TURNIPS & GIRIBOLS
IN MIRANDA DO DOURO PLAYING WITH THE KITCHEN

Suggestions for exploring the contents of the video at home or in the classroom:

1. Start by doing some research and discovering curiosities about Miranda do Douro: where it is, how to say it, what's there, what the landscape is like and what animals live there, what the Mirandese people are like. In this video we tried to reflect the character of the local culture (roughness, strength, isolation, kindness, generosity, pride, the beauty of nature, etc.), but there are many other things that characterize this territory and its population. We also show some important and characteristic things of the Mirandese plateau, namely the pride and importance of being a pauliteiro, the taste for its own culture (music, language, etc.), some customs (arruadas, peditories, feasts) and the enormous taste for celebrating and eat. It is no coincidence that so many Mirandese songs talk about food. It is important for children to realize that these are traditions that exist, that they are alive and that are protected and perpetuated by the Mirandese people themselves and that they are worth getting to know up close. They are what make Miranda do Douro the place it is. It should also be noted that, both in Portugal and in Spain, it was very common to use a wide variety of domestic utensils to make music on feast days. People made music with what they had and everything served to liven up a good Sunday afternoon.

2. After watching the video and gathering the children's opinions (whether they liked it, why, what surprised them or made them curious, etc.), draw their attention to the sound possibilities of a space like the kitchen. Since we were little, we keep our parents company while they prepare meals and the truth is that most of the time we spend with family or friends ends up being preparing meals or eating. Food and cuisine therefore have enormous potential for good moments of fun and creativity. If we think about it, a month-old baby, when at the table, explores the sounds he can hear around him in his high chair, or in the frequent disarray of pots and tupperware cupboards. Completing all these magnificent instruments, we have cutlery, wooden spoons, lids, water and the classic mishmash that children love to make with leftover peels, detergent, paper and other similar things. What we do in this video aims to recover and remind teachers and families of these possibilities and encourage musical practice during the tasks we dedicate more time to: cooking and eating.

3. Gather materials and objects that can be found in a kitchen: pots, lids, tupperware, wooden spoons, glasses, metal bowls, cutlery. If you want you can use vegetables, dried beans, pasta, rice and other foods that can produce different sounds. Arrange tables in a row along the room, in a “U” shape or, if they all fit, around a huge square of tables. Let the children, in an organized way, explore the different objects. They can divide into small groups (some experiment, others listen) or explore the sounds all at once without it becoming chaotic. Encouraging children to exhaust the possibilities of each object (tapping, scraping, shaking, using hands, using the table, using other objects) helping them to verify that the material and size of each one of them produces a different sound (metal , plastic, wood, etc.). If it's a very undisciplined group, it might make sense to put fewer objects at the beginning of the exercise and gradually add more. Sometimes having too much stimuli can create confusion and dispersion. It is important to mention that they must pay attention to the sounds that each object produces in order to be able to do the following exercise.

4. We suggest that, similarly to the process of appropriating objects that we do in the video, they play a sound awareness game with the children: close your eyes and guess which object produced a certain sound and why; close your eyes and guess what the object is by touch, etc. It is interesting and important that they respect the objects, that they are attentive and awake to their timbre and dynamic possibilities.

5. Have the children all around the table to create a rhythmic ostinato. A rhythmic ostinato is a sequence or pattern that is repeated as many times as necessary throughout the song or exercise. It should be the adult who initiates the ostinato for reasons of rhythmic regularity. As the children get used to doing the exercise, they can experiment with changing the person holding the group or even giving that responsibility to a small group of 3 or 4 children. The first person installs a regular pulsation or a very simple rhythm with 2 pulsations (like the one you can see in the video at minute 7.40' – rhythm performed by leek). In a clockwise direction, each child adds a timbre and rhythmic layer to the ostinato, enriching it and making it more interesting. The adult can coordinate the entry of each child into the ostinato, calmly so as not to get confused or, if they are children with musical habits, they can decide how often each child enters (every 4, 8 to 8 beats, for example). One of the main difficulties of this exercise is getting each child to create something that is not the same as what another child has done. One should try to fill in the empty space of the rhythmic phrase or, if it is the same rhythm, that it is at least performed by an object that produces a very different sound. Each child must be able to wait their turn. The hardest thing is to start (because someone has to be able to keep up with time) and finish (because as you fill in the ostinato, it becomes more difficult to add something new). Thus, we suggest that they change the order of the children so that they are not always the same ones at the end or at the beginning.

6. Another possibility for exploring the timbre and rhythm of these objects is to divide them into sections, as if they were a small orchestra: large pots; strainers; cutlery; grains; tupperware, etc. They can choose the way they organize the objects and it is interesting that they decide together (by size, by material, by way of producing sound, etc). Do not forget that you can combine objects: two lids, a saucepan and a wooden spoon, grains in a tupperware, etc. In this way, children will become aware of the organization of sounds, the possibilities they offer and will begin to be able to understand how large groups of musicians work, such as symphony orchestras, samba drums, etc. It might be interesting to watch videos with examples of this type of grouping. After dividing the objects, repeat the exercise explained in point 4 but this time in small groups. It is advisable to give each section of objects created some time (before starting the ostinato) to come up with a unique rhythmic phrase, otherwise the ostinato will be too confusing.

7. After the children work on these exercises, new challenges can be introduced: dynamics and pauses. The teacher, with a gesture, can ask them to play harder or more piano, can order stops and restarts. It's hours of fun. In all these exercises, it is important to encourage listening, controlling the volume and seeking the musical balance of the exercise. It is counterproductive to allow children to use it to create confusion or noise. Making music cannot be making noise, even if the objects invite nonsense. If it's a difficult group, it's important to find strategies to not give rise to lack of control: giving objects to only half of the group (child yes, child no) forcing them to wait their turn with discipline, for example. However, at strategic moments for maintaining concentration and interest, it may be important to let the exercise reach the limit of confusion, speed and lack of control (similar to what happens in the video at the end of the Giriboilas song).

8. Next, we suggest that you learn the songs and prayer for the fermentation of bread, one at a time. For each one, you can follow the same exploration format. First just sing the song or say the prayer making it fit the pulse (as we do in the video); then one group sings, another plays only the pulse; then exchange; then they try to do the exercise described in point 4 singing the song; then point 5. If it is too much information for the group, we suggest that they always divide tasks: the one who sings just keeps the pulse very low and the others add rhythmic layers; then switch.

9. In the Giriboilas song, we suggest that you try to sing in canon, as it happens in the video. Singing in canon means singing the same song with two or more groups of people, starting one before the other. In the video we do it in three groups at minute 12.30' (Tengo giri; Tengo giri; Tengo giri), but it can be done with just two. It's a difficult and challenging exercise because it requires a lot of concentration and confidence, but it's a lot of fun. You can also experiment with inventing new quatrains for the song. It's very simple and a lot of fun. For example: I have stewed giriboilas with turnip greens, we are going to eat them that are good with sausages.

10. Finally, encourage children to provoke their families to play the same game at home. Being with the family preparing a meal and playing with a song is a lot of fun and the time spent doing housework also becomes less painful and boring. We have less time for each other, we have to find it in the simple things.