WCFCourier: Bamboo Orchestra educates, entertains students
The plentiful stocks of bamboo that grow in Japan have been fashioned into everything from dishes to toys over the centuries. But it's the melodious and percussive sounds a troupe of Japanese musicians teased from tubes of the wood that captivated fourth-graders from Immaculate Conception School Thursday at the Waterloo Center for the Arts. Four members of the Tokyo-based Bamboo Orchestra played flutes, marimbas, drums and other percussion instruments --- all made out of bamboo --- for the 35 Gilbertville Catholic grade school students. They performed familiar American folk and children's songs plus some Japanese music. Before playing any music, though, they explained how bamboo grows and its importance in Japan...more...
Video clips on the group's website and MP3s also here.
