I have been collecting information on how to build home-made instruments for some time (kid oriented). This was mostly for the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts and they have made some pretty creative projects as a result.

So, what about this for both kids and adults:

Saturday Morning: A session on how to build an instrument, with several examples. I would bring some of the raw materials but would need others to contribute. Posibilities include stick dulcimers, cookie tin banjos, milk jug ukuleles, kazoos, kalimbas, shakers and percussion, panpipes, etc. And of course gutbuckets!

Saturday during the day: The participants would build their instruments and practice. Volunteers can help

Saturday evening or Sunday morning. Gather to select a song (or songs) to play at the Sunday Evening Concert. Practice it/them a couple of times.

Sunday during the day: Become brilliant on our instruments (practice)

Sunday evening: The Debut performance of the Get A Way Now Orchestra!!!!

I can bring plans and instructions, fishing line of various diameters, plastic containers and coffee cans, 1x2's, bamboo, kazoo diaphram material (wax paper), tooth picks for frets, etc.

We would need others to help contribute more supplies such as the veneer from old doors (makes great sound boards), buckets, corks, broken rakes (for kalimbas), cigar boxes, carpet tubes, etc. etc.

We would also need some hand tools that are relatively safe to use. Mostly hand saws, coping saws, files, and hand drills.

Last, and most important is having several volunteers to help monitor the kids for safe use of tools and to make and play their own instruments.

Tinker, didn't you get your cubs to build stick dulcimers once?

Do you think the kids (of all ages) would sign up to do something like this? It may interfere with their running around and Majic Card trading/playing. I think it would be worth it if we knew we had about 6 to 10 participants before hand.

JAB
Gutbucketeer