We are catalyzing rural arts activity in reimagined ways.
2020 was a challenging, unprecedented year for everyone. We all struggled to find new and innovative ways for the arts to flourish while stuck at home and processing the many stressors of a global crisis. The devastation of COVID-19 reminded us how fundamental the arts are to our communities and shared humanity. The Jacobs School of Music Community Engagement initiative spent the fall 2020 semester reconnecting virtually with rural community partners and Jacobs students and faculty. While rolling out virtual programming, we took advantage of this year as a time to spread our vision through intentional planning and foundation building. The challenges of this unconventional year have strengthened our engagement practices, and we look forward to creating virtual and in person activity next year to build maximum arts capacity throughout rural Indiana.
We are expanding our team and strengthening our foundation.
We added two new team members…
Jacobs School of Music student Alex Tedrow joined the initiative this year as the Community Engagement Specialist. In this role, he has focused on expanding and solidifying networks in all partners communities while also supporting the initiative administratively. Alex has a B.M. degree in music composition with minors in education, electronic music, and conducting. He is an avid animal lover, biker, and spelunker – all themes that often inspire his musical work.
Jacobs School of Music student Brian McDonie also recently joined the initiative in July 2021 as the new Lead Manager. Brian McDonie is an active trombonist, educator, and entrepreneur in the arts. From 2016 to 2020, Brian served as a U.S. Marine Musician in Okinawa, Japan and Havelock, North Carolina. While in the Marine Corps, Brian was a trombone section leader, fire-team leader, squad leader, music library non-commissioned officer in charge, staff music arranger, platoon guide, and brass quintet unit leader. He has performed in mainland Japan, Okinawa, Malaysia, Thailand, Guam, and the eastern United States.
We created a community space in Slack…
We have jumpstarted a Community Engagement focused workspace in Slack for community partners and Jacobs School of Music students and faculty to stay connected. There are channels in the workspace for grant resources as well as separate channels for information related to each partner community – Nashville, Salem, Huntingburg and Paoli. We share daily content about upcoming events, innovative arts projects, and community engagement opportunities.
We crafted a Canvas training course for community engagement…
We are building a Canvas course that focuses on community engagement knowledge and best practices. This course will be available for all initiative participants to take before beginning work on their individual projects, helping them to gain a comprehensive understanding of how engaged and meaningful projects are formed.
A special thanks to our partners…
The Summit
The Community Engagement Summit brought together over 150 virtual participants for 7 online sessions delving into community engagement best practices and the landscape of modern musicianship. The Summit featured keynote speeches from the following individuals:
Melissa Ngan, Executive Director of the Fifth House Ensemble
Afa Dworkin, President and Artistic Director of the Sphinx Organization
Stanford Thompson, Founder and Executive Director of Play on Philly
The Summit additionally included an interactive workshop on Asset Based Community Development and Strategic Doing, led by the IU Center for Rural Engagement’s Jane Rogan. The weekend brought together rural community members from Nashville, Salem, Huntingburg and Paoli along with Jacobs School of Music students and faculty in a shared Slack workspace. Attendees were able to have in-depth conversations in Slack and continue asking questions to the keynote speakers after their sessions completed.
The Bloomington Ballet Ensemble
Nashville, Salem
The Bloomington Ballet Ensemble (BBE), a student organization comprised of dancers from the Indiana University Ballet Department, engaged with youth in Nashville and Salem through virtual dance workshops and instructional video material. Led by IU Ballet Department instructor Robin Allen, the ensemble held 4 weekends of virtual dance workshops with the Washington County Family YMCA. These workshops each included classes in introductory ballet and creative movement. Young students in Salem gathered socially distanced and masked up at the YMCA, and connected via zoom with the IU dancers who had the same socially distanced set-up in an on campus studio.
Next, the BBE ensemble held a 2.5 hour long virtual workshop with members of the Nashville Junior and Senior High School Swing Choirs. The workshop included diverse dance curriculum including Pilates, Jazz, and Ballet instruction, as well as opportunities for the Nashville students to perform some of their swing pieces for the IU Ballet students. As the semester ends, the IU Ballet dancers are completing the filming and editing of several instructional dance videos that will be publicly accessible to rural students online. These IU students were inspired to create these videos so there is available content and instruction for the youth involved in these workshops to continue practicing and working with.
“Working with the Community Engagement Initiative and the Washington County Family YMCA has been such an impactful experience. It has easily been one of my favorite parts of a semester that looks much different from a normal one. I am so passionate about dance and the power it has as an art form to inspire and move people. This program allows us the opportunity to share dance with a wider audience and make such a beautiful and powerful thing more accessible to those who likely have never experienced it before. Doing this while in the middle of a global pandemic makes it all the more exciting, as it demonstrates just how many ways there are (virtual and not) to bring new audiences to the ballet.”
