In July 2014, the Found Sound Nation Young Composers Workshop met for its third year at Drury High School in North Adams, MA. FSN welcomed the local youth community into the annual festivities of the renowned, new music-focused Bang on a Can Summer Festival—which has been hosted at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) in North Adams for thirteen consecutive summers—by conducting a week-long composition workshop for 8th through 12th grade students enrolled in the band program at Drury. With the help of FSN facilitators Nandi Plunkett, Nathan Koci, Zubin Hensler, and Elena Moon Park—as well as guest artist and Bang on a Can All-Star Mark Stewart—these 17 young composers were given the opportunity to expand their understanding of musical sounds and structures, and experiment with new techniques for composing their own works. Collaborating closely in small ensembles as well as in a large group, the students were encouraged to find interesting ways to utilize their instruments to create unique soundscapes that challenged genres and excited them as artists. Some of the topics we touched on included methods of improvising, extended techniques, soundpainting (group improv via designated hand gestures), loop-based composition (both acoustically and digitally), and how to generate source material from found sounds. The latter was particularly inspired by a free-for-all exploration of the delightful instruments handmade by Gunnar Schonbeck, which live within a secret corridor of MASS MoCA’s massive warehouse space.
Inspired by the OneBeat model of curating small ensembles comprised of complementary but untraditional groupings of instruments, the facilitators divided the group into 4 sections on the first day, and each facilitator acted as a mentor to one of the groups throughout the week. The ultimate goal of the week was to put together a public concert, but we also put forth internal goals, such as learning to collaborate with musicians whose backgrounds and musical tastes varied wildly from one’s own, and challenging oneself to probe sonic territory outside of one’s comfort zone.
The result was a textural medley of improvised and composed material, with hints at genres from indie rock to bossa nova to free jazz. What was so remarkable and exciting about the workshop was how open-minded and utterly game the students were. Any wisps of timidity that were evident early on within the group quickly dissipated as we tested the boundaries of what constitutes “tonal” music and organized sound, and together made a beautiful cacophony with our voices, instruments, and everyday objects.
The following playlist features live recordings from the workshop’s final performance at ArtDorm Gallery, as well as tracks edited by FSN staff from sound material gathered during the week from Street Studio-style exercises and group improvisational activities.
Special thanks to Bang on a Can, MASS MoCA, Drury High School, ArtDorm Gallery, Sue Killam, Philippa Thompson, Chris Caproni, and Mark Stewart for making this week possible!