By Miriam Erasmus
The Show.
St. Martins’ Pre Primary School in Durban invited me to show my musical instruments to their children on April 24th 2025.
As soon as the invitation came in, we sorted out the instruments from where they are stored to keep ‘temperate’.
Fortunately they are all in good enough condition, but some needed a bit of extra TLC, so we set to polishing and restringing.
On the 24th, Sid and I set off in good time to arrive at the school and were greeted by the ladies in the office.
We set up the instruments and when all the children were settled, the Headmistress introduced me.
I always start by saying “Hello, my treasures, my name is Auntie Mim. Say “Hello Auntie Mim” “ and they responded beautifully.
To introduce the stringed instruments, I begin by telling them that they are made of wood and, as I demonstrate each one, we count the strings and discuss what the instrument looks like, sounds like and sing a song to enhance each one.
First up was the viola, and I played “Puffa Train” with the sound of the train whistle on a couple of strings to start with. They listened as I sang it with the viola and then they sang it with me.
We talked about the bow being made of horse tail hair, and how the sound is made by drawing the bow over the strings, not plucking them like the others to follow.
Next up, the banjo, also with 4 strings, and I played “Oh Suzanna” because it sings about ‘with my banjo on my knee” !! I also told them it is originally from Africa with a gourd or pumpkin as the sound box, but this is a modern one with a pig skin vellum. Just for fun, I played a few bars of ‘Duelling banjos” as well.
Now we get to 6 strings and the guitar. I played the accompaniment for, and sang, my own song “All the colours of the rainbow” and also demonstrated some Spanish dance music for flavour.
On to an instrument with 8 strings this time – the mandolin. A fascinating new shape as well as a distinctive sound. Because it’s easy and rings out, I played “Twinkle twinkle little star” at first just the melody, and then, as they sang it, I played the chords.
Now we come to the ‘big daddy’ of my stringed instruments, the Autoharp. This one has 35 strings, and I showed the children how the sound is made with finger picks stroking the strings as the pads on the bars press down on the strings that are not needed. I played and sang “Lavender’s blue” as they stood and swayed to the music.
Brass instruments could not be left out. This was John’s forte, as he had played in the cadet band at school and could play a tune on the trumpet and the bugle. I did my best to get a trumpet sound from it, but just made a musical faux pas and everyone laughed with me. At least the children got to see one !!
The woodwind / recorders are very dear to me, as I have played them all my life. First up was the descant, and I played my song about mixing colours, then the children skipped around to “Now is the month of Maying” from dancing round the Maypole days.
I must admit to liking the deeper sound of the treble recorder, and I played “Shosholosa” for the children and, at the end of the show, played “Loch Lomond” from “Outlander” for the staff.
Percussion instruments take a bow. First a lovely African instrument called a Kalimba. A gourd with the top cut off, replaced with a wooden sound board with two holes and some nails flattened and put in place. I managed to tune it to a scale and play “Sisinyoni”, a Zulu children’s song about a bird in a tree.
Everybody’s folk drum favourite – the bodhran, was played next, and, sure enough, they all marched around the room to “The grand old duke of York”. I also drummed and sang a bit of “The Wild Rover” for good Irish measure !!
The finale comes with us all singing and dancing “Wimoweh” with one of the teachers playing the tambourine and me strumming out the African rhythm on the guitar.
After all that excitement it was time to settle the children – I have learned over the years that teachers appreciate me doing this gentle, wind down time as no one likes taking over a group of hyped up children after a show. We sang a gentle Zulu lullaby “Tula tula” and the Zulu ladies sang it beautifully.
14 Quiet time.
Time to say goodbye, and Thank You, to St. Martin’s Pre Primary School after a lovely morning sharing the beauty of the sounds of Mim’s Musical Instruments.
This is the link to their facebook page ’post’ of the show.
https://web.facebook.com/share/v/1QKMFSQfRT/
It would be lovely if this show could reach more children, with it’s ethos of learning through the Arts.
