Emergency Working Artist Project Grant FY21
Emergency Working Artist Project Grant FY21
Iron and Emeralds - To practice and coordinate with other musicians to develop my collection of original instrumental fiddle and piano songs
Tara Makinen: former-Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, musician; Tammy Mattonen: Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, visual artist, co-founder of Crescendo Youth Orchestra; Kathy Neff: musician, Director, Fine Arts Academy at the University of Minnesota-Duluth; Ron Piercy: jeweler, gallery owner; Emily Swanson: arts administrator at Oldenburg Arts and Cultural Community; Kris Nelson: artist, teacher; Roxann Berglund: musician; Bill Payne: Professor of Theater at the University of Minnesota-Duluth
Ron Piercy: jeweler, gallery owner; Laura Sellner: musician; Sarah Brokke Erickson: Associate Professor of Art at the University of Minnesota Duluth, visual artist
ACHF Arts Education
This funding will allow myself and other musicians to create instrumental music. It will employ musicians to create parts to my songs and then record them. Developing "Iron and Emeralds" will keep my creativity flowing as well as the musicians I hire to play on the compositions. If awarded the grant, I know I will complete the instrumental compositions in 6 months. Melodies have been running through my head for years and this grant will give me the motivation to focus and work with others to develop them. I was diagnosed with Otosclerosis this past summer, which is an inherited disorder which causes healing loss due the ear's inability to amplify sound. When someone has this condition, one of the ear bones is unable to vibrate freely. I currently have some hearing loss and depending on if the condition gets worse, I will have to have ear surgery and/or hearing aids. I feel that the time I have left with my current hearing is precious and needs to be used to create and record music while I still can. I am a person who finishes goals when I set them, and the hearing loss gives me even more determination and inspiration to complete this project. I have been awarded ARAC grants before and have always completed the requirements in a timely fashion.I will be successful when "Iron and Emeralds" has piano parts, guitar parts, twin fiddles, stand up bass, accordion, and steel guitar parts. Adding these instruments to my fiddle and piano compositions will make the emotions of the songs become more vivid. The majority of the fiddle songs will have piano back-up and this will be successful when Mary and I can play the songs together like one instrument. I will be successful with the more bluegrass sounding fiddle tunes when the bass, back up guitar, banjo, and steel guitar parts are written and worked out with these musicians. Writing the twin fiddle parts is something I am so excited to do. The goal of writing twin fiddle parts will have been successful when I have written the harmony and worked with fiddle player Shelley Aho to play the harmony part while I play the fiddle melody part.
This project allowed me time to continue to compose my instrumental songs and to practice with other musicians. Practicing with a guitar, stand-up bass, accordion, drummer, and pianist allowed me to develop my songs from a simple melody into a full sound. Adding a bass and drums on the faster tunes really enhanced the songs and gave the tunes more energy. Writing the songs with specific backup instruments in mind allowed me to be more creative in my compositions. It expanded my musical creativity and allowed me to write melodies and harmonies and have.a clear vision for recording these instrumental songs.