– Morgan Jankowski, Bloomington Ballet Ensemble Member
“I think it’s super important for ballet to become accessible to kids everywhere, regardless of location, socioeconomic status, race or gender, and this project makes that possible for the kids at the YMCA in Salem. Hopefully the joy and wonder of ballet was spread through the carefully crafted ballet class and creative movement content.”
– Lexi Eicher, Bloomington Ballet Ensemble Member
Classical Connections
Nashville, Paoli
“Seeing the improvement among the students every week is inspiring!”
-Alex Keiser, Classical Connections Member
Student organization Classical Connections was one of the first groups to explore community engagement activity at the start of the Jacobs School – Center for Rural Engagement collaboration, all the way back in 2018. Classical Connections’ mission is to bring the joy of music to diverse areas of the greater Bloomington community through musical performance, educational engagement, and interpersonal development. The organization was flexible and adaptable when approached about working through the JSoM Community Engagement Initiative, crafting plans to expand their reach into JSoM CRE partner communities and building artistic capacity-in rural areas.
With the pandemic uprooting their in-person visits and relationships, Classical Connections was eager to reconnect with students in virtually in the spring of 2021. The student organization jumpstarted private lessons with Brown County School band students as well as band students in Paoli, thanks to the help of Brown County Band Director Matt Finley and retired Paoli Band Director Bill Laughlin. These lessons ran for 6-8 weeks, with the Classical Connections closely evaluating student progress and adjusting their curriculum to best fit individual student interests and needs.
The Singing Hoosiers
Huntingburg
The Singing Hoosiers held two virtual clinics with the Southridge High School Choir in Huntingburg. This followed up an in-person clinic and performance with the Southridge Choir students during the 2019-2020 academic year. Each of the two clinics led by the Singing Hoosiers brought a different focus. The first clinic involved an introductory panel between the Singing Hoosiers and Southridge students. This resembled the casual question/answer sessions from last spring, where the high schoolers were able to get to know the collegiate singers on a more personal level. The two groups then worked through virtual circle singing exercises.
The primary focus of the second clinic was vocal production and technique. Part of the clinic was spent workshopping choral pieces that the Southridge Choir has been practicing, and the remainder of the clinic was spent working on more general vocal technique with Singing Hoosiers director Chris Albanese. An Education Committee from the Singing Hoosiers was also present at each virtual session, paying special attention to any questions students may have and working to make the virtual format as impactful as possible.
Soma Saxophone Quartet
Nashville
Soma is a saxophone quartet formed at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music under the guidance of Otis Murphy. The members of the quartet include David Bayard (soprano), Paul Lorenz (alto), Sean Bradley (tenor), and Arthur Liang (baritone). The quartet worked with Brown County Schools Band Director Matt Finley to develop a virtual performance for middle school and high school band students. They were excited to spread awareness about how a saxophone quartet can function as a chamber music ensemble, and demonstrate the various kinds of music such a versatile ensemble is capable of making. After their virtual performance, the ensemble held a talkback session where the Brown County students could ask questions about studying music, working in an ensemble, and college life. This gave students a chance to get to know the ensemble more personally and strengthen their own insights towards studying or working in music.
“It was great to share music and my own story with the students. The virtual performance really helped to create a positive learning environment for everyone.”
-Arthur Liang, Soma Saxophone Quartet Member
Reimagining Opera for Kids
“Everyone was there, heart and soul, for sure. There was an unusual level of commitment to the characters, especially considering that they weren’t actually there with anybody. You’re basically talking to a lampshade.”
– Kim Carballo, ROK Executive Director
During the summer of 2020, we supported the recording of a commissioned opera at Reimagining Opera for Kids. ANA Y SU SOMBRA follows the story of a young girl, Ana, who is the daughter of diplomats to the United States. Out of terrible homesickness for Mexico, she hides herself away – however, her shadow wants to explore and participate in the world where they are living. The two part ways over this disagreement, and ultimately discover whether they can live separately, or must reconcile. This opera was premiered in 2013-2014, and with the help of Jacobs School Faculty Michael Shell, ROK recorded the opera this past summer so it could be presented virtually in as many locations as possible.
The live recording of the opera along with curricular exercises and materials were provided to partner organizations throughout South Central Indiana. These organizations were granted access these materials directly through the ROK website so they could be shared with young students in educational environments. The opera itself is sung in Spanish with English narration, running about 30 minutes. This project has helped carry on the ROK mission of introducing children and youth to opera through free or accessibly subsidized performances and curriculum guides.
