News
December 1, 2015
NWS Fellows and Alumnus Win Knight Arts Challenge
Congratulations to New World Symphony Fellows Hannah Nicholas (viola) and Nathaniel Wolkstein (violin) and NWS alumnus David Connor (bass), who make up the band The alt Default, for winning a $9,000 matching grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The alt Default is leading a Collaborative Song-Writing Residency with the rock ensemble from Feinberg-Fisher K-8 on Miami Beach starting in January 2016.
“Our band is planning 12 workshops that will take the students into our own songwriting process and throughout the semester they will compose their own original song,” said Hannah.
The Collaborative Song-Writing Residency is designed to provide middle school students with the tools to write, compose, record and perform their songs during three concerts at the end of the school year.
“When we work together and create music together, what’s super important to us is the feeling of artistic freedom we all get when we are working together,” said David, “What we really hope to do with this project is bring that level of freedom and expression to middle school students and to let them know, even at their young age, that they can achieve this and they can do it right now and we can do it together and collaborate.”
The students will play alongside their mentors from The alt Default as well as other Fellows of the New World Symphony for their final performances. They will also make professional quality recordings of their songs, using recording equipment that will be purchased and donated to the school at the end of the residency.
The alt Default is an eclectic trio that plays everything from Middle Eastern folk music to synth infused original songs and strives to strengthen communities through their music. Listen to their music here, follow their journey on Twitter and Facebook and help them kickstart their fundraising campaign.
Congratulations to The alt Default!
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Posted in: Alumni, Fellows, News
