thinkthank summer of sound application
thinkthank sound of summer application
junk band!
i propose to run a junk band tabletop activity, making instruments out of recycled household objects. to explore how anything can make a sound, so we can make music with anything!
i would display the following homemade instruments and show how to build the instruments with participants. i can also perform using these instruments, and even involve any willing volunteers in making a junk band jam! when running the stall, i would explain the science behind each instrument and how it makes sounds, and how we can change the sounds depending how we interact with it.
we can also look at contact microphones how they work and how they make us hear things we can’t normally hear.
happy to negotiate which of the following to focus on, all instruments are interactive/shareable participants can build new versions with me for them to keep and use throughout the day.
superball mallet can be dragged across surfaces, vibrating them and causing them to resonate.
quick and simple to make, bouncy ball on a lollipop stick
a contact mic is a reversed piezo speaker. electrical signals vibrate the membrane, making it a cheap/portable speaker.
this device is the reverse, it sends an electrical signal by receiving vibrations from objects it is in contact with and sends that signal to a speaker.
using bottles, cans and different length elastic bands.
choice of object changes the resonance and the length of the strings.
shakers made out of various materials.
plastic pots, toilet roll tubes, cans.
giving the participants choice to fill their shaker with different types of material to change the sounds, such as;
paper clips, beans, rice, soft fabric balls.
noisebox demonstrates the contact mic.
household objects sound and natural resonance can be heard when played attached to the box.
different objects/materials can be attached to explore their sound.
using a short tube, and the end of a plastic bottle for resonance.
different trumpets have different length tubes to demonstrate the size/pitch relationship.
finger holes in the tube also demonstrate this.
performance wise i would lead a junk band jam using these instruments to make a fun noisy racket that anyone can participate in. also happy to perform solo with these instruments to make fun pieces of music.
i’m a composer/performer studying for a phd at rbc, i perform regularly with objects and compose music for homemade instruments. i have previously ran a workshop with year 5 children at hatton primary school, playing with these instruments and building shakers. we then performed for the rest of the school with these instruments.
i love interacting with kids and am confident in public facing environments.
jamesmcil57@gmail.com/james.mcilwrath@mail.bcu.ac.uk
