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MONTHLY NEWS December 1997 Turning Household Waste into Musical Instruments |
A class of fourth graders at an elementary school in the city of Kanazawa has formed an orchestra using musical instruments made from items thrown away at home. Dubbed the Trash Recycling Orchestra, the 28 schoolchildren in the class performed in front of elderly residents living in their neighborhood in late October.
The idea to turn waste into musical instruments came during a social studies class about recycling. The students created their own instruments from things that were discarded at home. One made a set of maracas by putting glass beads in plastic drinking bottles, and another made a small drum from a biscuit box. They chose to perform in front of elderly residents to whom they give kale flowers every year as part of a school program. The school kids practiced five traditional Japanese tunes, such as "Sakura" (cherry blossoms) and "Momiji" (maple tree) before and after school. They also came up with dances to go along with each song. The performance was very much appreciated by the residents, who clapped their hands and sang along. The kids were moved by the sight of those who could barely speak but still tried hard to sing. Afterwards, one student, Keisuke Shomura, presented an elderly woman sitting in front of him with the instrument he had been playing. "I wanted to give it to her as a memento," he said. Many of his classmates followed his example, showing the recipients how they performed on each instrument. The class gave another performance in November.
Photo: Practicing with their handmade instruments. (Asahi Shogakusei Shimbun) 
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