Program Theme: “Beyond The Borders: Drums, Songs and Stories Celebrating Cultural Collaboration”

Introducing the Frame Drums

Mark performs “Curiosity” a “DrumSongStory” where Mark plays the drum, sings and tells a story all at the same time.

Mark Shepard plays “Bob the Big Drum” with the assistance of a young audience volunteer

Mark Shepard demonstrates some cool Djembe techniques to a young audience volunteer

You can Play the song here. Right click the download link to save it to your computer

Music is a Bridge | February 2008 | Song #380

I look at you and see different
You look at me and see the same
I look at you and see magic
You look at me and see the world explained
Out of the fog and distance
We can find a way to dance
Out of the cold and darkness
We can find warmth and happiness

Refrain:
Music is a language
That connects us like a bridge
Meet me in the middle
Meet me at the edge
Music is a story
That connects us like a thread
Meet me in the middle
meet me at the edge

If you sing with words
That I don’t understand
Still my heart will comprehend
Whatever’s been torn or broken
Music always helps to mend
Whatever is too straight or rigid
Music always helps to bend
Our love of music makes us friends
Our love of music makes us friends

Refrain:

If you are alone, far from home
(Still the song remains)
Whatever you’ve lost or broken
(Still the song remains)
If you’re a stranger
In strange land
(Still the song remains)
Won’t you join me
In the melody?
(Still the song remains)
Now let’s add
A little harmony
(Still the song remains)
La la la la la
(Still the song remains)
Nu Waba Walangi
Chi Mazi Maya Tu Gatta
Still the song remains

Refrain:

You look at me and see different
I look at you and see the same
You look at me and see magic
I look at you and see the world explained

Commentary: I wrote this song while visiting a friend in San Francisco. It was commissioned by Bill Rodman for the Letters To Daddy Musical. The story I was given for the context was that the main character of the musical has just gotten into trouble for something at school. As a result she ends up in the principals office where she meets a new girl. The new girl is an orphan from Uganda, Africa who has been adopted by an American family. The two have nothing in common…except their love of music.

The larger idea here is that we can find cultural connections in a lot of ways. Music is one of the best. Irish musicians are using African percussion, African drummers are including the Irish tin whistle. And on it goes.

To hear more of my songs visit: MarkShepardSongs.com

- Mark Shepard, New Haven, CT

p.s. please “digg” or “stumble” or “Facebook” or Twitter this okay?

p.p.s. Follow me on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/MarkShepard

I’ve also held instrument making workshops just before a performance of Drum Of The Elephant King so that the participants can be an integral part of the show.

Here’s a small audio sample so you can hear how I use these instruments in my DrumSongStory programs:

Part One: How To Make A Rain Stick (Kid Quality)

Ages: 7 and older.
Time Needed: Approximately one hour for basic work. More time to decorate.

Materials:

1. Cardboard Tubes.
   a. Simplest – paper towel rolls.
   b. Best sounding – 24″ Postal Tubes with a diameter of 2″-2 1/2″. (they usually come with end caps and can be ordered 50 at a time).
2. Nails one quarter inch shorter than the diameter of your tube.
3. Hammer.
4. Tape – Masking, duct, clear packing, or contact paper.

How To Make It:

1. Draw a spiral along the length of your tube.
2. Hammer nails along the spiral approximately one finger width apart.
3. Fill with popcorn, rice, beans etc.
4. Cap ends
5. Cover nail heads with tape or contact paper.
6. Decorate. One innovative teacher uses brown shoe polish over strips of torn (rather than cut with a scissor) masking tape. The result looks kind of like wood)

For Really Young Children (ages 4-5) you may want to try the following two alternatives:

1. Instead of hammering nails, you can wad up small pieces of newspaper and fill your tube with that. Then put in the pop corn. You may need to experiment with different size wads.
2. One innovative teacher suggested using an egg carton. Put the pop corn or beans and rice in an empty egg carton and tape closed. Turn so the stuff falls from compartment to compartment.

Part Two: How To Make A Rain Stick (Professional Quality)

For Older Instrument Makers (Middle School to Adult). This is how I make my own professional quality rain sticks

Materials:

1. ABS Pipe (black, lightweight w/excellent sound quality) or PVC Pipe (white easy to find but heavier than ABS -  3-6 feet in length, 2 inches to 2 and 3/4 inches in diameter
2. Bamboo barbecue skewers
3. Sandpaper
4. Colored tissue paper
5. Water Based Polyurethane
6. Brush
7. Rubber end caps
8. Electric drill with bit
9. Filling material – popcorn, rice, dried peas etc.

