai marauders. It lends itself well to various forms of adaptation- a reading with choral participation; a readers' theatre performance; a full blown adaptation with masks and drums. Taiko drumming and the distinctive music of Japan is the multi-cultural connection here.

Musicians of the Sun. Gerald McDermott. JUVENILE. With the help of the four musicians- Red, Blue, Yellow and Green- the Lord of the Night does battle with the Sun to bring music and colour to the Earth in this visually stunning adaptation of an Aztec myth. Again the story invites student participation, especially in the creation of the magical music of the drum, shell, flute, and rattle.

World Tales of Drums and Drummers. Nina Jaffe, patakin. Juv 398.27 J23. Jaffe describes the distinctive drums used by people from ten different cultural groups and recounts tales from each culture in which these drums figure prominently. This is an excellent resource for language arts/drama activities for junior and intermediate students.


Books on Reducing, Reusing, Recycling

The Savalged! Series, especially Art from Packaging, Art from Fabric, and Art from paper. Gillian Chapman and Pam Robson. Austin, Texas: Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 1997. OPL call number for Art from Packaging is J745.584

The SavalgedEcoArt! : Earth-Friendly Art and Craft Experiences for 3 to 9 year olds. Laurie Carlson. Kids Can! Books. Charlotte, Vermont: Williamson Publishing, 1993. JUV 745.5 C284 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Recycle The Earth Works Group. California: Earth Works Press, 1993. 363.7282 Fif

Two Minutes a Day for Greener Planet: Quick and Simple Things You Can Do to Save Our Earth Marjorie Lamb. Toronto: Harper Collins, 1990. 363.706.L218

The World Watch Reader on Global Environment Issues Ed Ayres. New York: W.W. Norton, 1998. 363.7 W937

Life after the Curb!:recycling processes. New York: Cornell University, 22 minutes. Stresses the importance of the 3 R's. Children's videos V363.7282 L722

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Kidzone series. Vancouver: Knowledge Network, 1991, 20 minutes. Five episodes discussing environmental themes including packaging, pollution, composting and recycling. Childrens videos V363.7282 L722


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