ScrapArtsMuslc

Keynotes are made possible by agenerous grant from Bank of AmericaCharitable Foundation.

The State Theatre’s education program is funded in part by Bank of America Charitable Foundation, the GeraldineR. Dodge Foundation, E & G Foundation, Gannett Foundation, Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Johnson &Johnson Family of Companies, J. Seward Johnson, Sr. 1963 Charitable Trust, Karma Foundation, Blanche andIrving Laurie Foundation, Magyar Bank Foundation, McCrane Foundation, MetLife Foundation, National Starch,Inc., New Jersey State Council on the Arts, PNC Foundation, the Provident Bank Foundation, PSE&G, RobertWood Johnson Foundation, TD Bank, and Wachovia Foundation. Their support is gratefully acknowledged.

Funding to the State Theatre is provided by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundationin partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts through theAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Funding has been made possible inpart by the New Jersey StateCouncil on the Arts/Department ofState, a partner agency of theNational Endowment for the Arts.

ContinentalAirlines is theofficial airlineof the StateTheatre.

Keynotes are produced by the EducationDepartment of the State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ. Wesley Brustad, PresidentLian Farrer, Vice President for Education

Online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org/Keynotes

Keynotes for ScrapArtsMusic written and designedby Lian Farrer, with excerpts from ScrapArtsMusicstudy guide.Edited by Jennifer Cunha and Katie Pyott.© 2009, State Theatre

Find us at www.StateTheatreNJ.org

Contact: education@StateTheatreNJ.org

The State Theatre, a premier nonprofit venue for theperforming arts and entertainment.

The Heldrichis the officialhotel of theState Theatre.

Welcome to the State Theatre’s school-dayperformance of ScrapArtsMusic. Get ready for ahigh-volume, high-energy, high-spirited spectaclethat’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

These Keynotes provide you with informationabout the show, the artists, and their instrumentsthat will make the performance even moreexciting—because you’ll know more about ScrapArts and what they do. We hope you’ll even beinspired to create your own recycled instruments!

Welcome 2

ContentsWelcome ..............................................2Meet Scrap Arts Music ....................3The Program....................................4-5Production Elements ........................6Percussion Discussion......................8

Become a ScrapArtist! ....................9The Art of Recycling ........................9Glossary ..............................................10Get Ready!..........................................11

Meet ScrapArtsMusic 3

ScrapArtsMusic is an innovative “percussion theater” group.Their performances combine intricate rhythms with athleticchoreography and dazzling lighting effects in a high-energy,intensely physical spectacle of sound and movement. Thecompany has performed for audiences on four continents.

The five performers in ScrapArtsMusic play amazinginstruments crafted from salvaged and recycled junk:discarded artillery shells, plumbing fixtures, exhaust hose, steeloil cans, accordion parts, and even broken monkey bars. Theinstruments reflect ScrapArts’ commitments to stretching theboundaries of music and working to help save theenvironment. Their show uses more than 140 differentinstruments, altogether weighing about two tons. You won’tsee these instruments anywhere else!

The instruments in ScrapArts’ percussion orchestra weredesigned and built by GREGORY KOZAK, who co-foundedthe company in 1998 with JUSTINE MURDY. Kozak, adrummer and composer, brings a musician’s ear and an artist’seye to developing the sonic and visual potential ofrecyclable materials. His inventions are sculptural objects aswell as musical instruments. The music he composes forthem is a fusion of world music traditions and 21st-centurysounds. Murdy, with a background in architecture, sharesKozak’s passion to create innovative music through recycling.The other percussionists who make up ScrapArtsMusic areSPENCER COLE, CHAO GAO, YUE GAO, andGREGORY SAMEK.

Fun Facts:

ScrapArtsMusic started as street performers

in their native Vancouver, Canada. Their big

break came after they were invited to

perform at an NBA Grizzlies half-time show.

They are currently “The Canuck Drummers

by ScrapArtsMusic,”—the official drummers

for the NHL Vancouver Canucks.

Closeup: Gregory KozakEven as a child, Gregory Kozak loved to experiment with

non-traditional percussion: pots, oven racks, car hubcaps andwooden spoons. In his teens, he was influenced by the work ofinnovative composer, music theorist, and instrument builder Harry Partch and jazz pioneerOrnette Coleman. Frustrated by the limitations of conventional percussion, he set out tocreate new instruments and an ensemble to play them.

