July 30, 2003

Artist drums up excitement

Tom Krueger holds workshops at five area elementary schools

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer

Touching clay for the first time, students in summer camp programs at five area elementary schools immersed themselves for a day in high-touch activities.
Led by artist in residence Tom Krueger from Green Bay, Wis., the students used pottery wheels to shape their own clay item to take home. They also learned the basics of drumming as Krueger led them in decorating and then playing his unique hand-made drums.

Herald photo by Carol South
Kodie Chupp, 8, forms a clay pot on an electric pottery wheel Thursday at Traverse Heights Elementary School.

"I liked making stuff with clay," said Megan Land, 8, a student at the Traverse Heights Elementary School day camp. "I made a bowl, a snack bowl. I liked the drumming because you can make music with it."
Krueger, who presents his drumming and clay programs in schools throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin, said his program is tailor made for at- risk students. Giving them something they can touch and shape helps them learn to harness their energies, giving them paths to avoid risky behaviors.
"This sort of thing is all about energy," Krueger said. "Kids who are most at risk are already doing risky things, they are already doing primal things already and this gives them an alternative."
"My job is to get them past their fear of failure as quickly as possible," he noted. "It's about creativity and access and giving them success."
The program reached 200 students in day camp programs from five area elementary schools: Blair, Long Lake, Cherry Knoll, Glenn Loomis and Traverse Heights. Krueger spent four days in the area, one day per school with the Long Lake Elementary students traveling to Blair for the program.
Funds for the program came from the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant for the Blair, Glenn Loomis and Traverse Heights sites. Summer camp fees covered the cost for students at Cherry Knoll.
Bringing Krueger to the area for this program was a real treat for everyone, noted Pat Lewallen, special programs principal for Traverse City Area Public Schools.
"We were really delighted to have Tom come to us, the kids just thought it was fantastic and so did the staff," she said. "They loved the artistic component and the opportunity to experience the drumming. The opportunity to create something with clay that they could take home was invaluable."
Krueger merges his passions for clay and music for his program, which he hopes will spread to other educators as a way to work with at-risk youth. An nationally renown artist, he said that the terrorist attacks of September 11 gave him a wake up call that he should move on from making luxuries and start helping others.
"I used to do lots and lot of pottery and was in galleries all over the country," he said. "Big deal! What's important to me now is what I can give back."
The students at these schools will have a reminder of their experiences with Krueger: he left 60 drums, a dozen for each school. The students painted the drums as part of the lesson, adding their own artistic spin to the project. The drums reverberated with vibrant colors and bold patterns, reflecting the sounds they were learning to make.
"This is about their experience with color, not about making fine detail drawings," Krueger said.
Krueger fashions the drums from cardboard industrial rolls that used to hold paper, cutting them to different lengths. He adds a veneer drum top, coated for strength, and special cut-outs at the bottom provide both style and sound. He declares his drums are indestructible - perfect for kids to bang on with abandon.
During his program, Krueger also displayed for students how a variety of household or common items could be used as drums. This demonstration was geared to empower them to make music whenever they want. He demonstrated sounds from items ranging from a five-gallon water cooler and rotating drills bits to transmission parts and storage bowls.
"The simplicity of drumming allows them the opportunity to succeed," noted Krueger, who has also developed a frame to allow wheelchair users to access the drums. "I like to find stuff and then I play with it."