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museum of making music

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1 SPRING 2014

director’s note

“If you’re lucky enough to play music, even on an informal level, you know it’s something special. It might introduce you to people, it might take you many places, it might just save your life.”

H A R RY F L E I S H M A N , L U T H I E R , M U S I C I A N , T E A C H E R , I N N O VAT O R

We’re Back Welcome to the inaugural issue of Notes, the re-invented and re-designed newsletter of the Museum of Making Music. This new publication will not attempt to tell you about everything that has happened, is happening, or will happen at the Museum… We tried that. (Remember InTune?) It didn’t really work. (One major reason was because there’s just too much going on here at the Museum!)

Instead, Notes will showcase some of the Museum projects, programs or special moments that we feel are of particular interest and value to you—our supporters and members.

Notes will be mailed out three times a year and will complement the other communications you already receive from us, which include weekly e-blasts, monthly printed calendars, special invitations and letters. They are all part of an informational package that we hope keeps you up-to-date and engaged with the Museum.

Although we’re very excited about the new content and look of this revised newsletter, we realize a few tweaks or refinements may be needed over the next couple of issues. Call it a work in progress. So let us know what you think about Notes, since we are always looking to improve. After all, this is a publication that is designed to serve you.

The re-invention of the newsletter is just one of the exciting initiatives included in the Museum’s new Strategic Plan (2014-2016). This plan incorporates a freshly honed Mission Statement, a Vision Statement that aligns with NAMM (the National Association of Music Merchants, the global association with which we are affiliated), a clarification of our Core Beliefs, and a series of goals with related outcomes to achieve over the next three years.

We don’t have room to print the whole Strategic Plan here— and that’s probably a good thing—because even though we’re very excited about the goals and objectives articulated in the Plan, let’s face it, these types of documents can be pretty dry. But, this new Plan was not written just to be filed in a drawer. Rather, it’s a document that guides the staff on a daily basis and in upcoming issues of Notes, we hope to be able to show you how the priorities of the Plan are integrated and incorporated into every aspect of the Museum’s many programs and initiatives.

That said, I think it’s important to share at least the Museum’s Vision and Mission with you at this time: VISION: We envision a world in which the joy of making music is a precious element of daily living for everyone; a world in which every child has a deep desire to learn music and a recognized right to be taught; and in which every adult is a passionate champion and defender of that right.

MISSION: The Museum of Making Music explores the accomplishments and impact of the music products industry through educational and interactive exhibitions and programs, and directly connects visitors with hands-on music making.

These are the words that inspire us daily and guide our work as we explore and celebrate the process of music making— that enduring creative relationship between people, musical instruments and the music we make. We hope you’ll join us on this journey of discovery. c a r o ly n g r a n t , e x e c u t i v e d i r e c t o r

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We envision a world in which the joy of making music is a precious element of daily living for everyone; a world in which every child has a deep desire to learn music and a recognized right to be taught; and in which every adult is a passionate champion and defender of that right.

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exhibition exhibition

The Banjo: A New Day for an Old Instrument On Saturday, March 29, 2014, our newest exhibition, The Banjo: A New Day for an Old Instrument, opens in our special exhibition gallery. Why the banjo? Well, in case you haven’t turned on the radio or television, checked out YouTube, been to a music store, or read a popular magazine lately, the banjo is, quite simply, making a comeback. Big time.

Need proof? Just listen to award-winning musicians like Mumford & Sons, Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Otis Taylor or Steve Martin (yes, the wild and crazy Steve Martin). Or Béla Fleck, arguably the most talented banjo player of the day, with his 26 GRAMMY® nominations and 13 awards.

Better still, come visit this new exhibition and discover for yourself why the banjo is enjoying such a renaissance. What you will find are more than 50 beautiful and specially selected examples of the instrument spanning over a century, a video showcasing a wide variety of banjo-playing styles, and informational panels that take you down the banjo’s social as well as musical history—a history filled with intriguing and unexpected stories.

(See the next page for more about the exhibition’s themes and storylines.)

This exhibition also has a strong hands-on component—an important element in all MoMM’s special exhibitions—so there is no need to practice the “air banjo.” Instead, visitors have the opportunity to pick up and play an actual acoustic or electric banjo. And there is also a take-home resource guide available—which just might set you on a banjo music-making path for life!