Greg learned the skill of welding, and with Justine Murdy began scouring constructionsites and scrap yards in search of anything with the potential to make music. After creatingmore than 100 new percussion instruments, Greg started exploring ways of incorporatingmovement into his music. He put his instruments on wheels, enabling players andinstruments to move in fluidly synchronized choreography. He assembled a group of stellarpercussionists to join his group, and ScrapArtsMusic was born.

“Gregory Kozak just

may have single-

handedly performed a

million acts of green.”

—Winnipeg Free Press

WhorliesA composition named after the simpleinstruments that we use… WHORLIES generate avariety of pitches depending on spin speed andlength of bilge hose.

ConundrumThis complex drumming number begins with Gregory on his one-of-a-kind, homemade“contraption” (aka “traps set”); soon after, players with mobile drums of varying design jointhe action. Instruments include: MINI-ZIG TRAPS SET—invented drum kit created fromscrap and spun metals; ZIGGURAT DRUMS—our signature drum with a large drum-head,stepped spun aluminum drum shell which spins in the stand and produce different pitchesdepending on where it’s struck; HOURGLASS DRUMS—made of spun aluminum andstainless— pivots at the middle, has two drum-heads, and creates the second-highestpitches of the drums; HUMUNGA DRUMS—barrel shaped, made of spun aluminum, andthe lowest-pitched, most bass of the mobile drums; B-52 DRUMS—a single-headed drummade from steel oil cans manufactured in 1952, which we cleaned up, put on scrapstainless steel stands, and mounted with used Kevlar drum-heads; JUNK-ON-A-STICK—”cymbal trees” made with threaded rod and whatever sound-makers Gregory could find!

RibsRibs features a collection of carefully-selected found metal objects, arranged on specially-made tables that amplify the exotic musical sounds the group is able to generate, thanks totheir evolved technique. New instruments introduced to the stage include: SIGH-CHORDIONS—wind instruments made from plumbing fixtures and accordion reeds, whichcreate chords and single notes; THE RIBS—curved stainless steel bars of various lengths;WOODEN TABLE BOX RESONATORS—hollow, rolling tables that act as sound amplifiers;and a variety of found metal, including steel hose couplings and a brass plate.

PhonkPhonk begins with two performers striking and tossing coils high in the air—which soondevelops into a full on rhythmic powerhouse. New instruments introduced in this pieceinclude: ALUMO-SPRINGS—hollow, coiled aluminum springs that are lighter than theylook; SCORPION DRUMS—high-pitched drums made from big-O irrigation hose andplumbing coupling joints on stands that can support up to three drums; and THUNDERSHEETS—flexible brass sheets and glass lifters.

DeltaA solo piece featuring the HALF MOON—a discarded rock cymbal Gregory ground and re-used to create a rich variety of warm sounds that subtly evoke the blues.

Magnum Opus for Bowl and PlatesOne by one, musicians join the stage, each with their own PLATE—an aluminum pot-bottom cutaway, each playing a unique rhythm using open and bell-tone sounds. Rhythmsintertwine then break apart from each other before plates are swapped for gong-likeBOWLS, found at a scrap yard and tuned with a grinder.

B-52 DRUM

HUMUNGA DRUM

ZIGGURAT DRUM

JUNK-ON-A-STICK

Can you spot all the

references, puns, and

other wordplay in the

titles of the pieces?

The Program (part I) 4

Some Assembly RequiredLike giant building blocks for adults, this composition is built around the bass sounds of thePVC TOWER—created from salvaged ABS pipe of varying lengths, which are struck withgym-mat paddles recycled from a gymnastic club and cut into a ping pong paddle shape.The composition ends after a rhythmic interchange between PVC and marine exhaust hose(hollow rubber tubing formerly used to channel exhaust gases) cut to various lengths.

Engine of the FutureEngine is a multi-tonal piece that features several of the drum instruments used in a newway to suggest a giant machine. New instruments incorporated in the piece include:ALUMINUM RODS—found in a dumpster near a metal shop; and ANNOY-O-PHONES—made from dishwasher hose, bagpipe reeds, and balloons.

