Special Projects
Presence Of is an ostinato based composition originally written for the 2023 National Teachers Summit in Austin, TX. The flexibility of the arrangement allowed all participants regardless of their experience on the guitar to fully participate in beautiful music making, and the repeat structure and layered approach allows this piece to be performed with many possible variations.
Where I’m From (music) is an ostinato based guitar ensemble composition intended to be performed with spoken-word poetry inspired by George Ella Lyon’s poem of the same name. It was originally composed and arranged for ACG’s 2022 National Teacher Summit in Austin, TX. Participants at the summit submitted poetry, and parts and phrases were compiled from the entries to form the final poem.
Open was composed for the 2021 ACG National Teachers Summit and was rehearsed/debuted during the training by a live ensemble with remote participants following along over a zoom session. The flexibility of the arrangement allowed all participants regardless of their experience on the guitar to fully participate in beautiful music making.
“Six Feet Together” was piece written by ACG staff member Justice Phillips in the spring semester of 2021 in collaboration with Lively Middle School’s Orchestra, Guitar, and Dance programs.
The purpose of this project is to engage students in an asynchronous, short-term, multimedia project in celebration of the Mexican Day of the Dead traditions through music and thoughtful expressions of joy and loss. Each student will create an individual ofrenda that includes multimedia elements such as a guitar recording, photos of a loved one who has passed, and video or photos of traditional decorations. These elements will be combined into a “musical altar” or short music video in offering and love of those passed.
Everything Changes at Once is a multimedia composition intended to give students and teachers a series of simple, meaningful assignments to develop into an expressive community art project during in-person or remote learning. It was originally created for use nationwide during the isolating times of Covid-19. The project includes a guitar orchestra piece composed of 13 different ostinato parts, each part varying in technical difficulty from easy beginner options to more advanced upper position parts. In addition to the music, there are a series of assignments designed to help students open up, to share their perspective and feelings.