Everyday Horns & Percussion Workshop

This afternoon I'll be facilitating Everyday Horns & Percussion, a workshop at the Harold Washington Library Center's Innovation Lab. Participants will be making musical instruments -- breath-activated horns with mouthpieces, and small percussion instruments.

We will be using everyday objects -- such as coffee cans, altoids mint tins, and other objects -- as participants build their musical instruments.

I have built a bunch of musical instruments over the years. (I don't have any advanced technical skill in terms of building instruments such as beautifully crafted guitars or mandolins for example.) However I'm a big fan of making instruments out of everyday objects, and in general of looking to everyday objects and experiences as inspiration for arts-making projects.

Also I have taught some musical instrument building classes over the past several years -- including rainsticks, cigar box guitars, and kalimbas.

Here's a (very!) short list of people who have built instruments. These innovative individuals have inspired me because of their creativity and ability to come up with new sounds: Don Buchla, Wendy Mae Chambers, Laura Emelianoff,Douglas Ewart, Reed Ghazala, Lou Harrison, Ed Herrmann, Bart Hopkin, Eric Leonardson, Ida Lundén,Antonio Mainenti, JayVe Montgomery, Lise-Lotte Norelius, Tom Nunn, Pauline Oliveros, Gregory O'Drobinak, Harry Partch, Hal Rammel, Susan Rawcliffe, Hans Reichel, Eric Glick Rieman, Ann Rosén, Sun Ra, Edward Schocker, Leon Theremin, Sugarbelly Walker, Glenn Weyant. This list will be expanded soon, I'm sure...

Links: Syntjuntan,Thingamajigs, Windworld...

Here's Innova director Philip Blackburn's interview with Douglas Ewart --