Bones University Presents:
"How to Play the Bones"
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Dear Music Mentor,
It isn't every day your students get a chance to learn the
ancient musical art of bone playing.
And it isn't every day they can learn this little known and
greatly misunderstood instrument from a cadre of teachers
who are among the top "bone rattlers" on the planet.
That is why you should know about Bones Fest XII, the annual
gathering of bone players, sponsored by the Rhythm Bones
Society.
Bones Fest is a golden opportunity for music students to
learn all about this unusual instrument we simply call "the
bones."
The event is perfect for students who enjoy music, music
history, music percussion, folk instruments, dance, theater,
history or musicology. Your students will love Bones Fest
because the workshops are an academic treat and the stage
show and other activities are a bone-a-fide hoot!
Bones Fest is held in a different city each year. And
October marks the first time this once-a-year event is being
held in Saint Louis - so you don't want to miss it.
Special Low-Cost Student Rate
The regular rate for Bones Fest is just $35, and I am sure
you will agree that 35 dollars is a steal for a weekend
musical event. But get this - now your students can register
at a super low-budget rate of only 10 bucks. Yes, high
school and college students get a full weekend of bone
rattlin' workshops, activities and fun for less than the
price of a medium pizza.
Why such a low cost? Because your students represent the
next generation of bone players. And that's a major goal of
the Rhythm Bones Society: To pass along the tradition to
future generations.
Grand Bones Fest Show - Free!
Even if they cannot register for the workshops, your
students can still attend the Saturday night Grand Bones
Fest Show which is free and open to the public.
Below is everything you and your students need to know about
Bones Fest XII. If you want more information or if we can
answer any questions for you just give us a holler.
May your bones be with you,
Scott Miller
Saint Louis, Missouri
Bones Fest XII Co-host
2004 World Bones Champion
314-772-1610
scott@bonedrymusic.com
or
Spike Bones (AKA Darryl Muhrer)
Chicago, Illinois
Bones Fest XII Host
"Bones Meets Jazz" CD, 2002
773-787-7778
spikebones2002@yahoo.com
P.S.
Odds are your students and faculty members will never get a
chance to participate in an event like this again in their
lifetime. Register now at www.rhythmbones.com before the
workshops fill up.
Bones Fest XII Electronic Media Kit
http://www.bonedrymusic.com/v/bfxii/bfxii-media.html
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Bones University Presents--
HOW TO PLAY THE BONES!
(One weekend only, Oct 17-19)
How to play the bones? Yes, we are talking beef ribs. Or
goat ribs. Or ox shins.
Skilled bone players are scarcer than hen's teeth. And these
unusual percussionists who share your passion for rhythm
also play 'vegetarian' bones made of plastic, aluminum,
slate, plus exotic hardwoods such as ebony, ironwood, and
virgin maple.
Among the strangest 'bones' they play are spoons, knives,
forks, pumpkin stems and all manner of implements that are
nothing like bones at all.
Bones University in Session October 17-19
Musical bone players from around the country are gathering
in Saint Louis the weekend of October 17 for the first ever
Bones Fest held west of the Mississippi River. The annual
event also offers the first Bones University workshop ever
given at any school or location.
Bones University is a rare chance for percussion-loving
students and teachers to learn the ancient art of musical
bone playing. This once-a-year event is also a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students and faculty
members to participate in a program that features beginning
and advanced bones workshops, jam sessions, a bones museum
and the world's largest bones marketplace. The highlight is
our Grand Bones Fest Show on Saturday night.
The workshops are an academic treat and the stage show and
other activities are a bone-a-fide hoot! It all adds up to
an event you will not want to miss.
Bones Fest Workshops
(Regular Cost $35. Student Cost $10 with school ID)
Registration for "Bones University" opens Friday, October
17 at noon in the Museum Room of Provincial House on the
campus of the University of Missouri - St. Louis. The cost
is $35 if you register online, or $40 at the door.
Registration gives you access to all Bones Fest activities
including the Sunday brunch. The $10 Student Cost includes
workshops and other activities, but does not include Sunday
brunch, gift bags or souvenir decals. Register online now
at www.rhythmbones.com.
