OcarinasStudio in Ceramics

New Paltz High School

Mr. Martin

The ocarina is a very old family of instruments, believed to date back some 12,000 years.

Early History The ocarina’s origins can be traced back to many different cultures. • Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas all developed and performed on clay ocarinas which were often shaped like birds or animals. •Ocarinas shaped like birds and animals could also be found in India as early as 5000 BC. •China had its own form of ocarina called a Xun which was more rounded and egg-like in shape.  

•16th - 19th Centuries According to legend, a baker in Rome decided to make his own. (Bakers at that time often would make small pottery objects in their ovens to use up the leftover ashes.) It was nicknamed “ocarina” meaning “little goose.”20th Century 

•During the first and second World Wars, servicemen often were provided with a pocket-sized ocarina to boost moral. •With the release of the popular video game “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” in the 1990s, the ocarina has reached a new level of popularity in America and Europe.

How an ocarina works:

Air enters through the windway

Air strikes the 45 degree point, producing sound

Air vibrates throughout the inside of the ocarina

Covering and uncovering holes lowers and raises the pitch

OcarinaThe word ocarina is derived from Bolognese dialect meaning "little goose."

Student Ocarinas

Its hard to make just one …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhLYm3lmRaM&feature=related

Ceramics Rubric will include

Criteria

Aesthetics:What makes it beautiful?

Address Assignment

Successful Function or Concept

Building Technique: Pinch/Modeling

Craftsmanship

Form. Decoration. Proportion:

Elements& Principles used

Class Participation- studio performance