Kids won't want to leave the Drip Drop Play workshop at this year's Four Winds Music Festival.
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It is a calm and intimate workshop that transports children to an enchanting, totally absorbing world.
The workshop was developed by percussionist Thea Rossen who plays Drip.
She is joined by Jared Yapp who plays Drop.
Together they play sound collectors.
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In a beautifully lit room like a gallery with big pieces of ice hanging from the ceiling, children listen to the sound of the drops.
They are invited to change the sound of the drops with different objects and musical instruments.
Crumpled foil, for example, transforms the drop into a shimmering sound.
"The kids love it," Ms Rossen said.
"It sparks their curiosity."
Hands-on listening
In the second half, lights and staging are used to bring the children's attention to water bowls they previously weren't aware of and Ms Rossen and Mr Yapp play water music in the bowls.
They change the sound of the water by changing the shape of their hands.
"There is a real art to it and we make some beautiful sounds.
"A wooden bowl played upside down in the bowl of water sounds like a resonant drum," she said.
Children are invited to play using their hands and then objects and eventually asked "to find new ways they haven't seen us using'.
Water Concerto
Children can later return with their parents to watch Ms Rossen and the Ad Lib Collective perform the Water Concerto using gestures they used in the workshop.
"It brings what they did in the workshop alive and puts it in a very different context," she said.
The festival's artistic and creative director Matt Hoy programmed the piece to attract families.
The 40-minute workshops are designed for children 5 to 12 years of age who are comfortable being left while their parents enjoy other parts of the festival.
Younger children are welcome with an accompanying parent.
"Very young kids lose their minds when they see how beautiful it is," Ms Rossen said.
"Adults will love it too, watching their kids having an amazing time."
Children participating in the workshop should wear a raincoat or bring a change of clothes because they will get wet.
Drip Drop Play had a sell-out season in Melbourne and has visited several schools in Victoria.
"We have to gently show children the way out because they want to stay and play all day," Ms Rossen said.
The festival website has more information.
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