Artillery PeaceWe try to make an instrument from material we find at the venues where we perform.The ubiquitous soda can and bicycle spoke are always easy to find and recycle. ArtilleryPeace begins with the WHIRLING CAN (which we invite the audience to name—hint-hint!); ARTILLERY SHELLS—stainless steel artillery shells chopped to different lengths tocreate a variety of church-bell-like chimes; and various noise makers including plasticventing hose, a bike bell, a suction cup, and a two-by-four.

AnnoyophoniaThe return of the ANNOYOPHONE (first debuted in Ribs)—but this time there are five.What can we say? Why are the simplest instruments the hardest to play?

Synthesoid PlasmatronSynthesoid Plasmatron was one of the first pieces we performed. It’s in an odd timesignature, and is very physical and energizing to perform. It incorporates all the spunaluminum drums; the PLANKOPHONE—a marimba made from two-by-four and two-by-six wooden planks, and legs made from railing of a building being torn down; the CHIMEARRAY—made from scrap stainless steel that supports artillery shell chimes; the GONGARRAY—with curly legs made from monkey bar “seconds” and large chunks of scrapstainless steel boat railings that support three gongs.

13 Strings & Sigh-ChordionsIt’s perhaps surprising to see what an innovative percussionist can do when he invents astringed instrument. This composition starts with Gregory on his MOJO—an instrumentcreated from a sailboard mast, steel bowls, balloons, wood, aluminum scraps, and pianoand bass strings. He is joined by three performers playing numerous SIGHCHORDIONS,and another playing the NAIL CELLO, a stainless steel plate with rods that are bowedwhile on top of a drum.

Hip HopA drum solo competition to end all others! Each player struts his or her stuff.

Bopchi BopInspired by Gregory’s boyhood memories of songs his granny used to sing to him.

AgreementA highly choreographed piece we first debuted at an NBA halftime event. You needto be ‘in agreement’ for this piece to climax the way it does…

ALUMO-SPRINGS

SCORPION DRUMS

ANNOYOPHONE

The Program (part II) 5

GONG & CHIME ARRAY

Production Elements 6

MusicEach of ScrapArts’ hundreds of instruments has its own

distinct sound. The different combinations of materials, howthey are put together, and how they are played allows forendless variations of pitch, timbre, and volume. Some ofthe instruments are tuned (they can play specific pitches),while others play indefinite pitches. Some play articulatednotes (notes that are clearly separated from each other) thatare staccato (the note fades away as soon as it is played).Other instruments have the ability to play legato (with noseparation between notes) and to sustain (the note lastslonger when it is played).

The orchestration (the combinations of instruments in apiece) dramatically affects the way the music sounds. Using avariety of instruments in one piece allows the composer topaint with many different tone colors. Having members ofthe ensemble play the same or similar instruments focusesthe listener on one particular sound quality.

Rhythm is the most important musical quality inpercussion. It gives the music its beat, or pulse. Rhythms canbe very simple or so complex that it’s hard for the listener tohear the pattern. Polyrhythm is where each instrument inthe ensemble plays its own rhythm at the same time.

MovementDuring a ScrapArts performance, the stage is in a constant

state of motion. Having the instruments on wheels allowsthem to become part of the choreography. The musiciansjump from one instrument to the next, and rearrangeinstruments to create new formations.

Stage EffectsThe lighting design is a dynamic part of the production,

creating shadows and playing on the lustrous surfaces of themetallic instruments. Lighting effects are achieved by thecombination of placement (in front, behind, above, from thesides), intensity (how dim or bright), color, movement, andpattern. Different patterns can be achieved by thearrangement of lights or by using a gobo, a sheet of metalwith a pattern cut into it that is placed in front of the lightsource. Some other common stage effects are smoke/fogmachines, strobe lights, and black light.

CostumingCostumes are part of the visual design of a

ScrapArtsMusic performance. The clothes they wear reflectthe type of music they play. You certainly won’t see theformal concert attire of a symphony orchestra. The costumeshave to be designed not only to look good, but also to allowthe performers free range of motion during their physicallydemanding performance.

