educational gig

[Leonard Williams]

Collective Wisdom:
In mid April I, extreme novice, will be demonstrating a hurdy-gurdy
(part of a "Sound Sampling" program) to school children aged 3 to 14, in
small groups based on age. I will have 15 minutes with each group in which
to
"include a brief introduction to the instrument (history, construction,
how it produces sound), some time to play a few bits of music (typically to
demonstrate range of sound produced or breadth of styles that can be played)
as well as allowing time at the end for "Gentle touching" [very scary] of
the instrument. We also use the time that it takes for the classes to file
in and leave as time for the musician to play the instrument- which creates
a nice peaceful atmosphere during what might be a chaotic time (straggling
kids, etc).... you want to have a basic presentation- geared towards
primary (3-6 yr olds) and then be able to make it more and more
sophisticated for each elementary level and finally for the 7/8th graders
(you may want to get into things like the physics of sound here, how you
built the instrument, make analogies to other instruments/machines, and if
relevant-- tell how other cultures may have similar kinds of instruments)."

How's that??

I have numerous short tunes to play, but any suggestions on
questions to anticipate, or how to handle the "touching" (I have no wheel
cover :^( ) would be greatly appreciated. My hurdy-gurdy is a simple one,
more like a symphonia with a wide body--fewer parts to explain, I hope.

Thanks and regards,
Leonard Williams
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[: :]
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(_==_)
!~¿

[Arle Lommel]

Leonard,

I have done many shows like you talk about. One thing I would recommend is letting the kids see inside the keybox. They find that mechanism fascinating.

Older kids will usually not touch the wheel if you tell them not to, but younger kids you really have to watch out for. I might suggest a no touching policy for the kids under about nine years old since they are the ones who are the most likely to cause problems.

In my experience you will usually get one or two in a group who are really fascinated and will want to try the instrument. When I give presentation if there is a way to do it I usually will let them actually try the instrument. (It will be obvious who they are since they'll be the ones that the teachers are having to practically drive away from you), but that doesn't always work. Play it by ear. Sometimes kids can stand by you and crank the instrument and that will satisfy them.

It's hard to know in advance what to do with groups like that since so much depends on the physical environment and the dynamics with the teachers.

Hope that helps.

-Arle

[Melissa Kacalanos]

I often let kids turn the crank, and they get a big kick out of it. I think kids are so used to being told not to touch, they are usually pretty timid, and I have to tell them several times that it's OK to touch the crank before they work up the courage. The only people who've tried to touch the wheel have been adults.

Melissa
www.melissatheloud.com

--- On Wed, 2/17/10, Leonard Williams <arc...@verizon.net> wrote:

[Arle Lommel]

Interesting that your experience is different than mine about touching the wheel, Melissa. For me though it's the littlest kids that are the problem, with only the occasional older one who is.

-Arle

[Patricia Lipscomb]

Great age distinctions from Arle. Maybe you could fashion a cardboard (or something) wheel cover for when you are showing the younger kids. You can't put your wheel in jeopardy, but, if there is some way for the younger ones to touch the other parts of the instrument, it will make a much bigger impression because then they are not only hearing it seeing it but feeling it with own hands. The more senses are involved, the more kids take things in. Or so I hear.

And kudos to Leonard and Arle for their educational efforts.

Trish

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[Dave Holland]

On Wed, Feb 17, 2010 at 04:49:08PM -0500, Leonard Williams wrote:
> In mid April I, extreme novice, will be demonstrating a hurdy-gurdy
> (part of a "Sound Sampling" program) to school children aged 3 to 14, in
> small groups based on age. I will have 15 minutes with each group in which

I've done this sort of show-and-tell several times, in various
settings, and personally I've found it very satisfying to be playing,
demonstrating and sharing the hurdy-gurdy with children.

You could make the session more interactive by asking the kids
introductory questions ("who knows what this instrument is", "have you
seen one before", "what does it look/sound like", etc) - that will
also give you a clue about their level of background knowledge so you
can pitch your own explanations appropriately.

If you're game to let the kids try playing, that's a huge bonus for
them. Little kids may need you to stand behind their chair holding the
HG stable... though they may not be able to reach over the keybox to
the keys. :-) Bigger kids will appreciate playing solo, though if -
like mine - your strap doesn't adjust quickly you may want to pass it
around the back of the chair to take up the slack.

One word of warning - once you let one child touch the HG, they will
all want to. Depending on how well-behaved they are, you may need your
crowd control helpers within easy reach.

Do you know of any "tame" children you could borrow to practise on?

Good luck!

Dave

[duodrone]

Hi Leonard,

In our experience it has always been adults who touch, or try to
(before I knock their hand away), never kids. I second Melissa in that
and also in letting kids have a go at cranking. Why not have one crank
and the other press the keys? Then they can see that it takes some
doing to get a nice sound out of it. There is nothing like kinesthetic
learning - kids get lectures for 12 years - let them feel the music on
more than one plane! Also, it's fun for them to hear a tune that they
know coming out of a box that is practically extra-terrestrial. Not
having a wheel cover lets you explain the workings - and the danger of
touching - the wheel.

The neat thing about the symphonie is that you can explain the big,
hurkin' organistrum a little more tangibly. Have fun!

Sharon

[Leonard Williams]

Thank you all for your encouraging, and sometimes entertaining, suggestions
regarding my forthcoming gig as an edutainer. I need that morale boost!

[Dennis Sherman]

One more thought -- if you're working with kids, practice up on some nursery rhymes and children's songs. I like to play a highly ornamented version, then simplify until the kids eyes get big and they recognize the tune. "Old McDonald had a farm", "Mary had a little lamb", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", "Three Blind Mice" are all good candidates for this, I'm sure you'll find your own favorites, too.

--
Dennis Sherman
Chicago, IL, USA
http://www.dennissherman.com

[Felicia Dale]

I've been following along with this thread with some interest. At
every single show we do (except the renaissance faire down in AZ- but
that's another story all together!!) I do a "work shop" at either the
break between sets or after the show. I talk to anyone who's
interested regardless of age. I have had both children and adults
try to touch the wheel but only two adults actually made contact with
it- both of them greased it up very badly, one with hand lotion, the
other with actual chicken fat. :( Luckily, sandpaper took it all
off and it was okay again. Regardless, it's a lot of fun to talk
about the gurdy, the music, how hard/easy it is to play, etc. Just
share your love of the instrument and the music you play and you will
have a great time. It's one of my favorite parts of performing.

And I used to be so shy...

Namaste.
Felicia.

[VonH...@aol.com]

I had a friend who knew better and was just being completely brain dead rub his finger on the wheel to see if the rosin was sticky. I took all the strings off the wheel, grabbed a alcohol wipe and cleaned the wheel really quick, then held a cotton clothe on the wheel cleaned it again. It took a bit for the wheel to dry and the harsh sound to pass but it was playable again in about 3 minutes and was sounding just like itself again in about 10 minutes.

 

Scott