This week in Wind Ensemble class, we were sight-reading a piece of music called “Suite of Old American Dances” in preparation for the upcoming Naturalization Ceremony where we will be performing. On one of the movements of this piece, the part called for the use of sandpaper blocks. However, despite the plethora of percussion instruments that can be found in and around the percussion cabinet, we did not have any sandpaper blocks. There were woodblocks, but none of them had sandpaper attached to them and there was no sandpaper in sight. As a result, the percussion section was forced to improvise.
Instead of using an actual pair of sandpaper blocks, we found a box in the corner that contained some blue, plastic, Styrofoam-like substance with rough edges. After a bit of experimenting, we discovered that if you rub the correct sides of the packaging together, it sounded just like a sandpaper block! So, due to the percussion section’s collective creativity and resourcefulness, the sight-reading of “Suite of Old American Dances” went on without a hitch.
Now, whether or not Dr. Worman will be in favor of using these makeshift sandpaper blocks at the actual ceremony is yet to be scene, but regardless, it was a fun and fulfilling experience to utilize the true essence of percussion: Making the sound the director wants by any means necessary.
Makeshift Sandpaper Blocks by Tony Vieira is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
No comments:
Post a Comment