Join us for our upcoming
Music Open House
August Open House Date Coming Soon!
Steppin’ Out Dance Studio
697 South Van Ness Avenue
(corner of South Van Ness and 18th Street)
Introduction to Instrumental Music
SAMP’s “Introduction to Instrumental Music” open houses have been open to all San Francisco Bay Area kids and their families, free of charge, since 2015.
These events are part ethnomusicology workshop, part informal house concert, and part eclectic music shop, connecting kids and families to musical traditions from around the world, great local musicians, and their communities.
HOW DO THE OPEN HOUSES WORK?
The Introduction to Instrumental Music open houses have a free-flowing format in which families are welcomed, free of charge, to pick up, play, and experiment on any instrument for as long as they are inclined.
They can choose from over 50 instruments, such as the African mbira (thumb piano), the Andean siku (panpipe), Chinese hand drums, a zydeco tie, and a collection of traditional string, wind, and percussion instruments from around the world.
Depending on their temperament and inclinations, some children may stay on one instrument their whole visit, while others prefer to try multiple instruments very quickly. The beautiful part of the open houses is that there’s no right or wrong way to do anything!
HOW DID THIS ALL START?
The inspiration behind the open houses was born from SAMP founder Matt Small’s work as a bassist, arranger, and composer with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble (SRE). The SRE is comprised of master musicians representing musical traditions from around the world.
Small has found that in order to work best with musicians from different traditions, musicians must develop a mix of open-mindedness, deep research of foreign artistic concepts, and the willingness to see the world from someone else’s perspective.
These concepts aren’t just important for professional musicians working across musical traditions, though, they help to form a powerful educational framework that kids of any age can benefit from.
Since the 2015/2016 pilot workshops, SAMP has continuously adjusted, refined, and expanded the educational programming model in response to community feedback and enthusiasm.
BUILDING CULTURAL BRIDGES:
When SAMP began its educational programming in 2015, SAMP decided to focus on sharing musical traditions from around the world with kids and their families, attempting to help build cultural bridges through the study of instrumental music traditions.
The SF Bay Area’s bountiful cultural diversity makes it the perfect place for SAMP’s music education programming as we can learn from, and be radically inclusive of, our myriad local communities and the musical cultures they represent.
“It’s amazing to see the connection from hand to instrument to the ‘light bulb’ in their eyes.”
Through this cultural connectivity, SAMP hopes to fight against prejudice, racism, and cultural intolerance—in all its forms—within and outside of our local community. By reaching young kids and their families SAMP hopes to sow the seeds of tolerance and cultural exchange that will build bridges within the local community and beyond.
Inspiring kids to learn about their own cultural heritage, and how those musical roots cross paths and influence other cultures, will hopefully lead towards building future generations who hold cultural understanding and tolerance as a core value in their lives. Music is a powerful force that brings people together, and SAMP aims to harness that power to build a brighter future.
“This is such a wonderful offering, my son loved it!
Thank you!”
LEARN MORE:
If you are a parent or caregiver and would like to hear about future dates for our free open houses, please contact us and ask to join the email list. In the meantime, check out our Home Music Education video series for you to explore with your kids now!
If you are a past/present/future funder and you’d like to know more about our classes, or have further questions about our education program, please contact us though our contact page. You can view more program details HERE.
“Too many music classes consist of just a teacher telling everyone what to do, while us parents just passively watch.
Being able to just enjoy various instruments together, while also having these two great guides/educators available to encourage and teach us how to use the instruments (as well as where they come from and their cultural significance), is a rare treat.”
DONATE:
If you'd like to support Small Art Music Projects and the educational work we do in the local community, we'd be honored to accept your donation through our PayPal nonprofit donation link.
In January 2022, SAMP’s entire instrument collection was stolen. You can read what happened here: Instrument Collection Theft
To make a donation of any size, just click on the "DONATE HERE!" link and it will go to Small Art Music Projects' donation page: DONATE HERE!
THANK YOU!
Small Art Music Projects’ music-at-home video series is a great way to have fun making instruments with common items for fun!
“Thank you for sharing all your instruments and know-how with us.
This is so valuable.”
“This is an excellent opportunity to expose my child to real, diverse instruments in a fun environment.
She was able to make as much or as little noise as she wanted to. I even learned about new instruments and enjoyed playing with them as an adult. I am truly grateful for this opportunity to expose my 3-year-old daughter to all these different sounds!”
“Today was the first time my son got to play real instruments!
He loved every minute of it. He seems to have a particular fondness for the ukulele and stringed instruments. It was a blast for all of us!”
This activity is sponsored, in part, by a grant from Grants for the Arts
