09/12/2025
“We’re going to have an Informance at the end of this summer.”
I so loved this summer project we did at the studio this year. Inspired by at the virtual NCKP conference, I took the Informance idea and worked it to fit our studio.
So what is an Informance? For us, it meant a mix of three different words:
- Informal (small studio class setting)
- Informational (students informed the audience of specific listening points before playing)
- Performance (inviting parents to the class)
For our own unique spin, each student picked a piece by a living composer to learn. We played Carolyn Miller, Kevin Costley, Mary Leaf, Christopher Oill and more! Students then began to analyze and ask questions about the music as they learned it. We wrote down a few questions- such as “Is measure 17 the wind blowing the leaves up in the air?” Or “Why did you choose the borrowed chord in measure 26?”
We sent off their letters of questions to the composers, and received back the most amazing replies!! The composers were gracious, kind, informative, and inspiring. Students were spellbound as they saw their own names at the top of an email from the composer. Such a BEAUTIFUL experience for all!
Mary Leaf ended her email to one of our highschool students this way, summing up such a sweet relationship between composer and performer:
“There are any number of ways to interpret this piece, but the most important is what touches you, what you can see yourself, and what has meaning to you!”
After corresponding with the composer of their piece, students and I together created an informational PowerPoint, crafted a few sentences to present the PowerPoint, and then invited parents to our “Informance” to have a meaningful listening experience. Parents were able to hear from the students how to listen to the piece and enjoyed connecting the dots more intelligently after the presentations.
Thank you to for the inspiration, to all the composers for their amazing music and kind input, and to the parents and students who participated. Will definitely continue finding ways to keep incorporating Informances into our studio schedule! 🥰🙌🏻
