Sustainability and music at this year’s Festival.

Explore the connections between sustainability and music with Kelly and Ryan of the Green Strum Project at this year’s Festival. The Green Strum Project was formed by Kelly Wells and Ryan Spearman to explore the connections between sustainability and the arts in St. Louis while raising awareness of the importance of healthy, local economy through events, educational workshops and musical performances. At this year’s Festival, you can meet them and make your own instruments out of found objects!

Workshops will be announced closer to the event. The Green Strum Project booth is located across from the Muny Box Office, near the Festival Information booth.

At 1pm, the Green Strum Band Scramble will begin with the announcement of the band groups on the Cafe Stage. Stick around to hear Ryan, Kelly and friends from The Folk School perform, and witness the fun and folly of the Band Scramble, at 4:15pm on the Cafe Stage.

In the meantime, keep an eye out for the following materials around the house that you can bring to the Festival and use to make an instrument, or donate to the project:

Eye bolts – ¼ inch, 3 inches or longer
Washers – ¼ inch
Wingnuts – ¼ inch
Thick Plastic Buckets – example: pickle buckets, paint buckets, joint compound, etc…
Wood for the instrument necks – example: broom handles, 1 X2” various lengths of wood, really any wood that’s not too soft and is at least 3 feet long will work – would preferably be recycled or leftover
Instrument Strings –guitar, banjo, uke…anything really (used acceptable)
Weed Eater Wire – heavy guage (for use as makeshift bass strings, etc)
Cigar Boxes- or boxes of similar construction/dimensions
Glass, plastic, or polycarbonate jugs
Bottles
Anything that is free from sharp edges and jingles, jangles, or makes an interesting tone when struck.
Old, discarded tuning machines
Heavy guage fishing line (40 to 50 lb test)
Metal wire (jewelry, baling, etc)

Tools: Hand held, rechargeable drill(s) w/variable bits; Wood screws of various lengths; Wood rasps; Hand saws or jig saws

The Green Strum Band Scramble

The Green Strum Band Scramble contest is a creative way to introduce musicians and audiences to the concept of sustainability in the arts. The contest is a platform for music lovers to meet, have a whole lot of fun, and entertain some Festival-goers in the process. The band scramble works as follows:

Participants’ names are drawn from a hat to randomly form bands. The newly-formed bands will have the afternoon to construct at least one instrument from provided reclaimed materials, decide on a band name and to arrange and rehearse one song for the contest that evening.

The competing bands will be judged on creativity, environmental impact, audience response, and musicality.