Sustainable Music
The Year 1 “garbage band” furthered understanding about music, community, and sustainable living.
A memorable feature of Year 1 learning in 2023 has been a fascinating exploration of the unit, How We Organise Ourselves. This International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme experience saw the students use music to comprehend the concept of community, cross-cultural understanding, and the power of creativity.
It culminated in them forming a Year 1 band that struck a chord, not with conventional instruments, but with recycled materials.
As Year 1 teacher, Mr Troy Strike, and Junior School Music teacher, Ms Emma Gutierrez, explained, the project was designed to demonstrate how music can act as a unifying force. It was inspired by a video of young people in Paraguay who created musical instruments from garbage. "The video was a learning provocation that sparked our curiosity,” said Mr Strike. “It fascinated us how music could unite people, even in situations of scarce resources.”
A visit from a music incursion company further encouraged the students to unleash their creativity. “They brought in a variety of items including tape, rubber bands, boxes, tetra bricks, toilet rolls – anything they could find at home or at school," said Mr Strike.
The result was an inventive array of percussion instruments, which they used to perform in Junior School Assembly, resulting in an invitation from Dr Scott to perform for the Senior School.