Russell Lawson will take you from start to finish in creating your own OCARINA! You will be pleased to discover that these beautiful instruments are also easy to play!

The ocarina is a truly modern instrument with ties to the ancient past. Music lovers of any age or skill level can enjoy it is wonderful instruments with minimal effort. If you are looking for something truly unique that will bring a lifetime of joy, look no further, for the ocarina is pure musical magic! Over the course of this class, you will learn the mechanics and fundamentals of flute making and create a beautiful, one of a kind instrument with your own hands.

THIS IS A 3-PART CLASS including everything from shaping and form building the sound box and mouth piece, to drilling the holes in the precise measurements, to personalization of your piece, to learning how to play the Ocarina with a song you will learn!

Saturday April 22, from 9am-1pm [Weekend Part 1]

1st class will be making the basic shape of the clay instrument & making the sound box and mouth piece.

Sunday April 23, from 1-4pm [Weekend Part 2]

2nd class you will be filing the dried clay shape, drilling the musical holes & adding your own personal artistic engravings to the clay, prior to your piece being fired and glazed. Your choice of color glaze!

Sunday May 21, from 1-3 [4 weeks later!] Pickup/Learn how to play the Ocarina

On your 3rd class, 4 week later, you will learn how to play a song as you pick up your finished ocarina! Russell will teach everyone a song to play using your very own personalized ocarina! Sure way to impress all your friends!

Through this course you will leave with the mechanical understanding of this beautiful and unique instrument, and leave with the new knowledge of how to play your Ocarina! You definitely get your money’s worth in this unique offering. Sign up early to guarantee your spot! Very Limited class size.

Sign up today on Eventbrite at the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.com/o/engage-kingsport-oca-office-31583742351

Or click the ‘Buy Tickets’ link on www.engagekingsport.com

Location of the class: Kingsport Renaissance Arts Center

2nd Floor, Rm#228.

1200 E. Center St.

Kingsport, TN 37660

For Adults, and Teens 12 + (with adult supervision).

For any questions, or to sign up over the phone, please call the Office of Cultural Arts at 423-392-8414 or 392-8415. 

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Brief history:

Ocarinas belong to the family of instruments known as wind or aerophones, which includes, but not limited to flutes, recorders, tin flutes, and whistles. The ocarina is unique in that it functions by way of a phenomenon known as helmholtz residence. Unlike flutes, whose tone is governed by the placement of holes on the body, tone is governed by the size of the chamber. Pitch is determined by combinations of holes covered and not by breath pressure.

Early incarnations of the ocarina have been dated as far back as 10,000 years ago, and have been found in nearly every part of the world. Such instruments were mesoamerican flutes introduced into Europe in the 15th and 16th century by returning Spanish conquistadors.

It wasn’t until 1853 when Italian Craftsman Giuseppe Donati revamped the simple flutes into a robust and versatile instrument that we know today as the modern or classical ocarina. In the Nazis local dialect of bolognese, the term ocarina translates into “little goose” as his new creation resembles a goosebuddy with no head. In 1964 a mathematician named John Tyler devised a four to six whole system which is now commonly referred to as the English system. This new system is much simpler while still allowing for a full 12 note octave.

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