Library program visits “Down Under” for musical show

“G’day, mate.” Children who attended the Daingerfield Public Library’s summer event were met with that greeting on Tuesday, July 12, as they prepared for entertainment straight from the “Land Down Under.” Children and adults were introduced to the Didgeridoo by Mr. Bob and Mrs. Tanya. Tanya and Bob have been making and playing didgeridoos for over 20 years, and had a wide variety of the instrument on display and to be played during the show. Tanya and Bob started their show by playing two of their didgeridoos, introducing the children to the variety of sounds the instruments can make. The children heard animals, and many other distinct sounds, all from the hollowed out tree trunks. Following the introductory song, Tanya and Bob told the children about Australia, and where didgeridoos actually come from. They explained to the children that the Aboriginal people in Australia actually made didgeridoos from the hollowed out trunks or limbs of trees. They told the children that the Aborigines would listen for a hollow trunk, because termites would actually eat away the insides of the tree trunk. They would then take the trunk, knock out the termites, and finish hollowing them out until it was smooth inside. The didgeridoo was originally used by the Aboriginal people to tell stories, and they could use the sounds of the instrument to mimic animals, and even natural events such as the sun setting, and heat rising over the Australian outback. Each child was given a kazoo before Mrs. Tanya and Mr. Bob arrived, and the children practiced playing their kazoos to pass the time prior to the show. Bob explained that playing a kazoo was similar to playing a didgeridoo, and asked the children to play a song for him. The Daingerfield Public Library will have two more summertime programs, one on July 21, and the last one on July 28. Children are welcome to attend either event, and they both will be free of charge and held at the Annex.