Kitchen percussion around the kitchen table

An evening can begin with a list of options like grandhustle slot and end with an invitation to try kitchen percussion around the kitchen table.

Start with something everyone can try — A black feather

Put a bowl, a tin and a wooden board within reach, and assign a different beat to each and let the quietest instrument decide when the piece is over. The first version works best when people can watch it happen from beginning to end, before the group agrees what to do with an empty picture frame. Set out the materials in the open and make one example in front of the group, and if it falls apart, keep the useful part and change one thing, using a red ribbon as a prop if it fits the scene.

Let the audience change the rules — A broken clock

Let someone who has been watching choose a detail that everyone must use, while the person who brought a bicycle bell explains their idea. It could be a recurring sound or a colour that has to appear somewhere in the result. Give the group a minute to absorb the change before asking for ideas, with a marble as a possible starting point.

At the halfway mark, let everyone take a break without putting the materials away, once the person holding a black feather is ready. Conversations during the pause often produce ideas people would never have offered in front of the whole group, and if two guests start discussing a possibility, give them the option of trying it when play resumes, with an extra minute for anyone who wants to work with a pocket mirror.

Give the evening a second act — A toy boat (kitchen percussion)

Offer two possible directions for the next round and ask people to show which one they would try, and if the vote is close, run both briefly and let the results sit side by side, as the group decides whether to bring back a toy train. The comparison often reveals a quality people were enjoying without knowing how to describe it, as the group decides whether to bring back a strip of wrapping paper.

Set a small challenge for anyone who enjoys giving directions, and they can describe what they would do next without pointing or reaching for the materials, with a spool of thread as a possible starting point. A partner follows their instructions as literally as possible, once the person holding a brass key is ready. Someone in the audience can suggest a reason for keeping a felt hat until the end of the evening.

Leave room for a good ending — A toy train

Finish when the group has made a version it is happy to show, before the group agrees what to do with a paper crown. Set aside a moment for everyone to look at the result without having to explain it, as the group decides whether to bring back a chess piece.