One of the things that makes a ScrapArts performance so exciting is that it’s a multisensoryexperience. Sound, movement, color, lighting, and the instruments (which are dramatic,sculptural works of art) work together to create a sense of energy and excitement. During theshow, pay attention to the individual elements that contribute to the overall effect.

Percussion is easily the most varied family ofinstruments. They can do much more than keep rhythm;they can also provide melody and harmony. The full rangeof percussion possibilities is demonstrated byScrapArtsMusic. Their unique invented instruments use allkinds of unconventional materials. The company hasdeveloped innovative techniques for playing theseinstruments to create a rich array of sounds and textures.

Percussion instruments can be grouped according tothe way they make their sound. Here are the groups, withexamples that you’ll see at ScrapArtsMusic’s performance.

� IDIOPHONES are musical instruments in which soundis primarily produced by the actual body of the instrument vibrating, rather thanby a string, membrane, or column of air. Idiophones can be sounded in a numberof ways, including stamping, shaking, striking or plucking. Some commonidiophones are bells, chimes, xylophones and maracas. ScrapArtsMusic hasinvented 73 idiophones, including Gong & Chime Arrays, Steel Hose Couplings,Stainless Steel Ribs, Junk-on-a-Stick, Bell Flower, and Alumo-Springs.

�MEMBRANOPHONES produce sound through the vibration of a stretchedmembrane or skin. The most common membranophone instrument is the drum.Gregory Kozak has created a variety of new drums for ScrapArts based on uniquealuminum shell designs. The company uses 15 original membranophones,including Ziggurat Drum, Humunga Drum, and Scorpion Drums.

�AEROPHONES are musical instruments that produce sound through thevibration of air. The instrument itself does not vibrate, nor do strings ormembranes. A column of air can be set in vibration—as in wind instruments—orby interrupting the air-flow by an edge, as in free-reeds. Some traditionalaerophones are sirens, Udu drums, flutes, oboes, clarinets, bagpipes andaccordions. The 55 aerophones invented by ScrapArtsMusic include Sigh-chordions, PVC Towers, and the Annoyophone.

�CHORDOPHONES produce sound through the vibration of a string or strings.Plucking, striking, or playing with a bow vibrates the string of a chordophone.Familiar examples include pianos, banjos, and sitars. ScrapArts currently uses onechordophone in concert: the Mojo.

� STRIKERS are beating devices used to create sound. It can be a drumstick,aclapper, a mallet, or a bow. Gongs, bells and xylophones are examples ofinstruments that use a striker. The more than 100 strikers created and played byScrapArtsMusic include mallets of varying types, sticks of varying sizes, and a bassdrum pedal.

Form a five-memberensemble with yourclassmates. Have eachperson look around theclassroom (and in yourpockets, backpacks, etc.)for objects you can useto create your owninvented percussioninstruments. Play aroundindividually to find somesounds you really like.

Have one personestablish a rhythm, thenadd other rhythms oneby one. Try differentcombinations of soundsand rhythms. From yourimprovisation, create a 2-3-minute composition.Add choreography if youwish. Practice yourcomposition until you’reready to perform it forthe rest of the class.Don’t forget to give yourcomposition a title!

Percussion Discussion 7

A bottlephone is atuned percussioninstrument consisting ofglass bottles or jars.Collect a group ofbottles and jars ofdifferent sizes andshapes, and strike themwith a beater to hear thenotes they produce. Linethem up in order, from lowest pitch tohighest. Try playing some simple tunes.

A bottlephone that is constructed out of avariety of bottles and jars will not play intune, but if you can find a set of identicalbottles, you can create a tuned instrument.Pour a different amount of water in eachbottle, ranging from almost full to almostempty. This time, when you strike the bottles,each one will play a different pitch. Byadjusting the amount of water in each bottle,you can tune your bottlephone to play thenotes of a scale. The sound your instrumentmakes will vary when it is placed on differentsurfaces (such as carpet, cement, or woodenfloor). See which surface gives you the bestsound—and don’t break your bottles!

Become a Scrap Artist! 8

S T A M P I N G S T I C K SCultures around the world use a percussion instrument known as a STAMPING STICK. These hollow sticks

are pounded on the ground to create a strong beat for singing and dancing. Usually the bottom end of the stickis closed and the top end is open. The sound resonates from the ground, up the tube, and out the open end.

