Their Instruments May Be Garbage, but...

Ahso! · Post by **Ahso!** » Tue May 14, 2013 2:57 am

...the Music Will Bring Tears to Your Eyes.

Close your eyes and listen to Juan Manuel Chavez launch into the Prelude of Bach's Cello Suite No. 1, and you would never guess that, instead of spruce and maple, his instrument is crafted from an old oil can, a beef tenderizing tool, and a discarded pasta making deviceâ€”all of it scavenged from the landfill that surrounds his home in Paraguay.

Chavez is a cellist in the Landfill Harmonic Orchestra in Cateura, an AsunciÃ³n slum where bottle caps, door keys, and paint cans have been given new purpose. Under the supervision of local musician Favio ChÃ¡vez, these utterly impoverished kids make beautiful music on instruments constructed almost entirely out of materials reclaimed from the dump.

Their Instruments May Be Garbage, but the Music Will Bring Tears to Your Eyes | Mother Jones

Wandrin · Post by **Wandrin** » Tue May 14, 2013 8:26 am

Wow! Now that's recycling!

Ahso! · Post by **Ahso!** » Tue May 14, 2013 9:30 am

I'd say! Young people are so innovative. I doubt these kids have much of an understanding of their economic condition, especially if that's all they've known. When I learn of stories like this I'm forced to realize it's not competition as I've been raised to define the term that drives innovation, imagination does that, which isn't necessarily dependent on a capitalism. People create in productive and non-productive ways all the time and that isn't exclusive to any economic model. Rather, it's a consequence of the formation of the human brain, it's what it does.

Snowfire · Post by **Snowfire** » Tue May 14, 2013 10:34 am

Very, very impressive.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Tue May 14, 2013 1:02 pm

Have you heard of el sistema?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Sistema

They seem to have sparked off a world wide movement

Patsy Warnick · Post by **Patsy Warnick** » Tue May 14, 2013 1:03 pm

Very cool - inspiring

reminds me of Louisiana where a old wash board is a instrument

and the band plays on....

Patsy

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Tue May 14, 2013 1:35 pm

It just shows the difference between cost and value?

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Tue May 14, 2013 7:33 pm

Well said, Bruv.

Beautiful music can come from anywhere. Thanks for the find, Ahso.

Lady J · Post by **Lady J** » Tue May 14, 2013 7:45 pm

:yh_clap:yh_clap

It is wonderful to see creativity at work and for it too sound so beautiful is a huge plus.

Kudos to them.

AnneBoleyn · Post by **AnneBoleyn** » Wed May 15, 2013 11:55 am

So very cool! Another feather in Mother Jones cap! The musicians are so talented! Wonderful Ahso! thanks so much!