Melissa Foss

Arianna Ross, CEO, Story Tapestries
Ellen Hoobler, Curator, Walters Museum
Joy Davis, Visual Arts Director, Creative Alliance Baltimore

Performance-based Audiovisual Presentations (Adults 15+)
Ancient peoples of all times and latitudes have used an elaborate weave of myth, art, and music to communicate their world visions. In the Americas we can connect with this heritage through a rich tradition of musical instruments whose forms, scales and sounds give us a glimpse into the extraordinary cultures that created them. Through an audiovisual presentation and live demonstrations with working recreations of ancient instruments, we will experience examples of sound and music from different cultures and explore their relevance in our world today.

Music Performance – Halconcito Pichón (Little Hawk) and the Magic Quest (Pre K through 5th grade)
In this performance students go on a journey through sound, music, and storytelling where they’re introduced to different instruments that have shaped the sonic landscape of the Americas, from rare Pre-Colonial ceramic instruments made thousands of years ago, to folk instruments that continue to shape Latin American music to this day. As they take in the melodies of flutes, rattles, noise generators, hand drum, and charango, they participate in a mythical tale of challenge and persistence that ultimately leads to triumph and celebration.

Performances can be offered in English and Spanish

Instrument-making school residencies (4th through 12th grade)
In these residencies students are introduced to musical instruments that have been made across Central and South America for thousands of years and learn through a step-by-step process with simple pottery techniques to construct their own one-of-a-kind rattles or flutes with clay. Together we navigate between the functional and visual aspects of Pre-Columbian instrument-making, exploring dimensions of sound like timbre, pitch, and volume, while developing personal story through design and decoration. Throughout the process experimentation, individual expression, creative decision making, and problem solving are emphasized.

Musical school residencies (Early Childhood through 5th grade)
Throughout this residency students are introduced to different instruments of the ancient Americas: multiple flutes, whistling bottles, and noise generators, and learn about the Ocarina, a popular and widely known instrument with great cultural and historical significance. We delve into the functional and visual aspects of Pre-Columbian instrument-making, exploring dimensions of sound like timbre, pitch, and volume, and analyzing the ways that culture and personal story are developed in design and decoration. Through structured group exercises, students experiment with sound and movement, and explore different sources of inspiration and ways of making music with an instrument that is fun and easy to play.

Professional Development Workshops
Create your own Musical Instrument for Classroom Management (For educators)
Musical instruments have helped us to communicate and express ourselves since the dawn of humanity. Learning to build and play our own musical instruments slows us down, connects us to our bodies and to our self-expression, and helps us to rediscover a sense of wonder, curiosity, and play. In this workshop teachers will learn about musical instruments that have been made across Central and South America for thousands of years and learn to build their own attention-grabbing instrument for classroom management.

Learn to Teach Instrument-Making in the Classroom (For educators)
Musical instruments have helped us to communicate and express ourselves since the dawn of humanity. Learning to build and play our own musical instruments slows us down, connects us to our bodies and to our self-expression, and helps us to rediscover a sense of wonder, curiosity, and play. In this workshop teachers will learn about musical instruments that have been made across Central and South America for thousands of years and learn to build their own clay flutes while also gaining an understanding of how to structure an instrument-making program and instruct these same skills in the classroom.

All programs can be offered in English and Spanish