Making Sounds with the Kitchen Utensil Band.

For Friday evening's music group we were asked to bring along any kitchen utensil that would produce a sound.  The photo right show my choices, with a beer bottle missing (empty) that I took with me as an after thought just as I left the flat!  We started the evening with our usual sound making moments, a time when we all produce various random sounds, and listen to the other's sounds, and answering those sounds.   This must be how birds communicate!  With eyes closed, it is amazingly relaxing and lifts the spirits!  (With this terrible weather, our spirits need lifting.)   

We next sang several canons in four different languages.  Two of us sang in English, another two in French, one in German and another in Italian.  Even though the word order is completely different, our sounds always hang together very well, and make an interesting texture of sound.  We ended the evening with our home made instruments. What started as a cacophony of sounds, which formulated itself into a rhythmic piece of experience!  It is not easy to describe, as it's not much more a "happening."  Anyone who has ever experienced this will know what I'm talking about.   

I played the beer bottle and spoons, which sounds very common place, but the high tinkling sounds counteracted the bass noises made on the cardboard tube and plastic bottles.  Hannah had bought along a ringing egg-timer, which made it presence felt at the right moments!   It was all great fun, and we all left the evening meeting feeling very cheerful, with some of us singing as we walked out of the door.   That's what it's all about, being joyful!

 The green window in our meeting room.

We meet in a room with this window, which regardless of the weather, is always so cool and tranquil.  I like sitting beside it and making sounds!  We meet in the "Louise Schroeder House," a community centre that hosts self run groups, rather like our U3A.  Groups consist of languages, walking, handicrafts, cycling, holidays, cards, to name but a few.  Last year I ran an English speaking walking group for the centre, which met on a Wednesday in the Burgerpark.

The entrance and information board outside the Louise Schroeder House.

After spending last year walking back to the S-Bahn stop at Europaplatz to get home, I discovered that, at the bus stop just around the corner, I can catch a bus back to Donaustraße and then on into Timmerlah!   I could have saved myself miles last year.