Unprofitable Instruments

Lectures

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Medieval instruments make tremendous teaching tools.  Their curious shapes, colors, and sounds immediately draw attention to themselves and spark curiosity in the observer.

Since my own first experiences playing early instruments, I have loved sharing them with others.  Now, I am pleased to be able to offer a wide range of lectures which use instruments to teach history, physics, craft, and more.  The following list describes my lectures with their original intended audiences.  Please feel free to contact me about adapting any of them to your circumstances.  My rates are $100/hour, or $60/hour for schools.

Stringed Instruments in the Middle Ages

"Show and tell" with the many medieval stringed instruments in my collection.

Length: One hour; Audience: general; Materials: instruments.

History of the Violin

Demonstration of the medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque ancestors of the modern violin.

Length: One hour; Audience: string orchestra; Materials: instruments.

Renaissance String Band

Renaissance string band music is delightful to play, and generally accessible to anyone at ease in first position.  In this workshop, students have a chance to play Renaissance music on their own instruments but using my bows. 

Length: One hour; Audience: middle and high school orchestras; Materials: instruments, bows, music and stands.

Music in the Middle Ages

An introduction to many kinds of medieval music, with emphasis on the people who made music.

Length: Two hours; Audience: high school humanities class; Materials: Instruments, power point, sound recordings.

Music in the Renaissance

Portraits of two contrasting styles of Renaissance music: the late 14th century Ars Subtilior and music in Elizabethan England, again with emphasis on the people who made music.

Length: One and a half hours; Audience: high school humanities class; Materials: Instruments, power point, sound recordings.

Building Medieval Instruments

Describes the processes I use to recreate medieval instruments, including the study of iconography, surviving instruments, and supporting evidence from tools and science.

Length: One hour; Audience: general; Materials: Instruments, power point.

Medieval Instruments and their Music

Surveys extant information about medieval instrumental music, including notated music, written descriptions, iconography, and surviving instruments.

Length: One and a half hours; Audience: College music history class; Materials: Instruments, power point.

Teaching with the Monochord

Explore the relationship between number and sound the way a medieval cleric would, creating the Gamut (scale) using dividers, monochord, and instructions from Guido d'Arezzo.

Length: Two hours; Audience, Designed for a college music class, but successfully adapted for middle school students through adult; Materials: Monochord, 4' long tables for each small group of participants.

Harmonics

Delves briefly but deeply into the physics of sound, including vibrations, harmonics, ratios, intervals, and frequency.

Length: One hour; Audience: High school orchestra; Materials: Instruments, power point, calculators.