New Harmonies

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New Harmonies

• Celebrating American Roots Music

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New Harmonies Unique Design

• 800 square feet
• 8 free standing sections
• 13 musical instruments and objects in cases
• 7 interactive components
• 3 audio components and a central listening
  station
• Features design with textures to suggest the feel
  and history of the music

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2007 Tour Review

• Hosted for year long tours in Guam, Idaho,
  Illinois, Mississippi, and Washington
• Booked in 30 towns with average population of
  12,086
• Increase in the number of programs (every weekend
  in IL and MS)
• Increase in publicity

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New Harmonies Installation
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Installation
(Meridian, MS)
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Installation
(Meridian, Mississippi)
(Guam)
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Interactive Instruments
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Audio
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Dance
Cajun Zydeco
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Listening Station
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Reports from the Field
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Press coverage

• I was so overwhelmed by the opening event of
  the Smithsonian traveling exhibitionwe were
  treated to music, food, family, and best of all,
  it was so special for our community. People who
  missed the opening of New Harmonies missed the
  best event I have attended in years. The
  community should be proud of what I think was the
  best of the best in Mississippi.
• Vicksburg, MS letter to the editor

• Music has a way of bringing people together
• Music offers people an opportunity to share
  something about who they are and where they came
  from

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Showcase local

• Newspaper articles featured 16 local musicians in
  New Albany, MS
• James Cotton Blues band played in Burley, ID and
  other local musicians who played at the dance
  hall were featured in an exhibition

(Inarajan, Guam opening)
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Local Exhibitions

• Jimmie Rodgers, the Father of Country Music, and
  David and Jimmy Ruffin of the Temptations were
  featured in an exhibition in Meridian, MS

• Exhibition in Newton, IL showcased Burl Ives
• Burley, ID developed an exhibition on the
  heritage of the Shoshone Bannock Indians

(Senior art exhibit, New Albany, MS)
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Local Exhibitions

• Guam Territorial Band Society, Tumon, Guam
  developed an exhibition about bands on the island
  over the past 150 years.
• An exhibit at the Peleliu Club of Guam explored
  the importance of traditional music in cultural
  events in Palauan society.

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Music Festivals
Music festivals in Burley, ID, New Albany and
Meridian, MS
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Dance
Meridian and New Albany, MS and Tumon and
Inarajan, Guam
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Special Programs
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Press Coverage Promotional Opportunities

• Meridian, MS, hosted a day long kick off event
  with music in the park and a free program at the
  Riley Center at night showcasing MS roots music
• Mississippi Humanities Council and Mississippi
  Public Broadcasting developed an hour
  documentary, New Harmonies Celebrating the Roots
  of American Music, featuring the opening program
  in Meridian, MS. It broadcasted through out the
  year in each community hosting New Harmonies.

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Clippings
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Training workshops
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Teacher Institutes

• ID Teacher Institute about Roots Music sponsored
  by the Paul G. Allen Foundation, included Bob
  Santelli and Allen Jabbour as faculty
• MS hosted a statewide teacher workshop on the
  Roots Music of Elvis

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Creative Program Initiatives

• Illinois Humanities Council developed a CD set of
  IL roots music with extensive jacket notes. Sold
  statewide.
• Illinois Arts Council supported the development
  of a CD, Galena Roots Music, featuring 20 area
  musicians of music brought to the area by
  immigrants. Extensive jacket notes chronicle the
  history of Galena roots music. 1000 CDs were
  produced and sold in area businesses.
• Guam Humanities Council hosted an event,
  Micronesia Sound Waves, demonstrating the
  importance of music for the different cultures in
  Micronesia.

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Scholar Initiatives

• ID scholar, Gary Eller, traveled the state to
  collect ID roots music and hosted song swaps with
  local musicians
• William R. Ferris did a program in Vicksburg
  about MS Blues Roots music
• Scholars at the Historic Inalahan Foundation
  developed a program called Chamoro Music
  Contributions to Americans Diversity
• Sequim, WA did a program called Planking to
  Plucking, about local instrument makers

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Attendance records impact communities

• Galena, IL (pop. 3600) reports 32 increase in
  paid admissions, 375 increase in member
  attendance, and 225 increase in group/student
  attendance.
• Approximately 1500 room nights were booked in
  Galena due to New Harmonies programming,
  translating into an economic impact to the
  destination of 225,000
• The Southern Cultural Foundation in Vicksburg, MS
  broke attendance records and raised 55,000 for
  the museum

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Thank You!...
Dominica Tolentino (GU) Jennifer Armstrong
(ID) Ryan Lewis (IL) David Morgan
(MS) Ellen Terry (WA)

You Rock!