How To Make It:

1. Take a piece of ABS or PVC pipe, (the lighter weight black grade ABS Pipe is the easiest to work with. It is also louder. I think you can get it at electrical supply stores.)
2. Drill holes in a spiral approximately 1/4 inch apart. You might want to mark the holes a head of time. But a little bit of free form is alright too. The holes should be large enough to accept the bamboo pegs snugly but not so snugly that they are impossible to hammer in.
3. Cut the bamboo barbecue skewers into peg lengths that are just shorter than the diameter of the Tube. In other words you want the peg to go across the open space of the tube but not jam into the opposite side.
4. Hammer pegs into holes. If the fit is nice and snug there is no need for any glue.
5. Sand it so that the ends of the skewers are flush with the outside surface of the pipe.
6. Experiment with different amounts and kinds of filler material. I started favoring dried peas because they are nice and round. But pop corn is a bit louder.
7. Cap the Ends. I find that the rubber caps available at plumbing supply stores work well but eventually loosen up. After having the end caps fall off at the worst moments, spreading popcorn and rice all over the place in themiddle of a performance (  I started gluing them. Elmer’s Glue only works for a while…So far the only thing that seems to hold is painter’s caulk or super glue (both of which can be messy and nasty).
8. Decorate – When I decorate my rainsticks I tear or cut tissue paper into small pieces and then paint them onto the tube with water based Polyurethane. The result is a very pleasing multicolored overlapping “Decoupage” effect. I then add several more coats of the Polyurethane (“glossy” is the shiniest but “semi-gloss” works too) for a deep shine sanding lightly between coast with a very fine grit sandpaper. When I have the black kind of pipe I just sand it and poly it. The ends of the skewers make a beautiful pattern on the black tube.

Time Needed: Depending upon the length of pipe you are working on, it could take anywhere from 4 to 10 hours of work to complete your rainstick. However, when it is done it will last a lifetime and give a lot of pleasure to anyone who plays it.

Tip: I have found that local plumbers and plumbing supply as well as electrical supply companies are quite generous in donating scraps of PVC pipe (some as long as 6 feet!) for making rainsticks. The rubber stoppers I use for the ends though are a couple of bucks apiece, but worth it for their protective value! Before you actually spend money on this project, give these folks a call and see what you can scrounge up. Good luck!

he How To Make Cool Sound Effects Instruments Series:

• How To Be A Shaker Maker
• How To Make A Cuica (a.k.a. Chicken In A Cup)
• How To Make a Rain Stick
• How To Make Wind Tubes
• How To Make An Ocean Drum
• How To Make A 2X4 Xylophone, Old Wrench Xylophone, Wind Chimes etc.
• How to Make A “Paint Stirrer Rhythm Stick”
• How To Make A “Paint Stirrer Stir Drum”

To book one of Mark Shepard’s DrumSongStory programs now, call 1-800-378-4971 or e-mail mark[at]markshepard.com

See what other DrumSongStory Programs are available for:

• Schools, Family Concerts
• Colleges, Universities
• Corporations, Non Profits, Conferences

I’ve also held instrument making workshops just before a performance of Drum Of The Elephant King so that the participants can be an integral part of the show.

Here’s a small audio sample so you can hear how I use these instruments in my DrumSongStory programs:

How to make a “Chicken In A Cup”

a.k.a. “Friction Drum”, a.k.a. “Guica” (Gwee-ka), a.k.a.  “Cuica” (Kwee-kah)

Ages: 6 and up. Younger children may need help from grownups.
Time needed: 10-20 minutes including practice time.

Check out the picture at left. The huge Guica is made out of a 5 gallon paint bucket. I took the bottom out, and stretched a piece of rawhide over it to see if it would make a decent drum. It was only so, so. But there are no failures in this business! I took a piece of waxed linen thread and turned it into a Guica. Now it sounds like an “Elephant In A Cup!” Next to it in the photo are the more usual sized materials.

Materials:

1. Plastic cups (the sturdy kind) work the best but you can emphasize recycling by using plastic yogurt containers, or larger plastic sour cream containers. For a very temporary Guica you can use a paper cup. Most kids will rip the bottom out of one of those pretty quick. You can experiment with different sizes and materials.
2. Waxed Dental Floss (good) or Waxed Dental Tape (better – but more expensive and smaller amounts available)
3. Hammer & Nail: or other tool that will make a decent sized hole in the bottom of a plastic cup.

