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Building, performing and educating with musical instruments made from trash since 1991
BIOGRAPHY
John Bertles is an educator, composer and instrument-builder. For over 30 years, in 42 states and overseas his professional development workshops for teachers and artists have explored the insection of art and science. His programs can (for example) help teachers build better instruments from the simplest materials by understanding the science of sound; or combine art forms to “play” paintings of famed Bauhaus artist Paul Klee. A professional development facilitator for The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts National Touring Workshops for Teachers since 2006, he is also the founder and co-director of Bash the Trash Environmental Arts, a musical ensemble of 35+ performers nationwide using musical instruments created from reused/repurposed materials. An early advocate of STEAM and environmental arts education, he has worked tirelessly to interweave environmental issues and sustainability into his presentations. His prior work with Carnegie Hall’s Distance Learning Program meant that during the pandemic he was in high demand for virtual workshops demonstrating how to use online platforms to transform in-person educational programs into virtual experiences. He was nominated for a Grammy Award and a Drama Desk Award for on-stage instruments created from beach trash for the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit "Once on This Island”; is a recipient of Bennington College’s Visionary Leadership Award; and is a nine-time winner of the ASCAP Plus Childrens' Song-writing Award.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND MORE
Most Popular Programs:
Building Musical Instruments from Trash:
Learn how to build a variety of simple but great-sounding musical instruments from found-object materials, explore the science behind how they work, and discover creative ways to use the instruments to enhance classroom and curricular activities. For classroom teachers and arts educators. In-person 3 or 6 hours - call for price; Virtual 1.5 or 3 hours $900/1200
The Sound of Science:
Discover STEAM and Arts Integration concepts through fun hands-on instrument-building. This workshop is a lively mix of curriculum-based science, amazing corroborative demos and videos, and simple student-created instruments that presents a model for exploring the arts and other subjects together. In-person 3 or 6 hours - call for price; Virtual 1.5 or 3 hours $900/1200
Paul Klee and Imagination:
This workshop encourages students to put their creativity and imagination to work! We’ll look first at some of the music-inspired paintings of the Bauhaus artist Paul Klee, then compose music inspired by these paintings, and perform their compositions using instruments built from reused/repurposed materials. In-person 3 or 6 hours - call for price; Virtual 1.5 or 3 hours $900/1200
SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
I specialize in building musical instruments out of reused/repurposed materials (what you would call “trash” and I would call a “resource"), and then making connections to science, the environment, literacy, and cultural studies.
