Arts Greenhouse Workshop Announcement
Poetry 2 Performance:
From writing to rocking
What makes a poetry performance different than a poetry reading? How can a poet’s delivery dramatically affect their audience’s reaction? On Thursday, March 25th between 4-6pm, the Arts Greenhouse invites teens from across the city to participate in a workshop that addresses these questions and more. Hosted at the 3 Rivers Computer Clubhouse in East Liberty (also known as, Phase 4 Learning Center, 5854 Baum Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15206), professional poets will lead a hands-on workshop for teens on how to transform their written words from sitting on the page to living on the stage! All levels of experience are welcome to this free workshop.
If you—or a teen you know—would like to join the student performers from 3 Rivers Computer Clubhouse and Peabody High School, contact Amos Levy Amos Levy at amoslevy@cmu.edu, or call (412) 268-5269.
In the past 25 years, poetry slams have led a revolution in performance of poetry. For centuries the public presentation of poetry has centered on reading. Authors would stand fairly still, eyes cast down into their text, and carefully read their work. In the 1980s, this style was challenged by poetry slams, which popularized throwing out the text, freeing authors to gesture, jump, spin, whisper, shout, and sigh. The performance poet memorized their material and used all the powers of delivery they could muster to create a powerful experience for their audience.
The techniques of performance poetry will be the focus of the workshop on March 25th. Participants will discuss (and get a chance to practice!) essential elements of poetry performance: posture, body language, tone of voice, and how to inject emotion into the delivery of words. These skills can take a lifetime to master, but the workshop leaders will set participants down the right path.
Photos From Truth About the Booth
Thanks to everyone who came to the Truth About the Booth workshop, and a special thanks to our panelists: Herman Pearl, Riccardo Schulz, E-Nyse, Freestyle and J Armstead Brown.
Arts Greenhouse Workshop Announcement
Truth About the Booth:
How To Record Hip-Hop Like A Pro
For those of us outside the music industry, “the booth” is the sound isolation room in which a vocalist records their performance. Movies and TV shows give us a glimpse of how professional artists record in the booth, but their full process is rarely revealed.
On Friday, February 19th, the Arts Greenhouse will be cracking open the world of hip-hop recording and sharing insight into what goes on beyond the studio door. The event will feature talented rappers, hip-hop producers, and recording engineers from across the region—including Freestyle, Riccardo Schulz, Soy Sos, and J. Armstead Brown. Poet Luqman Abdus-salaam will moderate a panel discussion, followed by a recording demo with rapper Freestyle. Participants will have an opportunity to engage with professionals, ask questions, and learn how tracks are produced.
The workshop aims to empower young people by helping them understand how to create their own music. The Arts Greenhouse believes that hip-hop can be a vehicle for artistic, social and economic empowerment by enabling teens to own and create their own culture. The potential of hip-hop is often obscured by the sensationalized and corporate hip-hop that reaches mainstream magazines and TV often obscures the real potential of this art. The Arts Greenhouse is committed to building positive hip-hop culture from the ground up by working directly with teens.
All teens and university students interested in recording hip-hop or being a producer of any sort are invited to participate!
The event will take place at Carnegie Mellon’s College of Fine Arts Building, Room A6 (the recording studio) between 4:30pm—6:30pm. For more information contact the Amos Levy at (412) 268-5269 or visit .
click for map and info on the featured guests:
Free Download – Teaching Music With Reason
This past Fall I learned that Propellerhead Software had made their “Teaching Music with Reason” package available as a free downloadable package. Ostensibly, they made this decision because Teaching Music with Reason was not updated for their most recent software version. Rather than totally scrap the package, they took a philanthropic step to give it to the education community. However, the company has wavered in their noble intentions, as the software download link on their website no longer works.
Since Teaching Music with Reason can no longer be found for download anywhere on the internet, I’ve decided to make it available through the Arts Greenhouse page. Click the following link to download: http://www.divshare.com/download/10326250-9a2
Reason is the primary program that the Arts Greenhouse uses to teach hip-hop music composition. We are working on adapting portions of Teaching Music with Reason for our workshops. If you have made your own adaptations, are interested in comparing notes, or have any related questions, feel free to contact us.
