Sample Project Proposals

Objectives

FieldWorks will be a free, public concert at a Houston neighborhood public park and community garden, orchestrated in conjunction with Urban Harvest and The Park People (see below for contact details), two Houston non-profit organizations, as well as the Houston Parks and Recreation Department. The event will feature new works by Rice student composers ó Garrett Schumann, Ethan Frederick Greene, Kenneth Stewart, Daniel Zajicek and perhaps others inspired by the spirit of community, sustainable living, and environmental protection. We are currently targeting Meredith Gardens, a community garden at Mandell Park (Mandell and Richmond), for a first-weekend-of-Spring concert (Friday, March 21, 2008). New Music at the Shepherd School, like any community, can only benefit from a greater connection with its neighbors. It is not enough to hold concerts here at Rice, rather, we must bring our music to the public. A concert at Meredith Gardens will serve to unite the Shepherd School with Houston neighborhoods, foster a greater appreciation of New Music in the Houston communities, and promote the enjoyment and upkeep of the city's public parks and community gardens. If successful, we hope to expand FieldWorks into a regular series of music and art events at public parks around greater Houston. History of Meredith Gardens, Meredith Gardens, one of more than 150 community gardens in Houston, epitomizes the fruits (literally) of a united community. In 1993, when a City plan to relocate the Montrose Branch of the Houston Public Library failed mid-demolition, the neighborhood was left with a lot full of rubble. As it became clear that the City no longer had any plans to develop this lot ó by this time overgrown, garbage-laden and dangerous the Castle Court Neighborhood Association (CCNA) decided to take action. Through the City's Adopt-a-Lot program, the CCNA began renting the land for $1 a month, and neighborhood volunteers began working the field into a garden. Today, Meredith Gardens is a flourishing enclave of fruits, vegetables and flowers, and a peaceful retreat amid the bustle of Richmond Avenue. Event Details In order to produce an event of the utmost quality, this concert will be a rather small affair. It will last approximately 90 minutes, feature under ten performers, and require only a small stage arrangement with minimal amplification and lighting. We will work with Urban Harvest to attract local growers and/or restaurants to provide organic (hopefully free) refreshments, and will publicize the event throughout Houston. We hope you will consider our proposal, and join us in enriching and expanding the Shepherd School community. Thank you. Ethan Frederick Greene and Garrett Schumann.

The instrumentation and personnel

The instrumentation and personal for this concert depend upon the works submitted. However, we will limit our composers to ensembles of 8 pieces or fewer (without piano or any non-portable instrument), and anticipate a small chamber ensemble - flute, clarinet, horn, trumpet, violin, viola, violoncello, percussion - made up of volunteer Shepherd School students. Electronic works will also be allowed, though only those within the capabilities of a small amplification system.

Project Timeline 

December - Negotiate with Houston Parks and Recreation Department (Vanessa Wade, contact) to reserve concert space and date. - Organize details with Urban Harvest and The Park People. - Meet with composers involved and begin writing site-inspired works. January - Recruit performers and begin working on publicity. - Continue writing music. - Solicit restaurants and growers for refreshments. February - Deadline for submitted works. - Schedule program, begin publicizing concert. - Secure stage and lighting. March - Rehearse music. - Print programs. - Iron out final details.

Special Equipment Needed 

We will require a small stage (approx. 4' x 8'), perimeter and stage lighting, and some chairs. We hope to acquire as much of this as possible from volunteers/donors, but if needs be, ACME Rentals offers excellent rates on such items. We will bring our own recording equipment and amplification, though we will pay an engineer to record the concert.;Houston Parks and Recreation Department.

Name of organization sponsor

Faculty Sponsor

Karim Al-Zand

Include a detailed budget

The following are MAXIMUM figures based on ACME Rentals' 2007 price chart. We hope to secure as much of this equipment as possible by donation. Stage (three 4'x4' sections): $78 Perimeter lighting (100 ft.): $37 Stage lighting: $31.50 Chairs (100 at $1/chair): $100 Posters: $200 Recording: $100 Moving: $50 Total: $596.50

Objectives

"The Nuts & Bolts of Prepared Piano" As a strong advocate for the music of our time, I believe that children and young adults have the ability to appreciate new sounds and ideas easily and openly. Working from the ground up---meaning, presenting new(er) music to young audiences, is a chance to cultivate audiences of the future, while also informing them of music of other cultures and viewpoints. My project proposal aims to introduce the unique sounds of the prepared piano to local music students, especially pianists and percussionists, enrolled at the High School for the Performing Arts. I would like to present John Cage's masterpiece for prepared piano, the Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano (1946-1948). This piece makes musical references to a diverse array of cultures--Indonesian gamelan, African percussion rhythms, and Indian aesthetics. I believe this piece crosses many cultural and musical boundaries, and serves as an ideal ambassador to reach out to young ears. This project is a collaboration with APERIO, a 501(c)3 chamber music series, whose mission is to present music of the Americas to local audiences. The Sonatas and Interludes will be presented alongside another work for prepared piano, entitled Rauschenberg, written by a Shepherd School alum composer Erin Watson, which also utilizes nuts, bolts, and other objects inserted inside the piano. The concert has been approved by the Director of Piano Studies of HSPVA, who is enthusiastic about the opportunity to present this repertoire to a diverse body of students of HSPVA. The instrumentation consists of one piano. The personnel is Kimi Kawashima, pianist. The concert/demonstration hopes to take place on April 28th at the High School for the Performing Arts. Several meetings with the Director of Piano Studies will occur prior to the concert. Hopefully, there will be an opportunity to demonstrate how to prepare the piano and have students experiment on the instrument, so they may be more familiar with the music prior to attending the concert. Recording equipment (including mics, and video and audio recording).

Name of organization sponsor

Faculty Sponsor

Brian Connelly

Include a detailed budget

Piano rental: APERIO sponsored Piano moving: $650 by Forshey Recording equipment: $400 Program and flyer design/printing: $100

Objectives 

We would like to introduce the intimacy of chamber music and the excitement of new music into the daily lives of young students who may be considering a career in music.

We are interested in performing a new work for our ensemble composed by Brett Abigana, a professor at New England Conservatory. He is also our flutist's brother and has worked extensively with us in the past. We would like to perform this piece to not only expand the repertoire for our ensemble, but also to introduce exciting young composers to the community.

Our planned project is to perform educational concerts and give open rehearsals for three surrounding schools' music programs and to work with them on their own music on a more personal level. Our hope is to have an "open rehearsal" setting in which they watch and respond as we continue to develop our understanding of the piece. This would demonstrate to them how a new work is put together, and also get their feedback on how we might improve it. Then we hope to coach a group from each school and help them develop their own rehearsal skills and performance ideas. The culmination of the project would be a final recital in a central location where each schools' groups would perform their projects, and we would perform the Abigana.

Proposed instrumentation and personnel

Our ensemble is a trio for flute, clarinet, and bassoon involving Hilary Abigana, Amy Chung, and Rachael Young, respectively.

Project Timeline

We would like to go to each school once a month to work with their students with the final recital being at the end of April.

Name of organization sponsor

Faculty Sponsor

Mr. Benjamin Kamins

Include a detailed budget

Local transportation costs: 180 miles/month at $3/gallon = $400 for gas; copying costs/rental fee for Abigana: $200, copying costs for students: $100 recital costs (rental and reception): $200; advertising costs for recital: $100; total: $1000 (introducing new music to eager young students: priceless)