“Making Musical Difference“
July 4-25, 2012 at Gesundheit Institute, WV
What music does the world need, now? Not only as an output, reflecting the world as it is, but as an input to the world we desire? This is a question for people passionate about composing, performing, and listening.
Composing: When I arrange elements such that they become parts of a new whole, previously unimaginable to you.
Performing: When, having an intention, I choose from a range of ways to perform that intention, attending to consequences.
Listening: When, having experienced something, I take an active role in determining how it is talked about, and thus what, exactly, happened.
What kinds of consequences do you dream your music having?
Music has a vocabulary for describing changes over time—how can movements for social change benefit from this vocabulary? What kinds of consequences can social change vocabulary suggest for music? When you’re holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail. So, what does the world look like when we fill our tool belts with each other’s desires for a better world, and build it? When we hold our desires in one hand and design tools in the other? What kind of music would be a consequence of the world you desire?
You are invited to a three-week residency at the Gesundheit! Institute to devote time and attention to these questions with us. Teachers will instigate music, poetry, theater, clowning, art, design, body movement, and social movement, and offer conceptual tools for use in any medium.
Who attends?
This invitation was crafted to speak particularly to those with a musical background; we also welcome artists, caregivers, designers, anyone willing to try things out. (Another invitation over here.)
Who is offering this?
Organizers and presenters include: Melanie Meltzer, Jacob Barton, Elizabeth Adams, Mark Enslin, Dario Solina. For more information, see this page.
How do I apply?
Cost: $1200 for tuition, room, board and transportation pick up & return.
Limited partial scholarships available.
To apply fill in the form with your contact information and statement of interest and send a $200 non-refundable deposit, either online with the secure payment button or by mailing a check made out to School for Designing a Society to Box 7, Independent Media Center, 202 S. Broadway, Urbana, IL 61801. We are only accepting 20 participants and we suggest you submit your application as soon as possible to guarantee your spot.
The School for Designing a Society does not discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
General Information
Facilities Gesundheit! consists of a 300-acre pristine tract of farm and mountain land in rural West Virginia, with gardens, a multi-story workshop, mountain hiking trails, creeks, a lake, and clean air and water. The dacha, with its onion domes and Russian architecture, serves as a residence and meeting place, and has won awards for its unique design.
Travel Information
Arrivals, Sunday, July 4:
AMTRAK: the westbound train arrives in White Sulphur Springs, WV at 5pm; the eastbound train arrives at 11:25am.
BY AIR: the Greenbrier Airport in Lewisburg is served by Delta Airlines and Continental airlines.
Departures, Wednesday, July 25
AMTRAK: the eastbound train departs White Sulphur Springs, WV at 11:25am, the westbound train at 5pm.
Gesundheit staff will shuttle people to and from the train station in White Sulphur Springs and the airport in Lewisburg on Wednesday, July 25.
BY CAR: on I-64 at Lewisburg, WV exit onto 219 going north. After about 40 minutes, turn right on Locust Creek Road (veers sharply down opposite a sign for quarter horses, 2 miles south of Hillsboro. The turn is easy to miss—if you find yourself in Hillsboro, you’ve driven 2 miles past the turn!). Take Locust Creek Road for about 10 minutes, over a bridge; the Gesundheit sign will be on the right. Follow the gravel road all the way past the workshop to the parking area near the farmhouse and Dacha. Gesundheit is located in a rural, mountainous area, so the roads are narrow and winding. It’s good to make travel plans in advance. Please plan to arrive at dinner time on July 4 and to leave after breakfast on July 25.