Man has always been fond of exploring. The young man who sets out to explore the mountain trail has the same yearning for new adventure as that which took Marco Polo to China. Since it is not possible for all of us to explore in distant places, we like to read about the exploits of the Martin Johnsons in Africa and the adventures of Roy Chapman Andrews on his long and difficult journey into the Gobi. The daily experiences of Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd in his quest for new lands and scientific data in the Antarctic region were followed by millions of people all over the world. We like adventure.

Now there are some real adventures ahead for one who wishes to explore music. The field of music is vast and includes the entire world. No matter what part of the world you choose, you will find music in some form. Unfortunately, you cannot make these trips in person, but you can do the next best thing by reading and finding recordings of various kinds of music, and searching for models of unusual kinds of instruments. You might even make some models of your own, using pictures and diagrams as a guide.

Suppose, for example, that you are interested in exploring the music of China. First of all, you would want to locate the country on the map and decide the best way to get there. After laying out a course, including the use of railroads, ships, and perhaps even airplanes, you would arrive at your destination and begin to search for instruments, music, and other things connected with your hobby.

A Collection Of Chinese Instruments

Oriental instruments arc usually quite difficult to play and they produce music that sounds weird to Western ears.

There are several places where you can secure help in this search for the music of China. The first place that comes to mind is the library. No doubt there are pictures and reference books dealing with this subject that can be borrowed for the asking. Going back into Chinese history, you will find that for a thousand years, at least, various musical instruments have been used in China. You will find that there were several types of instrument in the groups known as strings and winds. These instruments had very peculiar and sometimes significant names. Having read about them and perhaps seen pictures of them, you may be interested enough to want to see some of them. Here is where a museum comes in, if there is one near your home.

Some people have found it interesting to make models of various kinds of instruments. Making models would be a good way to complete your knowledge of Chinese music. With your models you could report the results of your explorations to the class. This is just one example of what you could do in exploring and searching throughout the world for music.