Melissa Foss

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

YOUTH PROGRAMMING
Assembly Performance: Little Hawk and the Magic Quest
Our story takes us to the faraway lands of Halconcito Pichón or Little Hawk, who is a bird that can’t yet fly because she doesn’t know her song. For her wings to take flight, she must go off on a magic quest to find it! She’ll need to call on assistance from different helpers to find her way and it won’t be easy, but Halconcito Pichón is determined to take to the skies.
In this musical journey, we'll experience the fascinating sounds of a diverse collection of musical instruments made across the Americas for thousands of years while we participate in a mythical story of challenge and persistence that ultimately leads to triumph and celebration. Instruments to be shared will include working recreations of Pre-Columbian ceramic instruments like Whistling Bottles, Noise Generators and Polyphonic Flutes, as well as folk instruments that continue to shape Latin American music to this day like the Charango and Caja.
Duration: 45 min - 1 hour
Intended Audience: Pre-K through 5th grade

YOUTH / ADULT PROGRAMMING:
Instrument Demo: Voices of Clay in the Ancient Americas
Take an immersive, multisensory journey into the world of ancient sound through live demonstrations of instruments from the Pre-Columbian Americas. These performance-based sessions give an inspiring introduction to ancient instruments whose unique forms, scales and sounds provide a glimpse into the extraordinary cultures that created them. We’ll learn about and experience the evocative sounds of fascinating and little-known ceramic instruments like Whistling Bottles, Polyphonic Flutes, Trumpets, Whistles, and Rattles; some faithful historical recreations, and others original pieces from my ever-growing collection.
Duration: 45 min - 1 hour
Intended Audience: Can be adapted for grades 5 through 12 or for adults of all ages

ADULT PROGRAMMING:
Audiovisual Conference: Resounding Traditions: From Ancestral Clay to Contemporary Creation
Sound and music have been vital threads in the fabric of ancestral cultures across the Americas—and around the world—serving as powerful vehicles for storytelling, education, healing, and celebration. In this presentation, we are invited on a multisensory journey that bridges ancient craftsmanship and contemporary creativity. We’ll explore the distinctive forms, scales, and timbres of ancestral ceramic instruments and discuss the unique process of reawakening these sound artefacts through the building historical recreations. We will learn to identify and analyze a variety of instrument types, to deepen our understanding of their historical and cultural significance and consider how the unique characteristics of these ancient instruments can illuminate the living continuum between past and present by grounding us in nature-based wisdom and inspiring new artistic expressions today. Live demonstrations will bring the evocative sounds of ceramic Whistling Bottles, Polyphonic Flutes, Trumpets, Whistles, and Rattles to life. Talk back and an interactive music-making activity with hand-made clay flutes can be included.
Duration: 1 hour
Intended Audience: Adults of all ages

Activities can be offered in English and Spanish

YOUTH PROGRAMMING
Early Childhood Residencies: Discover Ancient Sounds Through Play!
Explore the magic of music for building community and developing pre-literacy skills as we dive into the captivating world of ancient instruments through sound, movement, and imagination! Children will discover the amazing sounds of sculptural ceramic instruments from the ancient Americas—like Whistling Bottles and Polyphonic Flutes—and explore the beloved Ocarina, a small but mighty instrument with a big cultural story.
Through group games, songs, storytelling, and hands-on instrument time, we explore colors, counting, and emotions in a vibrant, playful environment. It’s a joyful mix of music, learning, and creativity—perfect for curious young minds!
Duration: Residencies between 1 and 6 sessions
Intended Audience: Ages 2 - 7

School Residencies: Music-Making with the Ocarina
In this residency we take a journey back in time through the Ocarina, a type of ceramic flute that has been made across Central and South America for thousands of years. We begin the residency working with rhythm sticks to build confidence as we progress towards the Ocarina, a fun and intuitive instrument. We use simple rhythmic call and response, guided exercises, and improvisation to awaken our creativity in an encouraging and play-filled environment. The unique sounds of this ancient flute awaken the memory of our common ancestry, recalling the songs of the birds and animals that inhabit our most sacred natural landscapes.
Duration: Residencies between 3 and 6 sessions
Intended Audience: Grade Levels K through 12

School Residencies: Instrument-Making with Clay
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 through a STEAM approach, exploring the interconnectedness of scientific and artistic disciplines while students investigate how sound and physics, design and personal story can shape the instruments they create. Throughout the process experimentation, individual expression, creative decision making, and problem solving are emphasized.
Residency options:
Rattle building: 2nd - 12th grade, minimum of 5 sessions
Flute building 6th - 12th grade, minimum of 8 sessions

ADULT PROGRAMMING
Workshop: Instrument-Making with Clay
In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore the rich legacy of Pre-Columbian sound technologies by learning about indigenous ceramic instruments—and creating their own. Through the shaping of clay into rattles and flutes, we deepen our appreciation for ancestral cultures and awaken a felt sense of connection to the natural world. This process invites us into embodied presence, cultivates creative expression, and fosters a sense of community. Working with earth and sound side by side, we remember music not only as art, but as a vital thread in the fabric of human experience—joyful, grounding, and timeless. All are welcome, and no previous experience with clay, instruments or music is necessary. Everyone can enjoy turning mud into music!
Duration: 1 session of 3 hours
Intended Audience: Adults ages 15+
Workshop Options: Rattle-Making or Flute-Making

Workshop: Create your own Musical Instrument for Classroom Management (PD 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 unique attention-grabbing instrument for classroom management.

Workshop: Learn to Teach Instrument-Making in the Classroom (PD 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