Jerome

This fascinating young man visited school today. He talked to the students about music and its place in culture. He introduced them to a wide variety of instruments and played them - all the while talking about their history, their purpose and their uses.

Some of the instruments he made music on were shells, flutes (5 different ones - all made from wood), whistles (made from stone, bone and wood), gourds and rocks. Many of his instruments he'd made himself or had been presented with by indigenous peoples in the places he'd traveled - an Inuit pipe, a North American flute, a British swan bone whistle.

Here he is showing the students how the tone of the music changes when he puts his hand inside the mouth of the shell. He had students do it to show how the sound changed with the size of the hand as well.

A really interesting 2 hours for the students. The man is a born entertainer with a wealth of knowledge. I went down to the library half way though his presentation to take a quick photo and couldn't drag myself away until he'd finished.

If you ever get the change to go to one of his shows I'd strongly recommend that you do!