Colleen Ruddy and her niece, Maya Ruddy, and nephew, Jordan Ruddy, try out an upright bass at the Meet the Music & Instrument Petting Zoo at The Gathering Place.
Courtesy of Cherilynn Ruddy
The Gathering Place hosts Instrument Petting Zoo
Children watch and listen as Jacob Cole plays a handpan.
Courtesy of Paula Baillie
Evan Perry plays the accordion for young attendees.
Courtesy of Paula Baillie
CLARKS SUMMIT — Musicians came from throughout the community to share their instruments during the recent Meet the Music & Instrument Petting Zoo at The Gathering Place.
“When The Gathering Place first opened, there was an Instrument Petting Zoo. It was decided to bring it back. It is a chance for the children to listen to an instrument and then try to play it. The room is full of children and adults and there is a lot of smiles,” said Collen Ruddy, who played the cello and bass.
Jacob Cole demonstrated the handpan.
“This handpan drum has a light in it and is pretty awesome-sounding. You can make rhythm and sounds. There are different lengths of metal inside that make the sounds,” he said.
Cole graduated from Abington Heights High School in 2001. He was in the drum line in the marching band and the jazz band.
He continued his education at Berklee College of Music, graduating in 2006. He studied drums and percussion.
“Handpan drum caught my interest at Berklee when I saw a video online of the original instrument of this type called the Hang by PANArt from Switzerland in the early 2000s,” he said. “I never got to play a handpan drum until late 2013, because they were so rare back then. Now I own many handpand drums, teach students online all over the world, and have two handpan albums, ‘HOPE and DESTINTY.’ It is important to get kids interested in music.”
Daryl Breen, 8, tried a violin during the event. He said he would like to play the saxophone.
“I liked the drums,” said Robin Black, 4. “It makes noise and moves by itself.”
Cheryl Boga played the clarinet, saxophone, and trumpet.
She is the artistic director and conductor of Performance Music at the University of Scranton. She participated in the event as a resident of the Abingtons and a friend of The Gathering Place.
“Music is a powerful tool to help us recognize and express our common humanity,” she said. “It transcends language barriers, enables and enhances self-expression, self-knowledge, emotional regulation, interpersonal connection, and spiritual development. It can improve mental and emotional health and support intellectual development.
She brought a Djembe, goat toenail shaker bracelet, foot cabasa, guiro, marching machine and a frog ratchet which come in many sizes. A smaller one’s sound is a higher pitch and a larger one is a lower pitch.
Jordan Ruddy, 4, and his sister, Maya Ruddy, 7, attended the event with their aunt, Colleen Ruddy, and grandmother, Cherilynn Ruddy.
Jordan liked the Frog Ratchet. “You rub it back and forth,” he said.
“I want to try all the instruments,” said Maya Jordan.
“This is a steel drum,” Janelle Decker told attendees. “It can accompany other percussion instruments. The steel drum comes from Trinidad and is [used in] Caribbean music. You can play modern-day music on it and even Disney tunes.”
Ron Boyd demonstrated the guitar and harmonica.
“I showed how a harmonica can be played with a guitar,” Boyd said. “I played a few sections of Bob Dylan songs and two of my own.”
Barbara Casttnzo played the ukulele. She played and sang “Mary had a Little Lamb.”
“I like to sing when I play the ukulele,” she said. “I accompany myself by singing.”
Joe Statuto played the Shakuhachi indigenous flutes. He plays by himself and with a few friends. He has played at The Gathering Place before.
“The Shahuhaci is considered both a traditional Japanese folk and classical instrument, playing a significant role in Japanese music and culture for centuries,” he said. “While it is tooted in Zen Buddhist practices, it is also used in traditional ensemble performances. American indigenous flutes were vertical wooden flutes that employ a different blowing edge which are designed for easier sound production. Shakuhachi, on the other hand, is extremely difficult to play. It can take many months to produce a tone.”
His first interest in playing music was at South Scranton Junior High School where he played the saxophone in orchestra class and has since played one instrument or another over the years.
“I first heard Shkuhachi about 10 years ago and was taken with the music and mysterious tone it produced. I took lessons for about 2 years in New York City and was not able to continue until I retired. About three years ago, I started a daily practice routine and have been studying the repertoire ever since,” he said.
Evan Perry played the accordion, and Donna Decker played the Harp.
“Music is one of the oldest forms of human expression,” Said Colleen Ruddy. “Long before written language, our cities, our ancestors used rhythm and sound to communicate, to celebrate, to mour,n and to connect with something greater than themselves. Over time, music evolved with us. Different cultures developed their own styles, instruments, and traditions. Now music is more accessible and diverse than ever before.”