Find yourself a tube and create your own stamping stick. Some good choices are PVC pipe or cardboardtubes from toilet paper, paper towels, wrapping paper, or carpet. You’ll need to cover one end of the tube withtape or cardboard, and leave the other end open. Decorate the outside of the tube with other recycledmaterial, such as buttons, fabric scraps, leftover yarn or string, and old magazines or newspapers. Bang theclosed end of your stick on different surfaces and see what sound they produce.

Stamping sticks produce different sounds based on length, diameter, and what they’re made of. Get togetherwith some of your friends to create a stamping-stick orchestra.

Mexican maracas and the African shekere areexamples of rattles and shakers—percussioninstruments that are played by shaking. Theseinstruments consist of a hollow body with smallhard objects (such as seashells or dried beans)that rattle against the inside or outside of the bodywhen shaken.

It’s easy to make your own rattle or shaker. Put ahandful of buttons, pebbles, dried beans, or riceinto an empty container (coffee can, soda can,

etc.). Replace the lid and seal it with tape.How does the sound of the shaker changewhen you use different materials inside?

Another kind of shaker uses clankingmetal—such as bells, metal rings, orjingles. You can make a good jinglingshaker by threading bottle caps on a metalcoat hanger. Or you can drive a nail

through three bottlecaps; make a series ofthese rattles and then nail them to a piece oftwo-by-four or a broomstick.

BOTTLEPHONE

RATTLE S

SH AKERS &

State

Theatre

Soda

About 80% of what Americans throw away is recyclable, yet our recyclingrate is only 28%. Gregory Kozak’s concern about our throw-away societyinspired him to build his instruments exclusively from industrialscrap and found objects. He has made an art out of recyclingby salvaging materials that most people would considertrash and transforming them into extraordinary andbeautiful musical instruments.

You don’t have to be an artist or musician tobecome a creative recycler. Think about everydayitems that you have around the house that typicallyget thrown away: bottles, cans, plastic containers,grocery bags, etc. Can you think of creative ways totransform these items into something useful or beautiful?

Recycling is one of the three R’s of cutting down on the waste materials thatchoke our landfills, litter our streets, and pollute the environment. Here are somesuggestions for following the three R’s:

The Art of Recycling 9

Think it’s garbage?Think again!

Reduce

Reuse

Recycle

� Buy less stuff. Before you buy something,think about whether you really need it. Don’treplace your cell phone or sneakers justbecause they’ve come out with a newermodel. Wait until something is completelyused up before you replace it. You’ll savemoney while helping the environment.

� Purchase recyclable or biodegradable itemsthat will not clog our landfills.

� Choose items that you can use again andagain, such as canvas shopping bags (insteadof paper or plastic) and cloth rags (in placeof paper towels). Instead of buying bottledwater, fill a reusable bottle with water fromthe tap. It’s just as good as the bottled stuff!

�Donate items you no longer need so thatothers can use them.

� Save and take recyclable materials to placeswhere they can be remade into the sameproduct or new products. Besides cuttingdown on trash, making new items from oldones uses less energy and natural resourcesthan to making products from new materials.

• Americans use 2.5 millionplastic bottles every hour.

• Recycling one ton (about2,000 pounds) of papersaves 17 trees, two barrelsof oil (enough to run theaverage car for 1,260miles), 4,100 kilowatts ofenergy (enough power forthe average home for sixmonths), 3.2 cubic yards oflandfill space, and 60pounds of pollution.

• A typical family consumes182 gallons of soda, 29gallons of juice, 104 gallonsof milk, and 26 gallons ofbottled water a year. That’sa lot of containers that canall be recycled!

• The average Americanuses 650 pounds of papereach year. 100 million tonsof wood could be savedannually if all that paperwas recycled.

ARRAY - an instrument made up of an arrangement ofindividual components (such as a set of chimes ofdifferent pitches).

BOW (BOH) - a flexible stick with horsehair stretched fromone end to the other; used for playing stringedinstruments.

CHOREOGRAPHY (kor-ee-OG-ra-fee) - the art of creatingdances or movement.

CYMBALS (SIM-bahls) - concave metal plates that areclashed together or struck with a drum stick.

