The students needed to carefully form a mouth piece before carving and shaping a whistle that will make a sound when blown into. It is always very exciting to achieve the first note by blowing into still damp clay. They then carved holes into the chamber to create a tuneful sequence of notes.

They were encouraged to design and model and slip decorate their ocarinas, drawing inspiration from natural forms, birds or animals.

The photos show some ocarinas leather hard and nearly finished, with others still in progress. Students will make further refinements before the burnishing and firing.

All subjects of the grade 7/8 curriculum are related to the dynamic between outer and inner individualisation. Young people at this age are developing their own individual standpoint, while at the same time we try to offer them ways of seeing themselves from a wider perspective. The Ocarina project encouraged students to develop their own individual design ideas, while considering the effect of this on the functionality of the piece.