Pupils create musical instruments

JACKSON — Pupils at the St. Aloysius School are learning how to play musical instruments they have created.

"It is amazing to see what can happen when teachers in the music and art departments in a school work together to benefit the children," said Olive Taylor, the school's public relations coordinator.

According to Taylor, when first-, secondand third-graders in Rosie Raymond's music classes began studying about the instruments of the orchestra, they were really impressed by the percussion instruments. In the past, they had their own little band instruments and they had played them many times to keep the beat to marches and up-beat songs.

When the children were told they could make their own percussion instruments, the stage was set and the enthusiasm became contagious, she said.

The children began saving empty paper towel and toilet tissue rolls, coffee cans and paper plates. With the help of some dried beans, these objects could become rhythm sticks, rain sticks, tambourines and drums.

The pupils worked on the construction of the instruments during music class, filling the rolls with dried beans and covering the open ends with wax paper fastened with elastic bands. Paper plates were stapled all around and bells were added to make the tambourine sounds.

When the instruments were complete, the children brought them to art teacher Toni McEwan's class and McEwan provided all the materials they needed to decorate their new instruments.

Under McEwan's artistic guidance, the instruments came back to music class decorated so beautifully and colorfully that the children could hardly believe what they had created from plain old cardboard rolls and paper plates, Taylor said.

The children learned that percussion instruments need to be shaken, tapped or hit and that they help to keep the rhythm or beat of a song.

Some of the pupils took the project a step further and wanted to try their hand at making an instrument that could be strummed or plucked. Empty tissue boxes and elastic bands of varying widths were strung across the boxes and, voila, there was the birth of a guitar.

First-grader Christina Staiger said the project was artistic and very creative, while John Whalen, also of the first grade, said the instruments look cool and awesome.

Lauren Jeremich, first grade, said that for her the project was a great learning experience, while Rocco LaVista said he was ready to make music.

"It made us feel special to see our instruments on display in the cafeteria for all the school to see," said second-grader Amber McGee, and her twin sister Hailey said, "We combined our two most favorite subjects, music and art."

Third grader Christopher Werthmuller said the music project gave the children a chance to express their creativity.

The children planned to strike up the band and play their very own percussion instruments to a rousing John Phillip Sousa march.