Kind Words About The Junkman®
Live Performances
The Junkman’s act fit right in with the spirit of the festival and was a tremendous asset to the closing night festivities.
Starting with John Cage, there have been quite a few composers who have worked with junk and found objects to create their music. However, nobody does it with quite as much finesse as Donald Knaack.
A mind-blowing experience!
…a virtuoso percussionist.
It really cooked!
…the legendary percussion virtuoso.
This guy is mad and very popular!
The more substantial Surfer at the River Styx is set to a dark, swirling score by Donald Knaack.
The Junkman’s music and his instruments are provocative and entirely innovative.
Donald Knaack’s percussive score drives the dancers almost as hard as Tharp’s ferociously imagined choreography…. It is not only the phenomenal performers who earn this moment of release, but also the rest of us , who have been on the edge of our seats throughout this extraordinary work.
It’s Stomp on acid!
…virtuoso playing worth hearing.
Music of tremendous power and wide-ranging temperaments.
The Junkman totally captivated the Kansas City International Jazz Festival audience..
Surfer at the River Styx is a relentless tour de force of sound and movement set to a score of thunderous intensity and exceptional beauty by composer Donald Knaack.
…unusual, completely independent and wholly cool!
Education
I found him to be very professional, flexible, and timely in response to my inquiries. The students greatly enjoyed his concerts. I would recommend his Junk Music concert to other schools without hesitation.
Engaging presentation, adjusted the show for older students and to maximize student interaction.
… a brilliant concept, well executed: percussion as a tool for helping us get in sync with Earth and each other.
Don creates a variety of activities that relate to the goals of each lesson. His systems approach to teaching is well-structured and fun! Don is a student centered, experienced musician and educator. He brings a wealth of experience to each lesson.
If you are lucky enough to have the opportunity for this man to infect your children with awe, wonder, and critical thinking, you should definitely take it. His combination of classical training, ingenuity, craftsmanship, and fun makes him not only a great musician, but a warm and engaging teacher as well.
I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Donald has been one of our finest performers.
As a library media specialist, I will continue to reach out to Junkman’s talents to work with children of all ages within our school district, and recommend him to other school districts across the United States.
The kids enjoyed it and I loved your kind way of answering their questions.
This was a fantastic event! Our kids and ourselves were thoroughly entertained and educated. It was an inspiring way to make music!
We all learned something from this wonderful presentation!
The Junkman is always a hit!
There is simply no one else like him, doing what he is doing.
We were overwhelmed with the feedback we had from the children after your performances and workshops. All of them throughly enjoyed it and it inspired them to make their own instruments out of junk too! The incredible response was wonderful.
The look on the faces of our children during the Junkman’s concert was just one of sheer wonder & amazement and when he started to play… well, the excitement was tangible.
The workshops are stimulating and unique. Exposing students to the recycling message that a discarded object can be reborn into a completely new function and using this method to create music is an educational approach that is worthwhile.
I wanted to thank you for coming to our school and doing such a great job with our kids. The students had a unique, valuable, and enjoyable experience in your workshop and performance.
Our teachers say it was the best assembly we have ever had!
He introduced the students to new and relevant information about percussion, music, acoustics, the environment and construction
Of all the artists that have done residencies in my tenure in education, The Junkman was the best. I was extremely impressed with his message and what he was able to accomplish with the students.
One of the best assembly concerts we have ever experienced!
You are a very gifted teacher!
We always book The Junkman whenever he’s in town.
Staff members noted this was one of the best residencies ever held at the school.
It was really great! People loved how the kids were so responsive and for many the Junkjam was their favorite part. The music felt very powerful when the whole audience was playing together. Thanks for a great show!
On a scale of one to ten with ten the highest, we rate The Junkman a ten!
Donald Knaack is both a talented and capable teacher that enriched the school environment as well as the whole child.
Brilliant!
Thank you for your energy and passion!
Children and grown-ups alike were fascinated!
Some people come into our lives and quickly go, but they move our souls to dance. They awaken us to new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for a while, leave footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same
Not only does Knaack bring out the music in an object, he does the same with people. With his friendly support and cooperation, this event was planned by the Cultural Center and Knaack as a Family Day of conservation-related crafts and music workshops. The Junkman’s unpretentious humanitarianism, talents, and simple love for playing percussion provided all at once a great concert, a musically educational experience and a happy day for our Staten Island community.
Brilliant!