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CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS
iMagination Project
Brief Summary
The California E.A.R. Unit will perform a series of ongoing, coordinated workshops , to incorporate state-of-the-art sound recording, video and computers, working with small groups to give children a hands-on experience that teaches fundamentals of music and lyric composition and creation of new artistic works in the form of Apple Computer's "iMovie." In the past, such workshops have targeted middle school and high school students, but the proposed project is designed to include younger children as well. The program
design allows children to experience graduated levels and variety in musical and lyric composition and technology education.
A series of sample workshops would entail having the students create their own poetry and/or songs with the guidance of local writers or lyricists; add instrumental improvisations guided by E.A.R. Unit musicians; record those to the computer or sampler for further sound manipulation; then record and add video; and finally produce a simple QuickTime or iMovie directly on the
computer. The workshop productions will be the work of an entire class or group, thus serving to unify many voices, views and ethnic heritages. Cooperation and tolerance are natural byproducts of this kind of arts
experience; skills training, literacy and creative expression are important features which transfer to other areas of life in positive ways.
Two Week Sample Program
Briefly, this works for two classes at one or two schools, three of us (plus our videographer) see each class twice in one week for an hour and a half or so. We perform a short version of our children's program to introduce ourselves, they are given a subject such as Pollution or Freedom (these two pieces are on the video tape) and we ask the students for words that they think relate to the topic. We sample their voices as they speak the words. They are then asked to asked to write a poem about the subject as homework.
We see them again later that week, we give a presentation on modern art with video of many different modern masters and discuss form, line, color, etc., then we bring in seamless paper and art supplies, we create a set together, this gets them involved in the process of creating art, we video the kids reading their poems, and lastly talk about what types of music or sounds would go with the poetry and imagery and we record a sound track.
During the weekend in-between we sort through the video and sound track and create segments and place them in iMovie. The following week we see the class one more time. I show them the video clips off my computer (I bring a high resolution protable projector as well), and together we make decisions as to the order and types of effects as well as transitions and create our movie. At the end of the week at a large assembly (you could bring in the entire two schools of the classes that we visited), we do the children's program with the two video premieres intersperced. We cal also do an adult program with the entire group and insert the videos.
MY HAIRDRYER SINGS
The California E.A.R. Unit brings a special understanding of music to teachers and students alike. Breaking down the components of music and composition, they trace the development of these elements through the music of Mozart and Rossini and relate these same elements to the music of our time. E.A.R. also demonstrates how "instruments" such as blow dryers, plastic tubes, radios, duck calls, and unusual playing techniques produce wonderful sounds. The E.A.R. Unit possesses infectious enthusiasm, good humor and world renowned, critically-acclaimed musicianship, providing the audience with entertainment as well as a truly educational musical experience.
The concert program may include the following:
John Bergamo - Foreign Objects Opening Music
Steve Reich - Clapping Music Rhythm
John Cage - Living Room Music Pre-Rap Rhythm
Happy Birthday (Public Domain) Melody
G. Rossini - William Tell Overture Melody
W.A. Mozart - Rondo Alla Turca Harmony
Earl Brown - 4 Systems Graphic Notation
E.A.R. Unit - Shape Music Art/Visual Music
Robert Fernandez - Tentacles Pattern Music
George Lewis - Shadowgraph Structured Improvisation
John Bergamo - Foreign Objects Closing Music
A trio or quartet from the group will be performing for your program.
"From whatever different sensations the arts may derive, from touch or vision or hearing -- on to whatever the artists may project their visions, on statues, or murals or melodies -- they are one in spirit and meaning." Curt Sachs, The Commonwealth of Art