Educational Outreach

Smith Fine Arts Series is very much on a mission: not only to present quality music and dance performances for WOU and our wider community, but also to provide free educational outreach opportunities throughout the season. From special performances and demonstrations for elementary and secondary students, to informal discussions and workshops for university students and the public, SFAS fosters an appreciation for the performing arts by providing direct access to the world-class artists who perform here.

During the 2023-24 Season:

• LADAMA led a workshop on: Building Community Through Music. This dynamic group of four women from Columbia, Venezuela, Brazil, and NYC shared their music, their story, and demonstrated ways to use music to create community.
• Never Come Down conducted a workshop for Western Oregon University students and the general public explaining their process for creating songs through collaboration while sharing some of their original songs. At the conclusion of the workshop, they met and spent some time with a bluegrass band from WOU (The Tuesday String Band) who are big fans of NCD.
• The community response for Rainbow Dance Theatre’s student performance of iLumiDance was so strong, a second performance was needed to accommodate the 1000 students who requested seats. Unfortunately, a winter blizzard prevented the original January 18 performances.  Fortunately, Rainbow Dance Theatre agreed to reschedule the event, and the same students who missed the shows that were canceled due to snow, will have the opportunity to see these performances on April 30.
• Laila Biali, a talented singer and songwriter planned a workshop focused on the different aspects of arranging songs. The workshop, which included examples of her arrangements and the stories behind the arrangements were made available to WOU students and the general public.
• Smith Fine Arts Series hosted a meet and greet event for Giving Day donors and other special guests featuring the members of Reverie Road.
• An outdoor event is currently being planned for Makaha Sons at 3:00PM on the outdoor stage in front of Rice Auditorium. The hour long event will feature acoustic songs and insights about Hawaiian culture from one of  Hawaii’s premiere musical groups. Please join us for this opportunity to see Makaha Sons prior to their evening performance.  As with all our outreach events, admission is free. 

During the 2022-23 Season:

• QUITAPENAS, a tropical Afro-Latin combo invited students and community members to their soundcheck prior to the evening performance.
• Kyle Morton, the front man for Typhoon led an hour-long seminar examining lyrics as a form of literature and listened to a few examples of different modes of songwriting, A list of songs considered during the event were emailed to the 24 participants in advance and used for a springboard for interesting discussion.
• The Western Oregon University Creative Arts Department partnered with Smith Fine Arts Series to bring Kaeja d’Dance to WOU for a week to work with dance students on campus. A matinee performance featuring students’ original dances was open to the general public.
• The Creative Arts Department of Western Oregon University collaborated with Smith Fine Arts as they brought Considering Matthew Shepard to Monmouth. Students from WOU and Chemeketa Community College participated in the Grammy nominated oratorio. A ticket to this Smith Fine Arts Series performance also included admission to The Laramie Project. 
• Clarice Assad of The Assad Duo led a workshop for a small group of vocal music students at Western Oregon University. Clarice provided inspiration, strategies, knowledge, and encouragement to students who participated, 
• Martha Redbone, a Native and African American vocalist hosted a workshop sharing interactive stories and dances from various Native American tribes. Attendees aged 2 -62 participated in songs and dances, while learning about different Native American Cultures.

During the 2021-22 Season:

• Incredibly versatile jazz vocalist Halie Loren did an hands-on workshop with WOU students from Dr. Claire Hudkin’s voice class.
• The members of Vianna Bergeron Brazilian Jazz, all music educators in their own right, introduced students of all ages and folks from the wider community to the joys of Sambo, Choro, and Bossa Nova.
• Rainbow Dance Theatre presented a virtual performance for middle and elementary school students, with a real-time Q&A session following the show.
• The Seamus Egan Project offered a lecture and demonstration to the general public about the musical influences of Irish music on America.
• The Thalea String Quartet inspired 25 students in grades 6-9 to think about chamber music in new ways and then worked with them in small groups to create their own compositions using the techniques they’d learned. Below is a video showing how that experience impacted both the students and the artists.

Watch the videos below to learn more about the transformative experiences
Smith Fine Arts Series brings to students and the wider community

Click here to make a gift in support of our work. 

If you or a student group you know may be interested in participating
in our Educational Outreach activities, please contact us.