SoundscapesEarth Music Center of Indiana, Inc. Newsletter vol. V, no.2, Fall 2003

EMCI 2003: Change and Tradition

I t has been a year of both dramatic change and established tradition for the Earth Music Center of Indiana. With its President, Alla Abramovich,transferring to Boston the Center has gotten an opportunity for expansion. Success remains assured by the vital mission and successfulprogramming of this six- year-old Indianapolis-based organization. Throughout the years, EMCI has offered notable educational programs

to Indianapolis community, while keeping in reserve a potential of new ideas and programs as its vision for the future. The future has becomemore attainable now that the mission and vision of EMCI have been embraced by a grander project recently undertaken by the Eagle Creek ParkFoundation: the development of the Eagle Creek Park Cultural Campus. Along with the Earth Discovery Center, the Peace Learning Center, theOrnithology Center, and the Youth Soccer Club, the Earth Music Center will take part in a one-of-a-kind universal educational and recreationalenterprise that will be focused on youth. While the preliminary work towards the establishment of the Cultural Campus is under way, EMCIcontinues managing its regular annual programs that have become a tradition at Eagle Creek Park and elsewhere.

The Wednesdays summer concerts at the Park’s Marina are events of theperformance series “In Concert With Nature” sponsored by the Earth MusicCenter and the Eagle Creek Park Foundation. The opportunity to listen tothe music while watching sunsets at the Park attracts more and more lis-teners every year. Augmented with newcomers, the concert audience alsoconitinues to consist of many loyal listeners who have been coming to theMarina since the inception of the concert series.

The summer day camp at the park has benefited from EMCI musicalworkshops for many recent years. EMCI musicians have visited the camp-ers and have presented a variety of summertimes activities. The childrenhave experienced international dancing, musical instrument making, Afri-can drums and Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer perofrmances.

The EMCI annual World Music Concerts at IUPUI have become anothertradition popular in the Hoosier community. Over the recent years, the an-nual series has presented several Indianapolis premiers bringing guestperformers from other states and abroad. The series has featured the pro-grams of Persian Classical Music, Indonesian Gamelan Orchestra, SwedishNyckelharpa Orchestra, and the Celtic Music ensemble from Seattle.

The program for the 2004 concert at IUPUI will be announced in the next issue of Soundscapes.

EMCI would like to thank Mr. Steve Henshaw, the owner of the EnviroForensics, for providing agrant for the 2004 EMCI programs. The company specializes in locating resources for environ-mental investigations and clean-up services. Besides their Indianapolis base, EnviroForensicshas offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon. EMCI also extendsits thanks to Ms. Lolly Schoonover for her fundraising efforts on its behalf.

The concerts have become family eventsoften including picnics on the lawn.

Editorial StaffAlla Abramovich-Gomon

Sara Kurtz AllaeiAin Haas

Ann SwedeenCindy Kirkpatrick

MUSIC & NATURE2

The wailing wolvesDeep within the rustling forest.They scream their mournful cryUp at the silent sky.

Wolf Soundscapes

Cindy Kirkpatrick, Alla Abramovich, and Sharon Rangazaswith sons Alex and Stevie at the entrance to Indiana’s Wolf Park.

Dr. Ann Swedeen has recently joined the EMCI Boardof Directors . Dr. Swedeen has served on numerousnonprofit organizations’ Boards of Directors, includ-ing the Indiana Youth Institute. She became familiarwith the Earth Music Center while leading the Inter-nat ional Program at the Indiana Humanit ies Coun-cil. Currently, Dr. Swedeen is the Major Gifts Officerfor the Indiana State Museum Foundation.

Ann Swedeen at Eagle Creek Park’s Marina enjoying oneof the “In Concert with Nature” performances.

Photos of the Wolf Park animal residents byRobert Kirkpatrick.

