Ptarmigan Hall Music and Arts Program
By Karrie Pavish-Anderson
Program Director
From classic rock to fiddle music, from folk to metal, the Ptarmigan Hall Music & Arts Program offers what suits you.
Want to learn an instrument? We have free classes! In the past, we've offered guitar, piano, bass, drums, choir chimes and voice classes.
If you love to listen to music rather than play it yourself, we offer Listen Up! which is a session where you bring your iPod and play a song for the group, telling the group what you enjoy about the song. Essentially, it's a music appreciation class for teens, without the homework.
At the beginning of each year, teen musicians gather to talk about the type of music they'd like to perform and rehearse for community and campus gigs. That group is called the Musicians Union. The MU bands play for dances, community bazaars, prom, educational outreach to youth, assemblies, church services, ceremonies - the sky's the limit. MU bands choose what sort of performances they'd like to prep for and then commit to rehearsals for those gigs.
Maybe you're a casual music enthusiast. We have Open Music Room for you several times each week. You can chill & read music magazines & sip hot chocolate while listening to folks jam, or you could pick up a new instrument and noodle around on it for a few minutes before running over to Open Gym.
If you're an intermediate or advanced musician, you have the opportunity to be a Music Mentor to elementary or middle school youth who wish to learn an instrument. You'll get tips on how to teach, plus get to know some youngsters in the community.
Every month, we have an Open Mic Night featuring any teen resident who wants to test the waters of performance. Students have read poetry, told jokes, played music and done comedy routines to a supportive audience of their peers.
The crowning gem of our program is the annual RIFF@N*HOOK Music Festival, which is 10 days of music classes, ensembles, performances, outreach, adjudications & paparazzi with guest artists. Look us up on Facebook and Myspace to see what we've been up to. A favorite event of musicians & spectators alike, EXTREME Face-Off is a festival activity that no one wants to miss. It's a competition in which a teen plays thirty seconds against his opponent, and the audience applauds to determine which competitor advances to the next round and ultimately, who becomes the new EXTREME Face-Off Champion.
We're fortunate to bring guest artists to Galena too. Take a look at the professionals who spent time with us last year:
Valerie Naranjo: percussionist from NBC's Saturday Night Live band; subject of the short film "Knock on Wood"; percussionist for The Lion King on Broadway in New York City
Irene Bedard: actress in many films including Smoke Signals and Pocahontas
Dennis Agajanian: award winning country guitarist and alumni of the Guinness Book of World Records for Fastest Flatpicking
Vince Cherico: Grammy Award winning drummer from New York City
Bill Pagaran: Tlingit drummer & percussionist from Palmer who was a session player in Nashville; currently gigs with Native American band Broken Walls and Carry the Cure (suicide prevention group in Alaska).
Dr. Jaunelle Celaire: soprano in many operas and musical theater productions; professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
Jaymi Millard: bass guitarist, session player in Nashville
Erick Robertson: actor, director from Anchorage
Barry Olsen: jazz pianist & trombone player; percussionist for The Lion King on Broadway
Perhaps you'd prefer another facet of the arts other than music. Our program offers the Ptarmigan Hall Visual Arts Festival and the Northern Echoes Writing & Film Fest. We also have Culture Share night, contests, drum circles, light & sound crew, merchandise training... and maybe your idea will be our next new activity!
