Make Your Own Clay Flute (Ocarina) Building Workshops

     Make Your Own Clay Flute -- Hands-on Instrument Building Workshop with a trained professional  

Fun with Music!  A combination of music, art, sculpture, design and cross-cultural history, this program has something for everyone!  No Experience Necessary! 

You Design, Build, Decorate & Play a beautiful sounding wind instrument from clay!  The founder of the Ocarina Project, Tom Reese, has developed a simple method for making a great sounding clay instrument. By using a fixed whistle instead of sculpting a mouthpiece, a 6-note instrument is easy to make & play.

Since 1985, children & adults alike have been delighted with the instruments they design & build from clay. Field-tested with children & special children of all ages, this project works well in a variety of settings, including schools, summer programs, home schools, special needs classes, art museums, retirement centers and more. The instructors show the students how to make a complicated-looking project easy. The ocarina buiding workshops help to develop self-esteem in people of all ages.  

Great activity for:

• School Classrooms (art, music, sculpture & history)
• Birthday Parties
• Home School Activities
• Summer Camps
• Church Camps
• Music Camps
• Art Museums
• Team Building Workshops
• Special Events
• Retirement Centers -- Lifelong Learning Classes
• Libraries

The Ocarina Building program has received “excellent” ratings by teachers, early childhood educators, and school administrators. Parents & teachers are welcome to be a part of the creative process, & can participate by building an instrument & making music with their child.

• Groups of 15-20 students (any age)
• Available days, evenings, or week-ends
• Located in south-central Pennsylvania, we travel to locations throughout PA & the Northeast Region (PA, NY, MD, NJ, DE, VA, WV and more
• Contact us for more information

Workshop Synopsis:

The standard program for this project is two (2) sessions, approx. 45 minutes to 1 hour each.  Additional sessions are available for composition.

Session I: "Design & Build"

• After a short lecture/demonstration on the clay flute (or ocarina), it's history and sound, students learn how to build an ocarina. 
• Using clay, students will design & build a playable wind instrument. 
• Each student decides the shape as well as where to place the finger holes and mouthpiece.  
• Students do not get to keep their instruments at this time, because the clay is wet & needs to be air dried & then kiln fired. 

Session II (2+ weeks later): “Play Ocarinas”  

• After kiln firing, the students recieve their instruments.  They learn to play single notes & then four- to six-note songs on their ocarina.  
• At this point, the ocarinas are stoneware and can be washed, played and decorated with paints (acrylic is best).    

Optional Additional Sessions: “Make Music”  

• Students play more songs & compose original music for their ocarina.  They learn musical modes, melody and harmonic structure.  They can then perform this piece in an all-school performance, if desired. 
• These sessions can be extended from one additional session to several weeks, allowing the students to learn about composition & performance. 

Brief History of the Ocarina: 

• Curriculum Links:  Music, Music composition, Art, Sculpture, Design, Math, World Cultures (Curriculum Guide)
• Ages:  2nd grade to adult 
• Class Size: 15-20 students per session 
• Materials cost: $2/student
• Short-Term Goals:   For the students to build self-esteem through designing & creating their own high-quality wind instrument from clay that will last forever.  For the students to learn to play songs & compose music on the instrument that they designed & built.   
• Long-Term Goals:  To create educated listeners who are excited about music & ceramics. To inspire others in an appreciation of the arts, interest in ceramics & music, and the ability to teach their interest to others, especially their children & their community.
• Special Requirements:  Large table (if possible), buckets & access to sinks nearby
• Available:  Year-round 

              "These visits have immense value for children who are often not exposed to much in the way of the Arts." (3rd grade teacher, Woodward Elementary)

                            "May have prompted some [students] to do more with music than listen." (5th grade teacher, Goshen Elementary)

         "The children in my class enjoyed this greatly.  They played the instruments at breaks and recess, and couldn't wait to go home and play for their parents." (3rd grade teacher, Goshen Elementary)