PDQ Mahler

In our Orff methods class today, we decided to play with pennies. How, you might ask. Somebody conducts using the penny, while everyone follows what the penny does with their voice by saying the word "penny". So if you held the penny high, we said it with a high pitch, low was low. Bouncing it fast repeatedly, you say it repeatedly. We found many different methods to conduct using a penny. The teacher then turns us loose to create our own song, using a penny. We were allowed ten minutes to plan the song and use whatever creative tools we felt necessary. My group used Pacabel's Cannon mixed with urban rap. Quite unique, but the real gem was the group that went before us.

Their group consisted of about nine people. They walked in like it was a serious performing choir group. Once up they started off with the guy with a deep rich voice on the first beat of every measure doing "Penny". Each person continued to be added with their own parts. They layered about eight different parts with varying words, rhythms, pitches, etc. Then they developed it even more, and changed parts, creating such complex layering. The climax was the girl who was belting out something is a high operatic voice, just making it full out power across all levels. It was absolutely magnificent. They even got a standing ovation from a couple of the other students. I so wish I had a recording.


And I'm sorry, very few people will understand the title of this. But as the class was discussing the performance afterwards, this term so aptly fit the discussion. We had a good laugh about it, but hardly anyone here will understand it *sigh*