Disobeying seagulls: Making music with animals

The first European Gull Screeching Championship was held on 24 March 2019 in Belgium, bringing together bird enthusiasts to imitate the marine birds. While it may seem like a silly or absurd exercise, it also reminds us of humans’ long-lasting tradition of imitating natural sounds and recreating their soundscapes through instruments and music. Would it, however, be possible to use an animal, such as a Gull as an actual instrument? I will look at some of the ways that animals have been used as musical instruments, in some way or other, before introducing my own attempt at incorporating seagull screeching in my own composition.