Broken and lost instruments happen. It's a fact that has to be accepted, but can be minimized with certain precautions. When I first started coaching for the Youth Symphony the accessory percussion was stored in a large plastic container. It was affectionately known as 'The Toy Box'. In their defense there was almost no storage space, just a large plywood square structure big enough to roll in the set of timpani and of course 'The Toy Box'.
I bought 2 suitcases at a thrift store and foam sheets from a hardware store. I cut the foam to hold the various instruments and labeled the contents on the top of each suitcase. The original pictures were lost but the one shown is for another group that I coached.
Eventually we moved to a location with more space including closets just for the percussion. I made separate wooden cradles for the hand and suspended cymbals. Another trip to the thrift store provided various holders for tambourines and triangles.
All of the other accessories (castanets, finger cymbals, woodblocks, etc.) had similar boxes/racks to store them and everything was labeled.
The Y/S has 4 performing groups that have their own percussionists, not unlike the typical Jr. Hi. or High School program. If instruments were not stored in the same location but rather placed haphazardly on various shelves or cabinets the following group of percussionists would be on a constant scavenger hunt.
Enforcing the rule of replacing everything properly wasn't difficult. Because each instrument had it's own specific place there were very few problems. After 1 year it became a habit throughout all of the groups. More importantly it instilled a sense of pride in the sections. They weren't 'Toys' anymore, they were instruments to be respected and played properly.
I bought 2 suitcases at a thrift store and foam sheets from a hardware store. I cut the foam to hold the various instruments and labeled the contents on the top of each suitcase. The original pictures were lost but the one shown is for another group that I coached.
All of the other accessories (castanets, finger cymbals, woodblocks, etc.) had similar boxes/racks to store them and everything was labeled.
The Y/S has 4 performing groups that have their own percussionists, not unlike the typical Jr. Hi. or High School program. If instruments were not stored in the same location but rather placed haphazardly on various shelves or cabinets the following group of percussionists would be on a constant scavenger hunt.
Enforcing the rule of replacing everything properly wasn't difficult. Because each instrument had it's own specific place there were very few problems. After 1 year it became a habit throughout all of the groups. More importantly it instilled a sense of pride in the sections. They weren't 'Toys' anymore, they were instruments to be respected and played properly.
Comments
Post a Comment