On Thursday, July 4th and on Friday, July 5th, the Winnipeg Public Library in collaboration with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra is inviting children ages 6 to 12 to move to the beat, discover new rhythms and have fun with silly noises.
The last thing you would expect to hear in the quiet space of a library are percussion instruments, but that is exactly what the library is inviting children to experience.
On Thursday at Sir. William Stephenson Library and on Friday at the Transcona Library and the Bill and Helen Norrie Library an event called Percussion in the Library will be taking place.
Presented by Manitoba Chamber Orchestra Principal Percussionist Victoria Sparks this is sure to be an engaging way to get children moving and having fun through sounds and rhythm.
This is an initiative that is spearheaded by the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. They have been doing outreach projects in the community for years, and typically it is a string ensemble that has performed. This year, however, the orchestra thought it might be interesting to feature some of the other sections of the orchestra. And percussion suggested all kinds of interesting possibilities.
The presentation is just forty-five minutes long, but it will be an action packed 45 minutes. As Sparks says, “It’s meant to be a little bit interactive, a little bit of learning, a little bit of...What is a percussion instrument? How do we create groove? How do we create rhythms and sounds? So, some of it is activity based, some of it is about body percussion and all the sounds we can make without any instruments at all. And because it is the library, the final presentation is a story. We have taken a story and developed some music to go with it, and some sound effects. You get to get up on your feet and move a little bit, you get to play some different instruments, and you also get to hear a delightful story told with some great sound effects.”
Traditional percussion instruments such as the triangle and cymbals will be heard, but also more unusual instruments as well, such as a thunder tube, whistles, and a full chromatic octave of desk bells. Imagine you could ring the librarian and create a tune at the same time. “We are trying to bring lightheartedness to the show,” says Sparks.
Percussion in the library is a wonderful way to engage with children and entertain families as well. There are three opportunities to take part, Thursday, July 4th at 2p.m. at Sir William Stephenson Library. The other two opportunities are on Friday at the Transcona Library at 10:30am and then at the Bill and Helen Norrie Library at 2 p.m.
You must register for the presentation to take part. To find out more and to register click here.