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Presents...
4 The Vegetable Orchestra 8 10 Noteworthy Facts About Music 10 Didgeridoo --- Sound of Australia 14 Music from A to Z 19 A Piano in Your Pocket 22 Music Lesson 24 Yankee Doodle 25 Max & Gracie 26 Kids and a US Navy Band 29 Civil War Drummer Boy
Activities: Puzzles: 2, 12, 13 Crafts: 6, 20 Science: 7 Cartoon: 16 Riddles & Rhymes: 28 Puzzle Solutions: 30
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The Vegetable Orchestra An Appetite for Music
by Anne Renaud
Eggplants fashioned into cymbals? Carrots carved up as flutes? Pumpkins posing as drums? Who said you can’t play with your food? Certainly not the Vienna Vegetable Orchestra! A few hours before each performance, the musicians of this unique orchestra cut, carve, and drill their instruments from a medley of more than 90 pounds of vegetables. The instruments include radishes, leeks, carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins. Added to this plethora of produce is an array of kitchen utensils, including cutting boards and mixers. The end result? A leguminous combo of – let’s say – really “fresh” sounds.
carrot flute
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eggplant clap
Vegetables are carefully selected for their texture, size, and water content. These are all vital considerations in order to achieve the correct tonality. Once the instruments have been cropped and chopped, they are then wrapped in damp cloth. This prevents them from drying up when not in use before and during the performance. Some of the orchestra’s musical pieces are memorized, while others are entirely improvised, making each concert a unique musical and tasty experience. Why tasty, you ask? Well, that’s because while making their instruments, orchestra members also prepare a vegetable soup, which they serve to the audience after their performance as an encore. Founded in Vienna, Austria, back in 1998, the orchestra is made up of ten musicians and one sound technician. And, in case you’re wondering. No, the musicians aren’t vegetarians. To find out more about the Vienna Vegetable Orchestra and where they are performing, or to view a video of them preparing their instruments and giving a concert, go to http://www.vegetableorchestra.org
radish flute
cucumberphone
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It’s easy to make a musical instrument using a hollowed-out bell pepper. Put something in it, and you’ve got a shaker. Leave it empty, and you’ve got a drum. Make several to create great rhythmic music!
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 large bell pepper, any color • a sharp kitchen knife • a spoon 1 package of rice • peanuts in the shell • an adult to supervise
WHAT TO DO: Cut around the stalk end of the pepper so you can remove a “lid.” Wipe away any seeds. Scrape out the seeds inside the pepper with the spoon. Cut away the white ribs with the knife, being careful not to cut through the pepper. Get everything out that you can. You don’t want to leave anything inside that can absorb the sound your shaker will make. Wipe the inside with a paper towel to make sure it’s nice and dry. Put several spoonfuls of rice or a small handful of peanuts in the pepper. Replace the lid. Hold your shaker with one hand, using your fingers to keep the lid on. Shake to create a sound. That’s all there is to it! Make one with rice and another with peanuts. They will sound different. Try putting dried beans in your shaker. What does that sound like?
Ready to turn your bell pepper into a drum? Start with an empty hollowed-out pepper. Now s-t-r-e-t-c-h duct tape over the opening. Cover the hole completely. Tap the tape with your fingers. Hit the sides of the pepper with your palms. You’ve got a drum! For a bigger drum, use a pumpkin. Take out all the insides, and dry the inside with paper towels. Cover the opening with duct tape. Try using carrots for drumsticks!
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You don’t have to be a musician to do this experiment. The band you will warm up is not a musical band. It is a rubber band! This is an experiment about energy. It is very easy to do, and it will surprise you.
What You Need:
• a rubber band • you
What You Do
Loop a finger from each of your hands through the rubber band. Pull your hands apart so the band is between them, but DO NOT stretch the rubber band. Touch the middle of the rubber band to your lips. Your lips are very sensitive and can tell whether something that touches them is hot or cold. The rubber band will feel cool. Now, quickly pull your hands apart to stretch out the rubber band. While the band is stretched, touch it to your lips again. SURPRISE! The rubber band now feels warm! Move your hands back together so the band is not stretched. Touch the limp band to your lips. SURPRISE! It is cool again. You can do this experiment over and over again. Stretch – warm. Limp – cool. Stretch – warm. Limp – cool.
The Science Secret
There are lots of different kinds of energy: sound, heat, light, solar, and many more. YOU have lots of energy. You get it from the food you eat. You can change your energy into different things. When you talk, you change your energy into sound energy. When you walk, you change your energy into mechanical (moving) energy. When you stretch the rubber band, you change a little of your energy into heat energy. It moves through the rubber band. That is why the band feels warm!
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