Scrap Arts Music, a band which creates original instruments and musical compositions, toured SD83 elementary and middle schools in April. The group also produces original sound and video recordings, and creates choreographed athletic performances for theatres, festivals, schools, orchestras, and special events.
The creative group, which is based out of Vancouver, was founded by Gregory Kozak and Justine Murdy in 1998.
At M.V. Beattie, principal Gene Doray comments the performance at their school was really unlike anything they have seen before. “They played a few musical instruments that looked familiar and a host of others that seemed downright bizarre but made amazing music.” It turns out all of the instruments were handmade from scraps – scraps of metal, plastic, tubing, wood, balloons, and even bottoms of old pots were repurposed and used to make music!
All the instruments are created by Kozak. He explained to the students that when collecting scrap and construction salvage, he uses his knowledge of physics and metal fabrication, mindful of his requirements for composition and choreography, to create unique and acoustic invented sculptural instruments.
One of the best things about the performance was that at all the schools, students got to join in and try out the instruments, as seen in these photos from Ranchero Elementary.
The athletic musicians who are part of the Scrap Arts group travel with 145 invented instruments. They call their unexpected and beautiful sound “experimental pop percussion”. The group has performed across North American and around the world.
The final performing arts group for this school year is now touring district elementary schools. Candy Bones Theatre is presenting “Oopsie” a comedy about making mistakes and the power of a growth mindset. Candice Roberts of Candy Bones Theatre, which interweaves physical theatre, music, mask, movement, and clowning to devise original and immersive theatre for young audiences. Cultivating anti-oppressive and intersectional understandings are important in Candice’s artistic research of creativity, decolonization, and connections between self expression, mental health, and community. Candice has toured all over North America with her award-winning shows. She has toured her own TYA shows, “Ideas Bobert” and “Oopsie,” and as part of The Myrtle Sisters trio, in 300 schools across B.C.