W olves communicate through sound in many ways and for many reasons.They wail, howl, growl, bark, squeak, and whimper to locate or inspire eachother, to warn off enemies or attract the attention of pack members, to show

dominance in their confrontations or to express a scale of feelings when playing and car-ing for their pups. Throughout the day and night, wolves create their unique tapestry ofsounds. As it is with other animal species, the wolves’ social life and survival depend onsound communication. Folklore like the Little Red Riding Hood story has often contrib-uted to the wolves’ reputation among humans as the symbols of bad and evil. In actuality,a limited knowledge of wolf behavior has allowed the stereotypes and misleading no-tions. By learning more about wolves we could neutralize the ingrained prejudice againstthese animals. Sound communication among wolves is a study that highlights the conti-nuity between them and other socializing animals. Such learning opportunity is offered atWolf Park, a unique educational and research institution located outside Battle Groundnear Lafayette, Indiana. At the Park, wolves live in a natural environment along withother animals: foxes, coyotes, and even a herd of American bison. The Park offers a HowlNight program for visitors to observe wolves in the early evening when the animals aremost active, and to listen to their intriguing sound communication.

Instrument PerformanceAfrican Percussion Instruments:

Julius AdeniyiAmerican Folk Guitar:

Allan GrossAppalachian Mountain Dulcimer:

Tull Glazener,Myra Dworski

Hammered Dulcimer::Kim Wade Autoharp:

Dan ReneauMandolin, Pennywhistle:

Tim HokeNative American Instruments

Buzz Hollett:Celtic Harp::Celia Chan

Baltic BagpipeBaltic Stringed Instrument:

Ain HaasIranian Drum Tonbak:

Behrooz Sanai Asian Indian Drum Tabla:

Anup RaychowdhuryJapanese Banjo Shamisen,

Japanese Horisontal Harp Koto:Garrett Uyeno

DanceEast European Line Dance

Ronald GausvikAsian Indian Classical Dance

Nivedita RangnekarMiddle Eastern Dance

Rebecca Reneau

Instrument MakingAfrican Percussion Instruments

Julius AdeniyiAppalachian Mountain Dulcimer

Francis CrismoreBaltic Stringed Instruments

Ain HaasViolin Family Instruments

Alex Leyvand

C L A S S E S

Call 327-7110 for inquiries.

3WORLD MUSIC IN INDIANA 3

EMCI Instructor’s Profile: Myra Dworski

M yra Dworski, formerly known as a voice in the Sleepy Hollow duo with Jim Allen has beenfinding her own way after the untimely passing of Jim. She has tried to perform with various musicians, yet she now prefers to perform solo. Most recently, Myra has been very

engaged in EMCI activities. She volunteers as both EMCI Board Secretary and Artistic Director, takespart in performances of the Marina Concert Series, and conducts teaching sessions at the summer daycamp at Eagle Creek Park. She shares her thoughts here on the day camp at the Park:

I was very blessed to have had the opportunity to teach music this summer at Eagle Creek Park’sday camp program. With some creative use of vacation time from work, I was able to offer classeson ten Tuesday mornings, beginning June 3rd and ending August 5th. The three age categoriesfor the children attending the classes were 6-8 year olds, 9-11 year olds, and 12-15 year olds.Each week I brought mountain dulcimers for hands-on instruction, and as a result the childrenwere able to play five songs before the camp ended. In addition to teaching the children how toplay the Appalachian mountain dulcimer, I demonstrated to the children the musical sounds ofold-time fiddle, pennywhistle, guitar, autoharp and psaltery. The campers also learned about thehistory of the instruments and had impromptu sing-along, storytelling and dance sessions.Participating in the day camp program was a wonderful experience for the children and myself.This EMCI initiative has become a tradition that should definitely continue.

Myra Dworski with her students at the Eagle Creek Park day camp, summer of 2003 continued next page ...

4 WORLD MUSIC IN INDIANA

Myra performing for Eagle Creek Park campers Myra Dworski and Jon Hall at their Marina performance of 2002

EMCI Board Chairman Ain Haas shares his musical impressionsabout his recent extended tour of Australia and Polynesia.