Grand Bones Fest Show
(Free, and open to the public)
The curtain goes up Saturday, October 18 at 8 PM at
Marillac Auditorium (bldg 28) on the campus of the
University of Missouri - St. Louis. Admission is free but
seating is limited. Get your free tickets at Bones Fest
headquarters on the UMSL campus in the Provincial House
Museum Room anytime during the festival.
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Selected Course Descriptions
Workshops run Friday and Saturday and include beginning,
intermediate and advanced classes. Below are tentative
course offerings. Due to the provisional nature of Bones
Fest, all workshops and faculty may change without notice.
Additional workshops tba.
Friday Oct. 17
6:30-7:30 pm
RHYTHM BONES 101
This introductory workshop covers ten-thousand years of
bone playing history. Various bone playing techniques and
traditions are demonstrated and explored. Includes a living
history presentation by "Spike Bones" entitled "Skin and
Bones." Features a working model steam engine plus a time
line that's ten feet tall!
Saturday Oct. 18
9:00-12:00 noon
BONE PLAYING IN IRISH SESSIONS
Examines the role of bones in traditional Irish musical
sessions. Emphasis on the reel, jig, hornpipe, waltz and
polka. Covers session etiquette and guidelines for
musicians and listeners.
BONE PLAYING IN ORCHESTRAL ENSEMBLES
Explores how bones fit into the classical repertoire.
Demonstrates common and challenging time signatures.
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Bones University Faculty (subject to availability)
Steve Brown (Winchendon, Massachusetts) is a founding
member of the Rhythm Bones Society and currently serves as
Director. He made history in 2003 as the first American to
win the All-Ireland Bones Playing Championship. Steve
regularly teaches at the New England folk festival in
Massachusetts and the NOMAD (Northeast Music, Art and
Dance) festival in Connecticut.
Mel Mercier (Cork, Ireland) is a lecturer at University
College, Cork where he specializes in Irish Traditional
Music, Ethnomusicology, Javenese Gamelan, Indian Classical
Music and Ewe Dance Drumming (Ghana). He received his first
bodhran and bones lessons from his father, Peader Mercier,
a member of the legendary Irish musical group, the
Chieftains. Mel is a significant Irish composer,
percussionist and music educator who has performed
extensively in Europe and the USA with John Cage and the
Merce Cunningham Dance Company.
Bill Vits (Grand Rapids, Michigan) is Principal
Percussionist with the Grand Rapids Symphony. He is also
the masked drummer behind The Concussions, a fun-loving
surf-guitar-crazy rock band. Bill has established a solid
reputation for performing concerts where kids go wild as he
demonstrates the sometimes crazy goings-on in the back of
the orchestra. He has performed Morton Gould's "Tap Dance
Concerto" on bones and recently was featured on the
Grammy-nominated DVD, "Invention and Alchemy" with hip
harpist, Debra Henson-Conant.
Kenny Wolin (Burke, Virginia) serves as percussionist and
resident bones and anglo concertina player with the
"Presidents Own" United States Marine Band. He is "The
President's Own" musical adviser and co-leader of the White
House Irish Ensemble. He has taught several advanced Bones
Fest workshops, and has performed on bones at The Kennedy
Center under guest conductor John Williams.
Spike Bones (Columbia, Missouri) is a teaching character
created by Darryl Muhrer in 1978. He learned to play the
bones from the late legendary bone player, Percy Danforth.
Darryl, err...Spike, holds graduate degrees in Math and
Science Education from the University of Missouri, and a
graduate degree in Educational Television from Northwestern
University in Evanston, Illinois. He has also served as an
instructor in Media and Broadcasting at Northeast Missouri
State University, now known as Truman University.
Dean of Rhythm Bones Instruction
Steve Wixson (Signal Mountain, Tennessee) serves as
Secretary and Treasure of the Rhythm Bones Society. He also
serves as editor of "The Rhythm Bones Player" newsletter
and is the official RBS Researcher. He was declared World
Bones Champion in 2003 by the National Traditional Country
Music Association. Steve is a walking-talking bones
encyclopedia and driving force behind the Rhythm Bones
Society.
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