If you play banjo or want to participate in an introductory workshop, you can come to our “Local Banjo Showcase” on Labor Day weekend. If you just love to hear the banjo being played by supreme artists, you should come to our concerts that will accompany the exhibition. (See the back page for information about three of those concerts.) Whether the banjo is new to you, or you’re a veteran banjo player or enthusiast, we are certain there’s something to engage you in this exhibition, which continues through October 31, 2014.

...visitors have the opportunity to pick up and play an actual acoustic or electric banjo...

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More about “The Banjo” exhibition Listening to the music of Béla Fleck or Mumford & Sons today on an iPod, the plains and forests of West Africa seem rather far away. And yet, those are the banjo’s roots.

The idea of stretching an animal skin across a gourd and tapping on it rhythmically is nearly as old as music itself. Add a long neck and a few gut strings and you have a banjo. The earliest banjo-like instruments originated in West Africa. Griots, or storytellers, played the ngoni or xalam. The akonting, a lute with a long neck and three strings, is probably the modern-day banjo’s closest relative. The instrument journeyed to the Caribbean Islands in the 17th century and eventually to the American South as part of the largest forced migration in human history—the Atlantic Slave Trade.

By the late 19th century, the Industrial Revolution was in full gear. A rising middle class in America’s growing cities enjoyed leisure time to pursue the arts, theater and above all, music.

Families spent evenings in the parlor playing the piano and singing popular tunes. The banjo, once seen as the instrument of the “depraved,” was now accepted into this Victorian family setting.

Instrument makers quickly responded to the banjo’s growing popularity and innovation flourished. The construction process moved from small artisan shops to small factories and dozens

Mumford & Sons’ Winston Marshall on banjo. Photo: Lewis Cooper, gonzoshots.com

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of banjo makers were operating, mostly in the Northeast. None did more to develop and promote the banjo than Samuel Swaim Stewart in Boston. Rather than being credited with a particular innovation, Stewart brought a scientific approach to the entire manufacturing process. He improved nearly every aspect of the banjo, and by 1891, his 12 workers were turning out 250 banjos a month.

While Ragtime roared in the late 1890s, it was another musical style—jazz—that spurred the next phase of the banjo’s story two decades later… But we can’t tell you the whole story here.

Not enough space, and besides, that’s what the exhibition is all about.

You’ll want to visit the Museum to learn more about the “plectrum” banjo, and about Greg and Janet Deering who opened the Deering Banjo Company in San Diego in 1975. Of course, the banjo’s story wouldn’t be complete without the turbulent ‘60s and the folk revival. And the exhibition title does state “A New Day…” so we’ll bring you right up to the present, with the banjo’s integration into orchestral music and the latest innovations going on in the field.

So put away those preconceived notions about the banjo...this exhibition is sure to surprise and delight everyone who visits.

in their own words

Exploring Connections Why is music making important to you?

How would you describe the connection you have to the instrument(s) you play? another language, another realm that I dive into. It takes me away from the mundane and it puts me in a state of mind where there are endless possibilities. a l l a n p h i l l i p s

Two pretty straightforward questions… and yet the answers range far and wide—depending, of course, on who is responding. Here at the Museum of Making Music, we are in a unique position to be able to ask those questions of a diverse array of people—renowned and amateur musicians, music industry professionals, teachers, parents, students and our walk-in visitors. We’ll share these responses with you in upcoming newsletters and in future video montage pieces presented here in the museum.

Music is my life force. It’s always been the way that I felt connected to myself and maybe to some higher force, if that exists, and perhaps most importantly, to other people. ruth moody

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Allan Phillips is a multi-instrumental virtuoso, Venezuelan-born of African descent. He’s an Emmy-winning composer and producer, one of the leaders of a generation of composer-producers with one eye on tradition and another on innovation.

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Here then is an initial sampling. Even in these early stages of the project, there seem to be a few threads that recur in the responses, such as the impact of one’s family, the importance of sharing music with others for the betterment of society, and the connection—an almost spiritual one—to one’s instrument. There will be more… We hope you join us as the Museum embarks on this ongoing project of inquiry.

Music means my life to me. I had a rough upbringing in an underprivileged family, but every time I heard music as a little kid, it transported me. I started picking up instruments and all of a sudden, that was my salvation. That was my way of releasing all kinds of energies and being able to relax and being able to focus my energies into a positive environment.