What we’ve planned…so far!
With the presence of the pandemic throughout the 2020-2021 academic year, we strongly focused our efforts on planning programming for the upcoming year. Below are projects that are in formation for fall 2021 and spring 2022.
ChamberFest Brown County; Nashville
We are thrilled to be supporting Chamberfest Brown County, which is a chamber festival that will take place August 17th – 22nd, 2021 in Nashville.The mission of this festival is to bridge divides in rural Indiana through classical music performance and education of the highest caliber. The festival will include concerts, lectures, and multimedia presentations through collaborations with educational and civic organizations in Brown County.
The Addict’s Wake; Nashville
The Addict’s Wake is a new documentary focused on addiction in Brown County. The film is underway through Glory Girl Productions, and Jacobs School of Music student Alex Tedrow is composing original music for the film. This documentary is critically important to build emotional awareness of just how deeply the addiction crisis is hitting broad swaths of America, and will be premiering in the fall of 2021.
New Morse Code; Salem
New Morse Code is comprised of two performers – percussionist Michael Compitello and cellist Hannah Collins. They will be joined by two nationally recognized composers, Andy Akiho and Chris Stark, for a two-week campus residency at Indiana University Bloomington to explore the intersections between environmental resilience and music. This residency will include a two-day visit to Salem where an original composition will be formed around environmental sounds, resulting in a public workshop and performance.
Singing Hoosiers; Huntingburg
The Singing Hoosiers plan to further cultivate their relationship with Southridge High School through virtual and in-person collaborations during the next academic year. They will also be exploring potential collaborations with new towns, like Nashville, where they could replicate the lessons and performances they have mounted in Huntingburg.
Dynamic Equilibrium; Salem
Dynamic Equilibrium is a commissioned musical work for voices and processed sound by Professor Chi Wang, which will be performed and recorded by the NOTUS vocal ensemble led by Professor Dominick DiOrio. Dynamic Equilibrium will be premiered in the town of Salem, Indiana in front of a large school and community audience with a second live-streamed performance in Auer Hall on the IU Bloomington campus.
Band Commission; Nashville, Salem, Huntingburg, Paoli
The National Band Association at Indiana University is commissioning Cait Nishimura to compose a 3-4 minute original work for younger students, focused on grade 3 level. The piece will be premiered by the Indiana University Concert Band, and engagement activities with respective partner communities will be organized around the newly commissioned work. This will include granting partner schools performing rights to the piece before it is publicly released.
Electric Guitar Orchestra; Nashville, Salem, Huntingburg, Paoli
The Electric Guitar Orchestra, led by faculty member Daniel Duarte, will travel to all four of our partner communities to engage in public workshops and performances. The Orchestra plans to share diverse music ranging from classical to rock to an originally composed riffing medley, all while inviting rural guitarists to participate in the jam-like environment.
Reimagining Opera for Kids
Reimagining Opera for Kids is recording another opera this summer, called The Firebringers. This opera explores fire myths from three different cultures. ROK will once again work with Michael Shell to record the live opera performances and several dance segments as well. These materials along with educational curriculum will be shared with community partners throughout South Central Indiana.
4th Fridays Festival; Huntingburg
The Jacobs School of Music is working with the Huntingburg 4th Fridays Festivals to supply entertainment and musicians for the monthly summer festival dates. This follows a successful collaboration with the 4th Fridays Festivals in previous years through the City of Huntingburg. Performances take place at Market Street Park, a newly renovated outdoor space with ample room for performances, vendors, and activities.
Salem Arts Council; Salem
Leaders in the city of Salem have been inspired to create a Salem Arts Council. This council brings together artistic influencers in the community, Indiana University alumni, and membership from the IU Center for Rural Engagement as well. We are thrilled to be in conversations with this council about projects that can be mounted in the upcoming year.
Shoals Public Library
The Shoals Public Library is converting its basement containing an original Carnegie-designated stage into a free public arts space for the Martin County community. We are collaborating with board member, Kathy Collins, to program performances, workshops, and music lessons involving students from the Jacobs School of Music, talented arts students at Shoals High School, and artists from the community. Programming is set to begin this fall!
Twisted Spruce Music Foundation – World Ensemble
The Twisted Spruce Music Foundation will engage young Indiana musicians and visual artists by including them in the production of the 2021-22 World Ensemble. The project will feature animation inspired by Indiana students synchronized to music recorded by the diverse members of the Twisted Spruce World Ensemble.
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