Ornaments made by Elma High School art students will adorn the Governor’s holiday tree this year. The ornaments, made of fired glass and clay, depict musical instruments of all different types.

Harps, guitars, accordions, drums, brass instruments and even digeridoos, indigenous Australian wind instruments, and everything in between were fashioned by the students in Maurrie Auckland’s art class.

“We’re a small school, with 32 students in the class, so it’s an honor,” Auckland said of her class being selected. After the ornaments are removed from display at the end of the holiday season, they will become part of the permanent archived collection.

In learning how to mold glass and clay, the students had some triumphs and some failures. But, in producing the artworks, the students learned what to do the next time.

To make glass ornaments, the students cut glass pieces and arranged them to make different their different instruments in mosaic form. The pieces were placed in a kiln and fired, to varying degrees of success.

Stormy Bauer, a sophomore, said she hated working with the glass. A yellow and red drum with matching drumsticks melted together, obliterating the careful details Bauer created.

“Glue. Use glue or you will cry,” Bauer said. “You’re going to need glue.”

Summer Dunston, a sophomore agreed and added that gluing the pieces onto a clear glass plate would be what she would do the next time. She made a green and yellow bongo out of glass that fired well; however the hook that the ornament was to hang from broke during the firing process. Dunston was trying to figure out how to attach the ornament to a hook and decided to submit another drum whose hook was left intact by the oven.

Bauer had more success with her clay ornaments with an accordion looking very much like a real accordion, only in miniature. A flute she created was also true to its shape, with details such as tiny keys and a silver coat of paint.

“Love working with clay,” Bauer said. “All through school, since elementary school, I’ve been working with clay.”

To make the clay instruments, students either formed mini versions of the harmonicas, accordions and xylophones or they carved them in bas relief. In bas relief, an almost three-dimensional figure is carved from a flat surface.

Senior Justin Gay created a realistic trombone in bas relief because it is his favorite musical instrument.

“I play the trombone so that’s why I decided to make one,” Gay said.

Natalie Snell, a freshman, used a blow dryer to dry the paint on a miniature, clay clarinet. “It turned out cool, but I won’t miss it,” Snell said. Snell was looking forward to working on the next project.

Another freshman, Ciara Nies, was working on adding details to her clay bas relief digeridoo with acrylic paint.

“Right now, it doesn’t look quite right. I’m adding detail to make it look more like an instrument instead of whatever this is,” Nies said laughing.

The students also made instrument ornaments to sell at a holiday bazaar, along with student-made Christmas cards and other artworks to help raise funds for a field trip. The trip includes a glass-blowing which will cost each student $80.

Auckland said the kids’ second attempts at bas relief were much better. “It’s a learning process,” she said. Auckland delivered the ornaments to Olympia on Monday, Nov. 14.