I am a multi-instrumentalist, therefore my connection is with sound in general. I hear vibrations and I feel like there is

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Gordon Grubbs, cellist, is on the faculty at Grossmont College, a principal cellist of the Grossmont Symphony and Grossmont String Quartet,and a member of Quartetto Sorrento.

Ruth Moody is a two-time Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter from Winnipeg, Manitoba and founding member of the Billboard-charting trio, The Wailin’ Jennys, which has appeared more than a dozen times on public radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion.”

Music making to me, personally, is the fulfillment of promise. My mother was a professional musician. She married young and in those days (1930s), she was obligated to give up her career and raise the family. There were five of us born over quite a few years, and I’m the youngest. She had been looking for a musician the whole time, and she finally got one in me. What I found was that music was the language that I spoke…that spoke to me, and that I spoke it rather natively.

I started with piano. As soon as I was old enough to study an instrument in school, I picked up the violin. However, there was one cello in the beginning class, and I knew that that was my voice. So as soon as I could change, I did. And the rest is history. g o r d o n g r u b b s

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membership

Compose your Own Membership We know that music making is a very personal thing, and that each one of you engages with it in a different way. We think the same can be said for your involvement with and experience of the Museum. Therefore, we want to let you have a say in shaping your involvement—in effect, “composing” your own membership plan and benefits to mold the way you interact with the various offerings of the Museum.

We’ll be rolling out this new membership

Don’t worry though, we will not be increasing current membership levels and prices in 2014. Rather, we will be adding some exciting new membership components from which you can choose—in a way that best serves you!

will be an exciting and thoroughly engaging

For instance…do you really enjoy our concerts and intimate performance space? If so, you might want to select a “concert-focused” membership. Among other things, this type of membership would enable you to receive a discount on seats in our performance space, which, by the way, is being upgraded with new sound and lighting equipment!

Or if you would like to be fully engaged in our museum community and programs, our “visionary membership” might be for you. This type of membership will give you an extensive combination of benefits including reserved premium seating at five concerts each year, individual and company recognition online and electronically at the entrance to the museum, private tours, trips to see the museum’s subsidized programming first hand, and invitations to receptions prior to exhibition openings.

Are you fascinated by our exhibitions? If so, an “exhibition-focused” membership might be of interest to you. With a private pre-opening view of special exhibitions, a gallery talk with museum staff, a private tour of an instrument manufacturing company, and a 20% discount on books in the museum store, you will gain valuable knowledge and insights through these exclusive behind-the-scenes benefits designed for exhibition-focused members.

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initiative later this spring, but it’s not too soon to start thinking about it. What is of most interest or value to you? We think it new venture for the Museum— and for you.

The Museum of Making Music, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit institution, is a division of the NAMM Foundation.

NON-PROFIT ORG U . S . P O S TA G E PA I D PERMIT NO. 245 CARLSBAD, CA

5790 ARMADA DRIVE CARLSBAD CA 92008

March 29

June 21

June 13 Victoria Ghost Saturday, March 29 @ 7:00 p.m.

The opening celebration of The Banjo: A New Day for an Old Instrument features siblings Ashley and Shannon Campbell, protégés of their legendary father, Glen Campbell.

Known as Victoria Ghost, this duo plays an exciting mix of old-time favorites and fresh new sounds that break the predictable mold.

They’ll be joined this evening by Will Carter (on dobro) in a concert you won’t want to miss.

Sammy Shelor & The Lonesome River Band Friday, June 13 @ 7:00 p.m.

Sammy has come a l-o-n-g way from his early days, when his grandfather fashioned an old pressure cooker lid so he could start playing the banjo at age four! Today he’s the leader of the wildly popular Lonesome River Band and has been voted Banjo Player of the Year five times by his peers in the International Bluegrass Music Association and was the 2011 winner of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass.

Otis Taylor Band Saturday, June 21 @ 7:00 p.m.

Blues singer, guitarist, and banjoist extraordinaire, Otis Taylor leads a band that is known for its power, intellect, and unique style. On June 21st, you can hear for yourself; it should be an unforgettable evening of music.

www.museumofmakingmusic.org general info 760.438.5996 tickets 760.304.5844 8

design : leah roschke studiografik