Bang on a Can Media Workshop at MASS MoCA
An exploration of contemporary music criticism
and journalism
July 22-30, 2023
“One of the most meaningful and impactful experiences of my writing career
thus far.” – Maggie Molloy, workshop participant
Bang on a Can, our special guest faculty John Schaefer and Terrance McKnight, and 5 writers in the early stages of their careers will gather at MASS MoCA (the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams, MA) to explore the role of criticism and journalism in today’s dynamic contemporary music scene.
The aim of the workshop is to help writers generate a vocabulary, syntax, and context that is most useful for readers/ listeners and to make modern music and criticism more accessible, welcoming, and exciting to all audiences.
The workshop will take place during the final week of the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival at MASS MoCA — a residency and festival for composers and performers (12 faculty, 21 performers, and 9 composers) and will include daily meetings with faculty and daily writing assignments. Additionally, participants will be “embedded” in the festival activities, attending rehearsals, workshops, and performances, enabling more insights into the process of bringing music to the stage.
Meet our 2023 Media Workshop participants!
Brooke Knoll is a contemporary harpist, radio professional and digital marketer based in Kansas City, Missouri. She is an active improviser with the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society and is an on-air host for Classical KC.
Elizabeth Derner is an incoming senior at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She is majoring in journalism and poetry and minoring in double bass performance.
Gray Harrison is a nonfiction writer pursuing her masters in Cultural Reporting and Criticism at New York University. Her writing usually blends memoir and deeply researched arts criticism.
Isabela Gamez currently studies at the University of Arizona majoring in journalism and minoring in Spanish and Mexican American Studies. She previously interned at the Digital Futures Bilingual Broadcast Studio and Arizona Public Media. She is active in the reporting of
social justice issues.
Recent Wellesley College graduate Molly McCaul is an arts and culture reporter with a passion for music journalism and live music coverage. They work full-time with GBH News, Boston’s PBS/NPR affiliate, and recently became a contributing writer at online music and arts publication Vanyaland.
Participants in the workshop will:
- meet with luminaries of the contemporary music field: Bang on a Can’s artistic directors, our performance faculty, and our guest faculty.
- witness the process of building new works from composition, to rehearsal, to performance.
- have access to “primary source material” i.e. the performers and composers.
- learn tools for a successful interview.
- be a part of a community of peers at a similar career stage.
- be embedded in the festival experience, do interviews, and write about them daily, to be published on the New Sounds website.
Info for applicants:
Application deadline is typically in early April. Check back for 2024 application dates.
Application requirements:
• CV/resume.
• A short personal statement about your current projects and why you’d like to attend.
• Three (3) writing or radio/audio samples. Links preferred for audio samples.
Fee to participate in the workshop:
$1800 USD
The fee covers tuition, housing (shared double-occupancy hotel room close to museum), and meals (lunch and dinner Mon-Fri). Participants are responsible for their own travel expenses.
• Participants must be 21 or older and fully vaccinated against covid-19 or have a medical exemption.
• New music expertise not necessary, but some experience writing about music preferred.
• There is no application fee.
View work generated for New Sounds by our past workshop participants:
2022
Dispatches from the Summer Festival, written by the 2022 participants David Ainsworth, Emma Bauchner, Paige Gullifer, Alice Koeninger, Lara Mitofsky Neuss:
2019
Earth Sounds: The Didgeridoo Stirs Controversy at the Bang on a Can Summer Festival – By Hannah Edgar and Elias Gross
“Get a Room:” Composer Rafailia Bampasidou on weird noises and intimate music – By Jeremy Reynolds
Power Struggles and Rebellion In “Eight Songs For A Mad King” – By Vanessa Ague
Rehearsals for “Dracula” screening at MASS MoCA frustrated by washing machine – By Jeremy Reynolds
Dispatches From the Bang on a Can Summer Festival 2019: Part 5 – By John Schaefer
Ambient Noise or Compelling Sounds? An Exploration of MASS MoCA’s Sound Installations – By Vanessa Ague
Pamela Z and the One Second Delay that Changed Her Voice – by Elias Gross
Visual counterpoint: The newest music at MASS MoCA – By Jeremy Reynolds
Rose Marie and the Bangs – By Hannah Edgar
The Sounds of the Bang on a Can Summer Festival Meet the Sights of MASS MoCA – By Vanessa Ague
Who comes to Bang on a Can, anyway? – By Jeremy Reynolds
Bang on a Can Fellows fill MASS MoCA with sound — and it’s about to get louder – By Hannah Edgar
It’s Not All Hot Air: Bang on a Can Fellows Blow Up Musical Form – by Elias Gross
2018 workshop participant, writer Maggie Molloy describes her experience at the workshop: “Like music, the field of journalism requires one-on-one mentorship and individualized feedback—and the Bang on a Can Media Workshop was a rare opportunity to study with some of the most accomplished music journalists in the business. Having the chance to create and refine new work in a focused and fast-paced environment like the Bang on a Can Summer Festival thrilled, challenged, and inspired me as a writer. Not only did the experience strengthen my writing skills, but it also helped me connect with a whole new network of musicians, artists, and writers from around the world.
If you have any questions, please write to the workshop manager, Philippa Thompson: philippa [at] bangonacan [dot] org
“Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” – comedian Martin Mull
Photo of John Schaefer by @thesundncekid for On Air Fest
Photo of Terrance McKnight by Julie Yarbrough Photography