Music video with a whole school as the instrument

Ben Meyers is a 17-year-old who spent a month putting together this video that combines improvised percussion—done on the lockers, doors and other various parts of his school—with piano and xylophone melodies. It's all played by him, recorded separately and edited together in the video. Wired's Steve Silberman tells me that young Ben is off to the Berklee College of Music in the fall. Congrats!

Previously:

Jam session with improvised instruments

Maggie Koerth-Baker is the science editor at BoingBoing.net. She writes a monthly column for The New York Times Magazine and is the author of Before the Lights Go Out, a book about electricity, infrastructure, and the future of energy. You can find Maggie on Twitter and Facebook.

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kmoser

How long until the administration punishes him for vandalizing school property?
Anonymous

reminds me of one of my all-time favorite commercials:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKFH9rwb63M
Cochituate

Ben, I hope you enjoy your time at Berklee. You are one good kid, and I think you’ll go far.
DoctressJulia

Reminds me of Drumstruck. Heh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbSXqbAIo6k
Fumbata

Ben appears to have a wonderful future ahead of him.
Anonymous

This further proves the awesome nature of mallet percussion. I approve!
Anonymous

What school is this filmed at? It sounds like they say “Good Morning TJ” in the middle of it.
- Anonymous
  
  Gov. Thomas Johnson High, Frederick MD
- jamesneysmith
  
  I remember reading that this was shot in Thomas Jefferson High. No idea where that is or which one it is if there are many.
ToMajorTom

I guess if that Berklee thing doesn’t work out, he can join the next national tour of STOMP.
Day Vexx

Nifty– but after a month, I don’t think you get to call it “improvised” anymore. Kudos on the recording quality!
Anonymous

That’s a pretty interesting piece, but there are no xylophones in it. Marimba, glockenspiel, vibraphone, no xylophone. {/music pedantry].
- Anonymous
  
  I don’t hear the vibraphone
mgfarrelly

That’s a pretty eloquent statement about the importance of arts and music in schools.

Wonderful job Ben! Much success to you!
scifijazznik

That is fantastic. Congrats, Ben. I prefer to think he’ll walk the path of Evelyn Glennie rather than STOMP or Blue Man Group.

To pick a nit and agree with Day Vexx, it does say in the credits at the end it was composed by Ben. Therefore, it’s not improvised.
- Anonymous
  
  Actually, the “improvised” part refers to the instruments used, not the creative process. As in, the lockers, doors, stools, etc. that he used are not traditional percussion instruments like the piano and marimba, and so forth, but rather adapted from the environment.
yellom

that’s not a xylophone. he is playing three different keyboard percussion instruments in addition to the piano – vibraphone (the low, metallic, sustained sounding one), marimba (the low, warm sounding one), and glockenspiel (the high one that sounds like bells).
Steve Silberman

You guys can blame me for saying “improvised,” though with this kind of music, the line between improvisation and composition is vague. But I think Ben did an awesome job and I wish him luck at Berklee in the fall.
- Anonymous
  
  The author of the piece, in the credits of the video, says he composed it.
  
  And yes, it is an awesome video and an awesome piece of music.
  
  Anybody else remember Yaz Kaz?
  
  Perhaps the new, post professional, post tv network complexity in video/art/music that Shirky was writing about in the piece linked to on bb yesterday is not so far off.
Anonymous

reminds me of:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26eyBmUwi6w
marither

Awesome! Do publish more! All the best! Kudos! :-)
Anonymous

its at gov thomas johnson high school
Anonymous

This reminds me of the awesome movie “Adventures of Power” where he says “I dont need drums, I am Drums”.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0960721/