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| directory of teaching artists: KEN HARRIS |
| Ken Harris grew up in a musical family and took piano and accordion lessons before co-founding his first rock band in the 9th grade in California. Since then he has played all over the world in his own bands (including 22 years in Boston). He has backed up such artists as Chuck Berry, Junior Walker and James Cotton.
Ken plays solo piano every week at Berryhill and Company restaurant in downtown Boise. He mentors a local youth rock band, Underscore, and entertains at various area elder care facilities with groups like The String Stretchers and the Closers. Describe a transformative process that has occurred in your own practice as an artist or in a past residency as a teaching artist. As the facilitator/instructor in Boise Blues Society’s Blues in the Schools program, I regularly witness students musicians who are at first, shy and intimidated about learning and trying the basics of improvising in an ensemble setting. Usually, after a few minutes, the once shy students are lining up to take their turn soloing at the microphone. I notice their increased confidence and their self-satisfaction their teachers get a vicarious thrill as well! When have you been able to recognize learning taking place? During the class itself and immediately afterward when the teachers write me letters expressing how much their students learned during my workshop. What excites your imagination and in turn how does your work excite imagination for your audience? I love to see young musicians getting more excited about making music and learning to improvise individually and in an ensemble setting. What characteristics mark a successful collaboration for you? Seeing students become more excited about making, creating and improvising music. How do you foster creativity, both in your own work and as a teaching artist? Thinking of roles participants can play in a performing ensemble format and then trying them out. The next step is seeking suggestions from the participants themselves as to how they can improve upon/add to the format in which they are partaking. Three key understandings in this discipline are:
Three Idaho Humanities Content Standards that correlate with the core
concepts identified above:
Rhythm, scales, chords, music time, “feel”, projection, syncopation, harmony, delivery, ensemble playing, time signatures, improvisation, patterns, melody, grace notes. Subject areas outside of the fine arts that relate to potential residency work: Mathematics, sociology, history, geography, psychology References:
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 Discipline: Music Performance and Education Phone: 208-440-4590 Email: kjharris1925@yahoo.com Website: for the band Hoochie Coochie Men mp3idaho.idahostatesman.com (scroll to “H”) Special Populations I work with: Grade School Students to Senior Citizens.  ICA Artists by Disciplines Music Ken Harris Dance Kay Braden Wendy de la Harpe Joy Esplin LiAnne Hunt Norma Pintar Rachel Swenson Theater/Storytelling Teresa Clark Joy Steiner Language Arts Malia Collins Judy Sobeloff Visual Arts Deana Attebery Tom Bennick Judith Brand Lizette Fife Terrie Kralik Jeanne Leffingwell Benjamin Love Sue Rooke Helen Grainger Wilson Linda Wolfe Video/Media Arts Peppershock Media |
 Phone: 208/334-2119 or 800/278-3863 Fax: 208/334-2488 Mailing address: P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0008 Street address: 2410 North Old Penitentiary Rd., Boise, ID 83712 |