One Beat: Musical Exchange

One Beat Logo (State Department)

One Beat is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and administered by Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation. Applications will be received online at http://www.onebeatmusic.org/.

Timeline
January 16, 2012: Application Opens
February 24, 2012: Application Closes
April 2012: OneBeat Fellows Notified
September 11-October 7, 2012: Program dates

Selection criteria
1. Musical Excellence – A high level of performance, composition, improvisational, production and/or technological skill. Ideally OneBeat musicians will be innovating either stylistically, lyrically, or technologically within their musical worlds.

2. Collaboration —Applicants’ willingness to cross cultural and genre divides in creating original music, or re-interpreting traditional music, while trying to maintain the essence of each tradition.

3. Social Engagement -- Musicians who have used music to serve their communities or greater societies. This might consist of starting a music school, promoting peace and democracy through musical content, reviving dying musical traditions, and more. In addition, participants should be eager to tour to smaller- and mid-sized cities of the U.S. to engage with citizens including other artists through performances, workshops, discussions, and social activities. 

4. Age – Applicants must be 19-35.

5. English Proficiency – Applicants should be able to converse in basic English, as it will be the common language of all OneBeat fellows.

6. Country of Origin – OneBeat fellows must live full-time in one of the 38 eligible countries, and have not traveled to the U.S. or have rarely performed in the U.S.

7. Internet Proficiency – Ideally participants should actively use email and be able to connect to the internet to participate in OneBeat website-based activities.

Program
OneBeat will consist of two segments, each of which will run for about two weeks. OneBeat Fellows will have their travel, room, and board costs covered.

Residency
OneBeat begins with two-week retreat at the Atlantic Center for the Arts (www.atlanticcenterforthearts.org) nestled in the coastal mangrove forests of Northeastern Florida. OneBeat Fellows will form cross-cultural ensembles that spontaneously invent new musical works, record and mix them in the OneBeat state-of-the art mobile studios, and work with master musicians from a variety of musical traditions. While collaborating on the invention of original music, OneBeat Fellows will dialogue about the role of music in society, run workshops with youth and community groups, and develop strategies for social engagement in their home countries.

Tour
OneBeat will tour from its base in Florida up the east coast, through the Appalachian mountains, Washington D.C., and finishing in New York City. At each tour location, OneBeat Fellows will jam with local musicians, perform the music they have developed during the residency, lead workshops with local youth and community groups, and continue to record and rehearse their original music.

The Fellows will engage with a wide variety of American musical cultures found throughout the south and culturally important American cities. In each location, the group will take up residence at a local arts organization, continuing to work on collaborative compositions and recordings, while also implementing the educational workshop curriculum they developed during the residency. Participants will also get a chance to experience unique talents and culture in each location by performing and recording with local musicians (adding tracks to works in progress and learning new tunes from local musicians), attending concerts, and exploring community cultural centers and attractions. At each location, one or two ensembles will give a performance at a public space.

Educational Outreach
A highlight of the OneBeat tour will be the implementation of innovative educational outreach in each location. In conjunction with a youth development or youth arts group in each city, each small group of Fellows will be given the opportunity to carry out their own educational programming as it was developed One Beat SM is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and administered by Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation and refined during the Residency. This will give both American and foreign participants the invaluable opportunity to teach young people through inventive and personally meaningful ways, and will encourage all Fellows to further develop their own strategies for educating and reaching out to a younger generation of musicians in their respective communities.

Audio
There will be a full time audio-engineer on staff with the program, and a mobile recording and editing studio with both high-tech and low-tech recording setups, a full set of microphones A/D converters and several workstations. Fellows of varying levels of degrees in audio technology proficiency are encouraged to apply to OneBeat.

Video
Video is essential to share OneBeat's work with a larger community, document the process, and provide feedback for the Fellows. Professional quality concert footage, music videos, and filmed youth workshops will increase the music's accessibility through social media, One Beat's website, and other avenues. The video footage will also allow Fellows to reflect on their performances and group work, and continue to refine them over the course of the program and beyond. OneBeat Fellows with an interest in video are encouraged to involve video production in their projects.

Staff
The OneBeat staff will include a number of U.S.-based musical Facilitators and Master Artists. Facilitators will be established professional musicians who will be part of the OneBeat ensembles for the duration of the program. Master Artists will join the program for shorter amounts of time, during which they will give workshops on specific musical topics.