How To Make It:

1. Punch two holes in your plastic container about a finger’s width apart. It helps if your nail is a decent size. It might also be possible to squeeze the cup and snip the holes out with a pair of good quality scissors. Or you could thread a large needle with the Floss and “sew” your floss into the bottom of the cup.
2. Take a piece of waxed dental floss about as long as a child’s outstretched arms or one long adult arm and thread each end through a hole.
3. Pull the ends through the inside of the cup and make sure they are even.
4. Tie a simple knot as close to the holes as possible so the sting doesn’t fall out and so the knot is not in the way of your fingers sliding up and down the string.
5. Shazaam! you now have a genuine “Chicken In A Cup”.

Some Tips: When I do large workshops I make the holes in all the cups ahead of time. Making the holes is not a kid activity. And is included here only for adults. I make a charcoal fire in my outdoor grill. I heat up a couple of nails. Using heavy work gloves and a pair of vice grips I grab a hot nail and melt the holes through about 5 cups at a time. Danger: The fumes from the melting plastic are toxic. They also smell nasty. I make sure there is a decent breeze blowing and I hold my breath when necessary. Wearing a protective mask is also a good idea.

I’ve also used an electric drill on a slow setting to drill down through as many as a dozen plastic cups at a time.

How To Play It:

• Hold the cup in one hand and lightly hold the strings in your other hand as close to the cup as possible.
• Then gently slide your hands along the string.
• You should hear an amazingly chicken-like sound. Particularly if you do it in short jerks.
• If you do it in one long smooth pull it sounds more like a sea-gull or maybe a wild animal.
• The larger the cup the bigger the sound.

Some Playing Tips: The sound is created with friction. So, if your hands are greasy or if the wax has been worn off your string by a lot of playing, it might not work as well. In that case wash your hands with soap and water and either get a fresh piece of waxed floss or use a piece of beeswax (available at hobby stores) to re-wax the string. Another technique is to use a small piece of wet sponge. Experiment!

The How To Make Cool Sound Effects Instruments Series:

• How To Be A Shaker Maker
• How To Make A Cuica (a.k.a. Chicken In A Cup)
• How To Make a Rain Stick
• How To Make Wind Tubes
• How To Make An Ocean Drum
• How To Make A 2X4 Xylophone, Old Wrench Xylophone, Wind Chimes etc.
• How to Make A “Paint Stirrer Rhythm Stick”
• How To Make A “Paint Stirrer Stir Drum”

To book one of Mark Shepard’s DrumSongStory programs now, call 1-800-378-4971 or e-mail mark[at]markshepard.com

See what other DrumSongStory Programs are available for:

• Schools, Family Concerts
• Colleges, Universities
• Corporations, Non Profits, Conferences

I’ve also held instrument making workshops just before a performance of Drum Of The Elephant King so that the participants can be an integral part of the show.

Here’s a small audio sample so you can hear how I use these instruments in my DrumSongStory programs:

How to be a Shaker Maker

This is probably the easiest instrument for small children (and C-level executives) to make. Ages 3 and up.

Time Needed:

Approximately 5-10 minutes. (Longer for grown-ups )

Materials:

Any closeable container. I prefer small plastic bottles, film canisters (now an endangered species since digital photography), even those plastic Easter eggs. But there is no “wrong” container. I have heard great sounding shakers made out of soda bottles, cool whip containers, laundry detergent bottles etc.

Any small hard substance. I prefer pop-corn, beans, rices etc. but you can also use sand, gravel, BB’s, clean kitty litter etc. Half the fun is experimenting.

How to Make It:

1. Open up your container and put the pop-corn etc. inside.
2. Close container
3. Shake.

Does it sound good? Try putting less shaker material. Try putting more in.

Note to teachers and parents (and managers in some corporations): For some groups you may want to glue or tape the containers closed. Have a broom and dust pan on hand for clean up.

If time permits you can then decorate your shakers.

At one school, the kindergarten teachers (don’t you just love kindergarten teachers?) had their students decorate their film canister containers with little glue-on eyes, paper wings and pipe cleaners.

It was cool because they really looked like bugs! We were using them to create the sound of “Insects Buzzing In The Grass” in my Drum Of The Elephant King Program.

How To Play It: Just Shake It Baby!

Alternative shaker for when you just want to groove to the music and don’t have handy household materials around. Just shake your keys.

