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Students are encouraged to use recycled materials to create musical instruments. For inspiration to create your own classroom Landfill Orchestra with food, recycled and other craft materials, check out a few LO musicians’ instrument-building demos and our simple how-to guide.
TWINKLE TRASH
Violinist James McFadden-Talbot demonstrates how simple materials can be used to create a cornmeal shaker, bottle flutes, pen percussion, and a rubber band plucker.
AMAZING SCRAP
Flutist Donald Gottlieb is a master “upcycler” and demonstrates making a flute from PVC waste material.
Download this simple template and share with your students so they can make their own flute! (ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED)
CAN DRUM SHAKER
Violist Jonathan Mueller and his son Everett show us what they can make with a tin can, a balloon, and dried kitchen staples. (Bobby pins optional.)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
PLAY ALONG – CHAMELEON
The 2020-21 virtual MakingMUSIC concert featured a performance of Herbie Hancock’s jazz/funk standard, “Chameleon.” We invite your students to create landfill instruments and play along!
ORIGIN STORY
The LO Landfill Orchestra project was originally inspired by The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura in Cateura, Paraguay. Check out 60 Minutes 2014 story about the “original” Landfill Orchestra.