Creative Music Encounter - June 3, 2023
"On June 3rd, 2023 Nameless Sound presented an important project that we have been working towards for some time, a music festival for the kids from our various sites! Creative Music Encounter was a festival for the kids of our Creative Music Communities sessions, and they had a chance to form bands and write songs for the event! Performers included The Kijana Champions, Anzures, Lopez, Muñoz, Reece, and Streatfield, The Corder Notes, & David Dove and some of the members of his Improv Workshop (Andrulitis, Fielder, Gross, McCarter, Moore, Porat, Ward, and Ward). To prepare for the event, the bands rehearsed with our facilitators, The Kijana Champions were guided by Sonia Flores and Mark Medina, Jason Jackson worked with Anzures, Lopez, Muñoz, Reece, and Streatfield, and David Dove and Sofia Bernstein helped The Corder Notes prepare (mind you all of the facilitators were also part of the bands)!
Leading up to the festival, our facilitators also conducted private lessons for the kids who were singer/songwriters and guitar players. This festival also included a visual element, and Project Coordinator Sofia Bernstein collected drawings from the kids across our sites and made a video with band names and logos (some designed by the kids) as well! Prior to the festival, multimedia artist Gabriel Martinez facilitated a screen-printing workshop for the kids, and designed a shirt specifically for our festival.
The Creative Music Encounter was held at MECA, and all of the bands had a chance to perform with visuals that coordinated with their set. At the end, David Dove curated special first-time performances where kids from our sessions improvised with the adult members of our Improv Workshop. We want to give a special shout out to Cochinita & Co. and Victoria Elizondo for providing lunch for our artists!
It was a really special day, and we are eager to do it again! "
-Sofia Bernstein