By Emily, 6th Grade
My instrument is the Itchy-Atchy-Scritch-Scratch. It
is made of a wrapping paper tube, toothpicks, rice, and
Reynolds Wrap, colored by markers. The rain stick gave me
the idea, except I cut the tube a bit shorter so could give
it a beat better. The Itchy-Atchy-Scritch-Scratch was made when I took
the tube, cut it short a bit, and poked holes into it all
around the tube. I then put toothpicks through the holes of
my tube. The reason I put toothpicks in the tube was so the
rice could fall through with a more relaxing flowing sound,
for that is my intent. The Itchy-Atchy-Scritch-Scratch can also flow in beat
with music. For decoration, I just took different colored markers
all over the tube to look like a brightly colored
instrument. Below is an article I read on the Internet about the
rain stick that inspired me to make the
Itchy-Atchy-Scritch-Scratch:
Somewhere in
Africa thousands of years ago rain sticks were played
to remind the spirits that rain was welcome. Today,
the rain stick serenades the gods of the Diaguitas, a
native Chilean people of South America. From the
windswept hillsides and barrancas beneath the Andes,
artisans with burros collect dead and dried cactus
which might otherwise be used for firewood. The thorns
are then pressed into hollow shafts. Pebbles cascading
over the thorns create the sound of this ancient
instrument which is still heard in the music of the
Andes. Play it and pray for rain, or pray for
tranquility and peace. The rain stick is
magic.