Stonecrest, GA, UNITED STATES, April 22, 2023 – Communities around the globe are grappling with plans and promises to save our environment and avert the disaster of Climate Change. This month, we are celebrating our 53rd Earth Day and we cannot feel proud of how nations have met the challenge to avert global warming. Nevertheless, there are artists, artisans, and creative individuals who are quietly finding ways to encourage more environmentally friendly habits and lifestyles. One such group is VibraCanz in Decatur, Georgia that fashions discarded tin cans, from any kitchen, into pitched percussion musical instruments.
Today, we are concerned about climate change and environmental issues. The VibraCanz is a stellar example of how discarded items could be repurposed for use in a way that provides great enjoyment. It also suggests a new way of thinking about tin cans and other discarded items and how they can be repurposed in ways that are compatible with our concerns about the environment.
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The inventor, Gordon Hazlewood claims to have gained his inspiration for the creation of this instrument from steelbands invented in Trinidad and imported to Guyana. Hazlewood says, “As a youth, I had the good fortune to intimately observe the construction process of a complete set of instruments for a steel orchestra. It took years of experimentation and tinkering to create notes that produced an acceptable metallic timbre.” The inventor added,” I was able to accomplish octave ranges that mimicked the steelband. Then I strung them together and mounted them on a wooden frame in a configuration like the marimba.”
The VibraCanz instrument has caught the attention of educators in DeKalb County, Georgia. It is ably spearheaded by DeKalb County Teacher of the Year, Ms. Chelsea Cook of Dunaire elementary school where she has included the VibraCanz instrument in her curriculum. There are efforts also working with Results Kids Club, and community-based youth development organizations to teach young budding musicians how to make and play this instrument. Also, the instrument has been included in jazz ensembles and Gospel groups.
Hazlewood says, “My goal is to make it possible for every child worldwide who wants to acquire a viable musical instrument inexpensively. They will be able to make their own by simply accumulating the requisite number and types of tin cans which are universally readily available.”
So, every time you throw away a can, consider how you can extend its useful life and contribute to saving our environment.
