Musical Saw Questions

1. When did saws first start being used as musical instruments?
2. When and where were musical saws used next?
3. Why did priests use saws for the music in their congregations instead of regular musical instruments?
4. What kinds of saws are used as musical instruments? What do you have to know about actually playing a saw?
5. Tell about any times that you used common objects to make musical sounds (like blowing into a bottle or banging on a pot or pail).

Activities

1. Check out www.Nancymusic.com to see the many every day items that you can use to make instruments. Choose a few to make with friends and play some music together!
2. Look up “folk instruments” on Wikipedia.org to learn about a folk instrument that you never heard of before (like a balalaika, bullroarer, steelpan or zither). Find out more about this instrument. Draw a picture of it and write a paragraph about it to share with your classmates.
3. Define ‘folk music’. Do a short report on one of America’s favorite folk rockers, like: Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, or Joan Baez. Bring some of his or her music to play for your class.