DRONE - a continuous sustained hum or buzz tone.

DRUM - a percussion instrument made by tightly stretchinga membrane over one or both ends of a hollow cylinderor bowl. Drums are played by beating, rubbing, orscraping the head, rim, or sides.

DRUM HEAD - the membrane (made of animal hide or asynthetic material) stretched over the opening of a drum.

DRUM STICK - used for striking a percussion instrument;also know as a beater.

ENSEMBLE (ahn-SAHM-bull) - a group of performers.

GONG - a large metal plate played by hitting with a mallet.

HOCKETING - a music technique where a melody or rhythmis shared by two or more players; one part rests while theother part(s) plays the note or notes. You sometimes hearScrapArts using hocketing on the Plankophone, wherefour players play the two parts.

KINETIC - relating to or produced by motion.

MALLET - a beater with a padded ball on the end.

MARIMBA - a percussion instrument in the xylophonefamily, made of strips of wood or metal of differentlengths, each tuned to a different pitch. often with aresonator below each bar. The pitches span severaloctaves.

PERCUSSION - an incredibly diverse group of musicalinstruments that can be played either by hitting, shaking,rubbing, twisting, spinning, rolling, dropping, etc.

PITCH - the highness or lowness of a musical note.

POLYRHYTHM - two or more rhythms played at the sametime.

REED - a thin piece of cane or metal that vibrates when airis blown across it. The vibration produces the sound.

RESONATOR - a hollow chamber that amplifies the soundof an instrument. Examples of resonators include thetubes underneath the keys of a marimba and the body ofa violin.

RIM - the edge of a drum where the drum head meets theshell.

ROLL - a drum technique where the drum is hit repeatedly,very fast. When the player gets up to full speed, the notesblur together to produce a sustained sound.

TIMBRE (TAM-ber) - the quality of a sound that sets it apartfrom other sounds; also known as the ‘color’ of a sound.

TRAPS - a set of drums, cymbals, and other percussion(such as woodblock, cowbell, and tambourine) set up so itcan be played by one person. Also known as a “drum kit.”

Glossary 10

Learn Your Part.One essential collaborator needed

to create a live performance is theaudience. The weeks and months ofthought and preparation that go intoa show are directed toward creating aperformance that will inspire andentertain you and the other peoplewho are watching and listening. Yourrole in this artistic collaboration isvery important. Make sure you knowyour part:

• When you arrive at the theater,follow an usher to your seat.

• Before the show begins, turn offand put away all electronic devices,including cell phones, portablegames and music, cameras, andrecording equipment. Keep themturned off for the entireperformance.

• Once the lights go down, focusall your attention on the stage.Watch and listen carefully to theperformance.

• Attending a live concert in atheater is not the same aswatching television at home. At thetheater, talking, eating, and movingaround disturbs the performersand other members of theaudience. And please—no textingor checking messages during theshow!

• When the performance is over,stay in your seat until yourgroup gets the signal to leavethe theater.

Get Ready! 11

No Talking!

No Photos!

No Texting!

ResourcesINTERNET

ScrapArtsMusic HomepageInformation on instruments and musicians,video performances.www.ScrapArtsMusic.com

Bash The Trash HomepageIdeas for making instruments from trash.www.bashthetrash.com

OddmusicUnique, unusual, ethnic, and experimentalmusic and instruments.www.oddmusic.com

Make-StuffIdeas for turning trash into recycled treasures.www.make-stuff.com/recycling/

BOOKS

Gravikords, Whirlies & Pyrophones: ExperimentalMusical Instruments, by Bart Hopkin. EllipsisArts, 1996.

Musical Instrument Design: Practical Informationfor Instrument Design, by Bart Hopkin. SeeSharp Press, 1996.

Music of the Whole Earth, by David Reck. DaCapo Press, 1997.

Planet Drum: A Celebration of Percussion andRhythm, by Mickey Hart and Fredric Lieberman.Acid Test Productions, 1998.

MUSIC

Phon, by Scrap Arts Music. 2006.

So Percussion, by David Lang. Cantaloupe, 2004.

VIDEO

Harry Partch: Enclosure 7 / Harry Partch:Enclosure 8. Innova, 2006 / 2008. DVD, unrated.