July 05, 2015

A World of Sound with Boris Sichon!

At June's ArtStarts on Saturdays in Vancouver and ArtStarts at River Market in New Westminster, kids and families discovered a world of music with Boris Sichon.

Boris Sicon is a multi-instrumentalist with a collection of more than 400 different instruments that he has collected on his travels. He was delighted to take us all on a musical adventure!

The workshop started with a big BANG! Using a mallet, Boris played a large, suspended gong, often said to be one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. The Chinese gong produced a distinct, loud, crashing sound!

Drawing on the rich cultural heritage and traditions from around the globe, Boris continued to impress young music lovers with instruments such as the buffalo drum, Indian seashells, Indonesian mouth harps and a Bulgarian bagpipe. 

Next, Boris showcased some of his low-budget instruments made of everyday objects and natural materials such as rocks. Boris reminded participants to never underestimate found objects — rocks can often produce the most beautiful sounds! Not to mention carrots...

He also demonstrated how to play an instrument made out of simple plastic tube piping purchased from a hardware store. It sounded like a didgeridoo! Boris challenged perceptions of what a musical instrument can look like — and presented a really unique and affordable way of making music.

For the interactive part of the workshop, participants were invited to try their hand at playing the tambourine!

Boris concluded his workshop by reminding everyone of the rich cultural diversity of musical instruments and the uniqueness of our own cultural heritage. He made parallels between language and music, stating that sometimes instruments, like languages, can have different "accents" and ways of expression. With music, one can travel the world!

Thanks to Boris for bringing together young music lovers and inspiring the musician in everyone!

Check out lots more photos on Facebook from ArtStarts on Saturdays and from ArtStarts at River Market. New Westminster Record has also posted from great photos from ArtStarts at River Market.

We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming hands-on visual arts workshop: Exploring the Reggio Approach with Collage Collage. With a focus on process over product, Collage Collage has teamed with Reggio instructor Tara Browman to create a number of "invitations" for children and families to try out together. Experiment with building, drawing and mark making with out-of-the-norm materials and tools.

Join us at ArtStarts on Saturdays in Vancouver on Saturday, July 25, 2015 and at ArtStarts at River Market in New Westminster on Sunday, July 26, 2015. Sessions start at 11am and 1pm. As always, admission is free!

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