Next in the series:

How To Make A Cuica (a.k.a. Chicken In A Cup)
How To Make a Rain Stick: Part One & Part Two
How To Make Wind Tubes
How To Make An Ocean Drum
How To Make A 2X4 Xylophone, Old Wrench Xylophone, Wind Chimes etc.
How to Make A “Paint Stirrer Rhythm Stick”
How To Make A “Paint Stirrer Stir Drum”

The Silkie is from Mark Shepard’s Breathing Underwater CD which is ow Available for Instant Digital Down Load
Regularly $15 |Get the Album of Drums, Songs & Stories about the Sea For A Limited Time Only: $5.00

The Silkie | April 10, 1998 | Song # 290

by Mark Shepard

Once there was a fisherman
On the salty sea
Who felt so very alone
That he dreamed of a wife
Who would keep him company
And give to him a child and a happy home

One northern summer day
He was paddling his way
Through the tiny islands not far from shore
When what did he espy
With his hunter’s practiced eye
But a maiden dancing on the rocks
So wild and pure

Well the sun was in her eyes
So he took her by surprise
After he had hidden her seal skin
She was a Silkie you see,
A magic creature of the sea
Who sometime come ashore
To walk in human form

Refrain:
Oh to be a Silkie of the Sea
Oh to be a wild creature swimming free
Oh to know the secrets of the foam
Oh to love the ocean and to call it home

She begged to be let free
But he said, “No, come with me
In seven years your skin I will return”
So sadly she obeyed,
Turned her back upon the waves
Took a path that led her towards an early grave

In the passing of the days
She gave birth to a babe
A human son with web between his toes
But she’d begun to fade
And to wither all away
A little more with every single passing day

But she told the child tales
Of seals and fish and whales
She taught him how to sing and play the drum
She told him of the times
When she was strong and fine
She told of other drier days that were to come

Refrain:

6 years she’d struggled on
Now she was almost gone
And the fisherman grew silent and grim
Yet still he did deny
The quiet pleading in her eyes
As he told himself that someday
She would change her mind

One night the child awoke
To a strange un-earthly note
A sound from deep beneath the moonlit sea
It was old grandfather seal
A legend now made real
Calling to his own to bring his daughter home

But the boy tripped in the sand
And reaching out his hand
Touched the softness of her lost seal skin
The man had thrown it to the deep
Hoping so his wife to keep
But the spirit of the sea had washed it in again

Refrain:

The took it to her and
She slipped in to it’s fur
Once again her eyes were full of life
She was a silkie y see
And would have died if not set free
She was never meant to be a human wife

Her son began to cry
As she slipped in to the tide
But he could not save her any other way
And on certain moonlit nights
He would sometimes catch her sight
And then they’d swim together
In the healing waves

Refrain:

He brew into a man
Who knew the way of land
As well as the secrets of the sea
And I met him one time
Though he was old and almost blind
He played the drum and sang this very story

Refrain:

Commentary: This is my all time favorite story. Folk singer Joan Baez did a traditional Silkie song that I heard as a kid and then I came across “Women Who Run With The Wolves” by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. also the movie, “the Secret of Roan Innish” draws from this body of Silkie Stories. So this song combines several different versions of the Silkie.

I used to only perform it for older children and adult audiences but one day a school principal who was somewhat clueless about developmental ages combined a group of kindergartners with a group of 5th graders in an assembly.

I knew I was in trouble. I can easily handle a group of kids from K-8 and connect with each age level all at the same time but to have only to two extremes was really tricky. Nothing was working. Finally I figured I would at least do something that would nourish me whether it reached the kids or not.

So I sang the Silkie. You could have heard a pin drop. So I tend to end my programs with this piece of it at all fits in with the theme I’m working with. It’s just a great way to end a program. Kind of on a thoughtful quiet note.

I use it as part of several programs:

• Breathing Underwater
• Beyond The Borders
• Mysts & Magick
  
• DrumSongStory
• Beneath the Northern Star

The Silkie by Mark Shepard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

http://DrumSongStory.com/TheSilkie

To book this program now call 1-888-598-7709 or e-mail mark[at]markshepard.com

See what other DrumSongStory Programs are available for:

• Schools, Family Concerts
• Colleges, Universities
• Corporations, Non Profits, Conferences

Drums, Songs & Stories From Ireland

Stories and Story Songs:

• The Silkie

• Eileen McGillicuddy And The Fairy King
• Grace O’Malley The Irish Pirate Queen
• Quit That Racket!
• Arthur MacBride
  and more!

Instruments:

• The Bodhran
• The Bones
• The Spoons
• The Tin and Wooden whistles

Sound Effects: (played by the audience)

• Fairy Bells
• Thunder Tubes
• Wind Wands
• Banshee Pipes
• Rainsticks
• Ocean Drum
• and more

To book this program now call 1-800-378-4971 or e-mail mark[at]markshepard.com

See what other DrumSongStory Programs are available for:

• Schools, Family Concerts
• Colleges, Universities
• Corporations, Non Profits, Conferences