Making Musical Instruments


The fifth graders have begun painting their designs on their didgeridoos. The Didgeridoo is a traditional musical instrument made by the aboriginal peoples of Australia. Didgeridoos are made from the trunks and branches of trees that have been hollowed out by insects. Our fifth graders used the large supply of paper tubes saved for recycling by Discovery support staff. First they sorted the tubes by size, then they found unique ways to measure them.

Using tape and papier-mâché, they connected tubes to resemble the four foot long traditional didgeridoos.

Then students studied the designs and symbols that were used by the aboriginal peoples to decorate and communicate.

Soon, they will be finished and they will learn to “play” their instruments. Then they can compose a musical piece and play their didgeridoos for our enjoyment.

The Blue Mountains of Honduras

When Reina Salgado invited me to join her and her sister on a Saturday road trip I was happy to accept. We drove south from Tegucigalpa and all along the highway fresh images filled my eyes.

Reina and her sister shared stories about the places we were passing and I caught a glimpse of their childhood Honduras.

As we climbed higher and higher broad vistas of the Honduran mountains spread before us as far as the eye could see. The most distant mountains appeared to be a soft blue and blue green. Reina said there was a song about the blue mountains of Honduras. She began singing softly and then her sister joined in, their voices blending in sisterly harmonies.

This was a memorable moment for me and I wanted to share it with students. Wednesday morning Reina came down from the business office and joined the 8A class. I showed my pictures of the trip and Reina talked about seeing her beloved Honduras through “new” eyes. Then she passed out the words to Montanas Azules and sang for the class. Some students hummed along and the second time around they joined in making a memorable classroom moment.

After we said goodbye to Mrs. Salgado, we got to work creating these dry pastel atmospheric landscapes of the Blue Mountains of Honduras.

We hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed creating them.