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Mrs. Rago’s Class Rocks on Earth Day with Recycled Homemade Instruments
To mark Earth Day 2008, Mrs. Rago’s 2nd grade class had a unique homework assignment: fashion homemade musical instruments out of home-generated trash. And her students came to school on Tuesday, April 22, with just that: an imaginative collection of household materials reworked for music making. Egg cartons, plastic bottles, cardboard boxes, and disposable food containers found new life – at least for a day – before being transported to the local landfill or recycling center.
The students demonstrated their innovative craftsmanship as well as musical prowess early on Earth Day morning, making “joyful noise” to the delight of the young musicians, Mrs. Rago, and Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Rago’s teaching assistant. First, students paired up for combo presentations. Then the class assembled for an impromptu jam session.
Although there were no recording studio executives from major music labels in attendance, still, a music career or two may have been launched. Or, perhaps the assignment and performance inspired an environmental engineer in the making.