Outreach Activities

Each of the musicians in 2 Foot Yard has not only performed frequently around the world, but has had extensive teaching experience as well.  They are not only willing to perform outreach activities, but are eager to do so.  Residencies, master classes, lecture/demonstrations, teaching workshops are just a few possibilities well within the range of what 2 Foot Yard is capable of offering.

Both the cellist, Marika Hughes, and the violinist, Carla Kihlstedt are classically trained, virtuosic performers with a command of improvisation and extended technique on their respective instruments. They have both taught student orchestras and chamber groups (K-12) in the San Francisco area. The percussionist, Shahzad Ismaily, has taught classes in modern electronic composition at the Steim Institute (Amsterdam), and composition for dance at Schloss Broellin (Germany).  All three musicians have also given numerous private classes at varying levels to students of their instrument. 

2 Foot Yard is excited about offering specific outreach activities tailored to your needs by age (K-12, university, adult, aged, mixed), skill level (varying degrees of training, student to professional, as well as an untrained listening audience), instrument setting (separate violin/cello/percussion/composition workshops, or ensemble  improvisation /composition/performance work), or subject matter.  It would be best if your institution could begin by giving us a specific idea of both the target audience and the education/enrichment goals, then 2 Foot Yard could create a proposal for the appropriate event which we could all refine through continued dialogue.  However, we can also just arrive at your institution prepared to teach/demonstrate topics of interest to us that we have recently been exploring in our own work.  We have included a list of these possible topics below.  In addition, if there is the possibility of community outreach while we are at your institution such as performing/teaching in a nursing home, school for the disabled, hospital (for the physically or mentally ill), or prison (youth or adult) setting, please consider adding that to the agenda while we are at your institution.

Possible topics for a workshop/master class/lecture-demonstration setting that could easily be expanded to a function within a longer residency include (please keep in mind that, upon arrival to your institution, 2 Foot Yard can split up to work with different groups simultaneously if you'd like, and that all of the given topics can be rendered for any age group, K-professional, even though the subject matter may sound dense):

Modern/Extended technique for strings players within the classical tradition (led by Carla Kihlstedt, violinist and/or Marika Hughes, cellist)

The Use of Extended Instrumental Technique in Performance, Improvisation and Composition (led by each of three individual musicians or taught as a group to focus on group interaction within the ensemble and the audience/class)

Exploring Functional Ear Training/Counterpoint/Difference Tones/Phrasing through simultaneous performance of voice and instrument (led by Carla and Marika)

Percussion as a Melodic Voice (led by Shahzad Ismaily, percussionist)

The Departure From and Return to Individual/Group Timekeeping (led by the entire ensemble)

The Role of Group Improvisation in Songwriting and the Creation of Musical Events (led by the ensemble)

Storytelling and the Narrative Voice as Musical Craft (led by the ensemble)

Accentuating, Reversing, or Undermining Traditional Ensemble Role-playing in Regards to Melody, Harmony and Rhythm (led by the ensemble)

The Influence of Chamber Music Pedagogy, with Respect to Dynamics, Shape and Timbre, on Popular Songwriting (led by the ensemble)

OUTREACH FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES

Elementary School Level Outreach
1. MUSIC AS SOUND:

2 Foot Yard will present a creative show-n-tell, incorporating both performance and hands-on activities. The program will include songs written by 2 Foot Yard that span a wide range of musical genres, from pop songs, to bluesy instrumentals, to the unusual.  Each tune requires the musicians to utilize different techniques to pull varied sounds from their instruments. As the tunes are introduced, the musicians will demonstrate these techniques, and will help the kids to explore the relationship between the sounds found in these songs, and the more familiar sounds of pop culture and of everyday life.

2. WRITING A SONG:

2 Foot Yard will write a short song with the students.  Using the imagination of the kids to come up with lyrics and groove, 2 Foot Yard will build a song from the ground up, showing them how a song can be written by an ensemble, as a group.

3. STUDENT PARTICIPATION:

2 Foot Yard will ask a few kids to be volunteers to play/sing with the group. Whether it be a percussion instrument, a string instrument, or a penny whistle, the student will join 2 Foot Yard in a familiar tune after only a few minutes of instruction with the instrument.  The aim is both to involve the students in the creative process, and to introduce them to various instruments in a hands-on way.