OneBeat℠ Music Exchange Program

THE U.S. EMBASSY IN THE KYRGYZ REPUBLIC ANNOUNCES A NEW MUSIC PROGRAM FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS

The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce the music exchange program OneBeat℠ for young professional musicians and advanced students (ages 19-35) from around the world to work with their American counterparts in the composition and performance of new cross-genre works.

Program Description:

OneBeat will bring musicians from around the world to collaborate in the creation and performance of new music, share and develop ways to use music to positively affect their communities, encourage cross-cultural understanding, and foster ways that diverse people can creatively and collaboratively address universal issues.

OneBeat will:

• energize the work of international musicians in their own countries;
• provide unique opportunities for musical collaboration, engagement, and performance among the international participants and with their American peers and American music professionals;
• provide participants with instructive and informative experiences in their art form;
• provide exposure to the creation and performance of world-class American music;
• create opportunities for sustaining relationships with U.S. arts professionals; and
• provide opportunities for educational outreach to American audiences and students.

The centerpiece of OneBeat will be month-long programs consisting of a U.S.-based residency and tour.

During the residencies, participants will form small collaborative ensembles that improvise across genres, reinvent traditional tunes, compose original work, record in the state-of-the-art OneBeat mobile studio, and prepare for performances and educational workshops. The groups will then tour to cities within the U.S. to perform the music they have developed during the residency, perform with local musicians, and partner with community-based organizations to conduct creative workshops with local youth. The program will culminate in a high-profile final concert, and a professionally-produced album featuring tracks recorded in the OneBeat mobile studio.

Program requirements:

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.

Musicians from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply, with or without formal musical training, from all genres, including but not limited to: hip-hop, traditional, experimental, electronic, jazz, classical, sound design, beatmaking, multimedia art, DJ-ing, audio engineering, or any combination of these styles. We are especially looking for musicians that have a strong commitment to their communities, are seeking new ways to engage youth, arts-in-education, music therapy, conflict resolution, and other ways of working towards more egalitarian and democratic societies.

How to Apply:

Musicians will apply online at www.onebeatmusic.org. Found Sound Nation will conduct an online application process where applicants will describe their musical journeys and why they are interested in being OneBeat Fellows. Applications will also include work samples (which can be in the form of audio, video, and/or written scores). Applicants are encouraged to include two to three letters of reference. 

Application Period for the September 2012 program:

January 16, 2012-Feb 16, 2012

Selected fellows will be notified by April 1, and will have 2 weeks to confirm their participation in the program.

27-28 foreign participants will be selected each year. All costs will be covered for the fellows, including travel, food, and accommodations. Fellows will also receive a per diem and modest honorarium.

*Kyrgyzstan is an eligible country*

List of eligible countries:

AF: South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Mali, Mozambique

EAP: China, Cambodia, Burma, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea, Hong Kong

EUR: Denmark, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Norway, Czech Republic

NEA: Egypt, Tunisia, Iraq, Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Israel

SCA: India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh

WHA: Venezuela, Bolivia, Haiti, Honduras, Panama, Jamaica

Program partners:

OneBeat is a program developed by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs and will be administered by the Found Sound Nation program of the renowned contemporary music organization Bang on a Can.

Bang on a Can, formed in 1987 by composers Michael Gordon, David Lang and Julia Wolfe, is dedicated to commissioning, performing, creating, presenting and recording contemporary music. With an ear for the new, the unknown and the unconventional, Bang on a Can strives to expose exciting and innovative music as broadly and accessibly as possible to new audiences worldwide. And through its Summer Festival, Bang on a Can hopes to bring this energy and passion for innovation to a younger generation of composers and players.

Found Sound Nation is an eclectic group of artists who make music from the sounds of the places and communities that surround them. Working with people across the globe, from schools to prisons, from young to old, and partnering with local youth, social organizations, music festivals, and artists across all disciplines, FSN strives to create musical spaces that transcend geographic, linguistic, and political borders. The work of FSN uses the expressive power of music and audio production to give voice to under-represented communities, unlock the creative potential of youth, and build bridges between communities separated by cultures, economic disparities, and geography.