Hey Guys, in January 2010 I will be volunteering with a group of 13 university students from Australia in a Cambodian orphanage. I have been asked by the group to help lead the music program. As such I’m firstly looking for a batch of about 20 decent whistles that I can take over for the kids. What brands of whistles would you recommend that are not too expensive but would allow for the instrument to be useful beyond the beginner level. Generations I find are ok but are really only good for the initial stages. At least they would be affordable for the number that I’d be looking to get.
Second, the English skills of the students will vary significantly, therefore I’ll need as many teaching resources as possible where the English language is not required. Does anyone know of any whistle related material that give examples of technique without the language component. I’m particularly thinking finger chart diagrams, technique diagrams and recordings. Also for students who do have good English language skills I’ll be looking at taking over a few books. I have a really excellent book by Grey Larson, ‘The Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle’ but its a we bit advanced and would be too heavy. Please let me know of any good resources out there and I can start putting them together. If such sources do not exist, would anyone out there be willing to give assistance in collating these resources.
Thanks for the reply. All are good options. I have dealt with Mitch in the past, and I have found him to be very reliable, the same with Jerry Freeman. Though I’m more likely to deal with Mitch as he’s already in Australia and hopefully the turn around time would be less. The reason why I’m chasing diagrams is so that the students can continue to learn while I’m gone. Although I do hope to go back there in the future at some point.
In Cambodia students normally learn through the oral tradition, especially in regards to there own traditional music.
Thanks for the reply. All are good options. I have dealt with Mitch in the past, and I have found him to be very reliable, the same with Jerry Freeman. Though I’m more likely to deal with Mitch as he’s already in Australia and hopefully the turn around time would be less. It’ll boil down to cost in the end. The reason why I’m chasing diagrams is so that the students can continue to learn while I’m gone. Although I do hope to go back there in the future at some point.
In Cambodia students normally learn through the oral tradition, especially in regards to there own traditional music. So learning Irish music might not be that much of a learning curve. The only main difference will be that the melodic scale and rhythms will be substantially different and very foreign. The cultural exchange will be great.
Cheers L42B
PS: I’ve also learnt through recordings and tuition, however I’ve learnt how to play piano and have sung in music choirs before so I have the ability to read music. Generally I prefer to learn by ear.
Have you thought about how traditional Cambodian music might fit on a whistle/s? Are they used to the “standard” scale/intonation that most whistles are set up to play in? Would making their own whistles be more fun / more sustainable for the students? Have I asked too many questions in one post?
Hey Mike, well as for music scales, the orphanage does have access to keyboard and guitars. So I’d assume that some would have knowledge of the more western style scale. But I have no idea what peoples musical abilities are, or how many would be interested. I will have to wait until I get there.
In regards to making whistles that would be great. The other reason why that would be good is that they would be able to tune the instruments to a more appropriate key. Unfortunately though at present I will only be there for two weeks and I currently don’t have the metal or wood-turning skills necessary to run such a program. If I go back in the future I would consider gaining those skills and somehow teaching it too them.
Re: MarcusR’s suggestion above - I’d advise against! A year or more back I bought a box of Clare whistles thinking to use them for workshops or retail them at festivals etc. - and wish I hadn’t wasted some £50 on them - they more-or-less won’t play at all - like strangulated, whispery Generations. Even once you clean up extraneous plastic inside the heads, they have to be blown incredibly softly and even then only make a weak and wispy sound. You can’t push them at all - they just buzz and squeak. Would be a total nightmare with kids unaccustomed to blowing wind instruments, who always blow too hard anyway and have trouble learning to reduce pressure. Useless! The only positive thing to be said of them is that they are tolerably in tune with themselves, unlike e.g. Sweetones (ugh!).
For what my opinion is worth, I’d advise going the Guido route. Having done a piccolo making and playing course in a primary school, I can vouch that, as one might well predict, if the kids make their own instrument they will engage much better with the learning-to-play process. With good planning, you could have Gonzato style pvc whistles made inside two days and still have the rest of your stay to approach the music - and you’d have taught/given them considerably more than if you just hand out bought-in whistles and try to teach them alien music. (That brings on another thought - how about getting them to teach you to sing some of their own traditional material and then together working it back onto the whistles?). You would also have incidentally filled in part of your activity programme with a very “cross-curricular” project without having to think it up separately! The materials and simple tools to make Gonzato type whistles would probably not cost even as much as the cheapest factory-made whistles for the relevant number, and (you’d have to check in advance) ought to be buyable in country, even locally, thus avoiding having to carry them in.
