School: Neillsville Teacher Creates Homemade Bagpipe (Thell - 2020)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Thell, Holderness

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 5/06/2020

Neillsville Teacher Creates Homemade Bagpipe to Pass the Time (Thell - 2020)



Neillsville Elementary music teacher Brian Thell plays his homemade bagpipe, which he made with a couple of other musical instruments and some household supplies. Submitted photo

By Ryan Spoehr

In these times, it has become increasingly important, particularly for teachers and students with Wisconsin schools being shut down until the end of June, to find ways to pass the time at home.

One Neillsville teacher used his passion and skills in the field of music to pass the time and for the sake of entertainment of others.

Brian Thell, the elementary music teacher in the Neillsville School District, recently made a bagpipe at home.

Thell had never made a homemade instrument like this before. He had used pots and pans for drums before. He once started making a whistle, but never completed it.

“The bagpipe was mostly for fun,” Thell said. “I saw a post on Facebook from the Holderness Family YouTube channel making one and thought it looked like fun.”

The Holdernesses are a family from Raleigh, NC, who first went viral after making a Christmas card video entitled “Christmas Jammies” in 2013. They have since continued to vlog through musical performances on YouTube and Facebook.

When Thell made his bagpipe, he had to modify the recommendations from the Holderness family.

“Of course, I had to modify it with more recorders,” Thell said.

Thell used three recorders, a straw, one empty garbage bag, electrical tape and packaging tape.

The straw was used for a mouthpiece. The electrical tape to play an F and a C to create a major drone,” Thell said. “Then with the last recorder, I played a melody of one of the songs, ‘Purple Light,’ my students heard on my website.”

On the website, there is a video of him playing the instrument and other various performances he has created.

“It was a fun project and some of the children, or parents with multiple recorders at home will be able to make it too,” Thell said. “It sounded pretty good too.”

Thell’s website is www.neillsvillemusic.weebly.com
 

 

 


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