Monday, April 30, 2012

Customer feedback is nice to receive:


Tom,

I wanted to thank you for the instruments and working them into your
build schedule. First of all, they are beautiful! and they have a
great tone.

Secondly, the money that I received as a donation was from a woman who
is a parent at this school. She was diagnosed a year ago with stage 4
breast cancer that had matasticized.  It has since spread to her
bones, and they have just found the first signs of it in her blood.
She is 45 years old. She wanted to donate the money to the music
program to "do what ever I wanted with," because she was greatly
impacted by something she witnessed in my music program about four
years ago. Four years ago, I borrowed a complete set of your marimbas
from Carinn Ormson, a good friend of mine here in Vancouver. The
entire school took a month off of our "regular" curriculum and learned
all about the marimbas. We then performed by grade level for the
parents. She was blown away that students could make such beautiful
music. Buying these instruments with her donation seemed fitting
somehow. And, they arrived just in time. She has been given about a
month to live, and is being honored this Saturday night at the Relay
for Life dinner here in Washougal. We got many pictures with the kids,
and of their faces when they saw the instruments! (priceless!)

I want to thank you for the build, but also for creating a very
special gift for a great woman to give to these students. I should
also thank you for the gift that you allowed my students to give which
was that of great music.

Thank you again, Tom.
Bryn Scamahorn
Music Cape Horn-Skye Elementary

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Back to work

Back to work and on schedule now, I was out the past two weeks doing this:



Saturday, April 28, 2012

NIST

Nice logo for the New International School of Thailand Marimba Ensemble

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

This just in from our nation's capitol

Here's some footage from long-time teacher/customer Premila Mistry of E.L.Haynes Public Charter School in WA D.C. Watch out, the first piece may revive memories of your formative teen years!

The second piece really shows how big marimbas and traditional Orff instruments can be combined - a great jangly sound. Very impressive ensemble playing by this group, I think!

E.L Haynes Public Charter School directed by Premila Mistry


Friday, April 6, 2012

Just in from Terrace Heights Elementary

Teacher Doug Carey of Yakima, WA sent in this video of his student choir backing two local stars, Dance Illuminate. I love kid choirs in pop songs, reminds me a bit of Ray Steven's "Everything is Beautiful".

yes, hook lamps make GREAT microphones

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Island Dancing

Here's my guitar version of David Ruggiero's "Island Dancing", from his marimba collection "High Sticking"

Audio : Island Dancing by David Ruggiero