From the Stone Age to New Age

T he didjeridu (also spelled didgeridoo), described inan earlier issue of Soundscapes, is the well-knownwind instrument of the Australian aborigines. It is a

slightly conical tube, typically between three and six feetlong, without finger holes. A thick coating of beeswax atthe narrow end forms a mouthpiece in which the lips vi-brate when air is blown. The instrument makes low buzz-ing tones, which can be maintained indefinitely through acircular breathing technique. The mesmerizing drone canbe punctuated with bursts of breath to create a wave-likeeffect, and the player’s voice can be added to imitate animalsounds. The instrument was developed in a prehistoric timein the peninsula known as Arnhem Land, part of the North-ern Territory of Australia. It is only in this area that the an-cient rock paintings depict the instrument. This traditionalform of art goes back tens of thousands of years, but thepaintings that show the didjeridu have been dated to “only”1,500 years ago. The segmented way the instrument wassometimes drawn suggests that it was originally made of ahollowed bamboo pole, which also fits with one of the ab-original names applied to it. In the dry interior of ArnhemLand, where bamboo does not grow, another way of mak-ing the instrument developed — using saplings of eucalyp-tus hollowed out by termites. Although the didjeridu is notsuitable for playing melodies, it can be used to create a hyp-notic drone, pulsating wave rhythms, imitations of birdcalls, and various other worldly sounds. This versatilitymade it ideal for its traditional use as accompaniment to sing-ers and dancers in various rituals. In this context, thedidjeridu was usually played along with clap sticks playedby a percussionist or even by the didjeridu player himself,who could hit them against the instrument with one hand.In contrast to virtually all other instruments from the StoneAge, the didjeridu is growing rapidly in popularity. In middleof the 20th century, it spread from a relatively small area inthe Northern Territory to aboriginal groups living in West-ern Australia and Queensland and now is played through-out the country. Aboriginal musicians who perform for tour-ists in cultural centers and street venues can be seen in themajor Australian cities. A wide variety of recordings isavailable, ranging from very traditional performers likeDavid Blanasi (whose CDs evoke the ancient rituals by in-

Behroos Sanai, Susan Karimi, and Brian Wilsonperforming Persian drums at the 2003 Marina concerts series

Listerners start a spontaneous dance during the Persian drum ensemble performance at the Marina.

WORLD MUSIC IN INDIANA 5

cluding repetitive singing and clap stick rhythms) toDavid Hudson (whose CDs offer an intriguing blend ofdidjeridu music, the noises of nature, and modern guitars,violins, and synthesizers). Why has the didjeridu attainedsuch great popularity, while other ancient instrumentsbarely survive in their own lands and attract hardly anyinterest from visitors? I pondered this question while onmy tour of Australia and Polynesia. Renewed interest innative traditions was evident everywhere, but in placeslike Tahiti and Hawaii, the traditional music tended to bepercussion-oriented and overshadowed by dancing andsinging. Whether Polynesian drummers had the tradi-tional upright hollowed logs or the familiar skin-cov-ered drums like those seen in modern marching bands,they were mixed in with players of imported instruments(such as guitars) and served as mere providers of back-ground music for the featured performers that the tour-ists really wanted to see — women with grass skirts andcoconut bras who wiggled their hips with impressivegrace, as well as men in bright hibiscus-patterned loin-cloths who knocked their knees together with amazingrapidity and twirled flaming batons. The distinct soundand instantly recognizable shape of the didjeridu make itan especially suitable symbol of aboriginal culture. TheAustralian tourism, souvenir, and recording industrieshave thus eagerly promoted the instrument. This has ledto a slight modification in its appearance. The plain orochre-colored traditional form has generally been re-placed by a more colorful type with more eye-catchingdecorations. Bright animal figures and geometric pat-terns, like those found in the traditional art of bark orrock paintings, can now be seen on the didjeridus sold inshops. Not only have native Australians all across thecontinent shown an increasing interest in this former re-gional curiosity, but musicians around the world haverecently been adopting the didjeridu. Those wanting toexperiment with the didjeridu include not only perform-ers of ethereal New Age music, but even folk musiciansdeeply rooted in the Celtic and other traditions. It is notjust the antiquity, but also the uniqueness and versatilityof the didjeridu, that contribute to its great appeal amongmodern musicians.

