.................................Potluck Dinner Sponsored by the Madison Music Collective....................................
Lectures / Music Listening Sessions / Performances / Workshops
The Madison Music Collective is a local non-profit organization which sponsors and facilitates improvised music events in the Madison area. The Collective has established four event formats through which to reach and engage the community. Each of these areas has a separate and important role in fulfilling the MMC’s mission, with education, inclusion and creativity at the core.
Lectures
Our Lecture series welcomes scholars and enthusiasts to present papers, books, films, recordings or other media, or to facilitate discussions on improvised music topics.
Music Listening Sessions
At what may be our most social event, music listening sessions are a time to gather with other friends of improvised music, get to know them better, and get to listen to a wide variety of musical tastes and sounds. And what social event isn’t enhanced with food? We share potluck dishes, pizza or the culinary choice of the day, as well as our treasured recordings. Attentive listening is the gold standard, and talking about the origin of the recording (the musicians, instrumentation, where & when it was recorded, the arrangement and interesting musical aspects, etc.) is just a part of the fun. With life getting more and more busy, taking time to really listen (and talk about) to music is becoming too rare a phenomenon in this 21st century. The more the merrier, and the wider the variety of improvised music, the better!
Performances
The Collective sponsors performances by local and touring musicians, who are highly regarded improvisers. We encourage performances that highlight different musical aspects such as presenting the work of one composer, or a period of music, or a programmatic theme. Within these performances we welcome informative and noteworthy comments from the performers.
Workshops
Workshops may be our most hands-on and interactive presentations, as we encourage the audience to join the forum, be it music-making, dialogue or listening. The primary goal of these workshops is to encourage participation in learning about improvised music, actively or passively. With a rhythm section (bass, drums and piano and/or guitar) providing the primary source of a piece, willing instrumentalists and vocalists are summoned to play parts of the piece, from melody to chord tones to improvisation. At the conclusion of the piece, perspectives of the music created are discussed to enhance everyone’s understanding of the music that was performed, as well as other musical and inventive possibilities. Raising awareness, checking out the creative opportunities, welcoming participation at all levels and just enjoying the music is the goal.
Each of these MMC events is billed under the “MMC Presents” heading. Admissions are charged for the Performances and Workshops, as the professional musicians are paid and other expenses are incurred (as noted below) depending on the scope and location of the event. With membership dues and event proceeds as our primary income, we look for opportunities to partner with community businesses and resources that are mutually beneficial. In-kind service donations (printing, advertising, performance venues, lodging, etc.) are valued as highly as corporate sponsorship. Depending on the level of support, a participating sponsor would be featured in all advertising, the program, and acknowledged at the performance.