Residents of the island of Moorea, inthe Society Islands (Tahiti) archipelagoof the South Pacific, perform tradi-tional dances with no special attentiondrawn to their native log drums andother percussion instruments.

Native Australians with the didjeridu, in Tjapukai AboriginalCultural Park, Cairns, Queensland, in northeastern Australia.

MUSIC & NATURE6

The Plant of Inspiration

T he history of gourds is fascinating. One of the oldest plant species on earth, gourds have been triggering people’s imagination all aroundthe world since BC era up to today. In a somewhat mysterious way, the gourd exemplifies the creative forces of nature and culture working together. Over the course of history, the amazing diversity of gourd variations has been fertilized by the diversity of human

ideas about the plant’s practical and aesthetic applications. In “The Gourd Book,” Charles B. Heiser, Jr., Professor Emeritus of Botany in IndianaUniversity reviews the origin, history, taxonomy, and functions of gourds, and shares his personal story of fascination with the plant.

Planted is this seed. It grows; it leafs; it flowers; lo! It fruits – this gourd vine.From the Hawaiian Prayer of the Gourd

Postulated many times as man’s first cultivated plant,and mentioned in the Bible, the gourd is believed tohave come from Africa and to have floated by oceanto other continents. The taxonomy of gourds includesthe tree and vine types, each presenting a variety ofshapes, colors, and textures. People have utilized theplant in many ways: as food, containers, utensils, cloth-ing, medicinal remedy, floats and rafts, pipes and snuff-boxes, cricket cages and birdhouses. The gourd hasits place in mythology and in secular life. In additionto its utilitarian functions, it has become a subject ofart, inspiring the development of various decorativetechniques in many cultures.

The gourd has acquired a special place as an excellent acoustic material for making musical instruments. The diversity of available shapes andsizes makes the gourd the most versatile resource for musical sound production. Various rattles, drums, flutes, and string instruments have beenmade throughout the world from all kinds of gourds. Often beautified with ornaments and enriched with other materials, the musical gourdsconstitute a diverse array of musical instruments that can make a complete orchestra. A colorful introduction to making musical instrumentsfrom gourds is the book “Making Gourd Musical Instruments” by Ginger Summit and Jim Widess (Sterling Publishing, Inc., New York). Notonly does this book teach how to choose your gourd, clean, seal, decorate, and then play it, but it also reviews gourd instruments in the contextof their culture, performance practice and origin. Interest in the gourd phenomenon shows signs nowadays of a true revival. Among the currentgourd connoisseurs are farmers, artists, musicians, and educated consumers. The official medium of interaction among these people is theAmerican Gourd Society, whose headquarters are in Kokomo, Indiana. The AGS has chapters in many American states. The mission of theSociety is to promote interest in all activities relating to gourds: cultivation, historical uses, gourd show competitions, craftwork and artisticdecoration. In June of 2004, Eagle Creek Park will host the Indiana Gourd Society’s summer show.

Some illustrations from the “Making Gourd Musical Instruments”by Ginger Summit and Jim Widess.

Hawaiian stamping drum constructedof two gourds glued together

Gourd drum with membrane is common where sturdygourds are plentiful and logs with large diameters are not

available, such as in the West African Savannah.

Elk harp by artists Bill and Mary Buchen.A folk type of harp found primarily in

Africa.

7MUSIC & NATURE

Ginny Beard and Mac Condill at the Condill family farm in Arthur, a town in East-Central Illinois. Theygrow over 200 varieties of gourds and squash and used to sell gourds only from their farm, but in 2002 forthe first time attended the Indiana Gourd Show of the AGS in Kokomo as a vendor. In 2003 Mac hosted theIllinois Gourd Society’s summer meeting. The couple will attend the 2004 summer show of the IndianaGourd Society at Eagle Creek Park.

A flute made out of dipper gourd byRobert Hilton.

Each of the eight vessel flutes plays one noteof the scale.

Gourd trumpet by Bryce Maritano

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EARTH MUSIC CENTER OF INDIANA, INC. Eagle Creek ParkP.O. Box, 681034 Indpls, IN 46268