On Saturday, February 8, 2020 Suzanne took part in [Re]Generation: The Arts & Technology Summit at Connecticut College’s Ammerman Center for Art & Technology. Along with electronic composer, educator and new TECHNE cohort member Asha Tamirisa, Suzanne presented a workshop that addressed two key concerns for TECHNE: the capacity for inclusivity (or not) of avant-garde electro-acoustic music making techniques, and the ability of strategies of care, which include listening and collaborative support, to intervene on techno-masculinist structures in the realm of electronic music education. We received enthusiastic support and thoughtful feedback from participants, which was an assemblage of accomplished artists from many disciplines and backgrounds brought together to imagine a more inclusive field. We look forward to evolving with this new information!
TECHNE Co-Founder, Bonnie Jones introduces young students to DIY electronic instruments as part of the PeabodyHacks 2020 Hackathon at Peabody Institute in Baltimore, MD.
11am Saturday, February 1
DIY Electronic Instruments: An Interactive Workshop w/ Bonnie Jones, TECHNE
Join electronic musician Bonnie Jones for an interactive introduction to DIY electronic instruments! Hands-on fun with homemade contact microphones, photo-oscillator instruments, circuit bent guitar pedals, and more! Explore and collaborate with unusual new electronic sounds!
Girls Rock SB and Amplify Sleepaway Camp hosted a TECHNE “Sounding Points of Light” workshop where we built a simple photo-oscillator instrument designed by Nic Collins!
TECHNE headed to Chicago and Detroit for a series of workshops and events as part of their Teach The Teachers program. We kicked off our tour by traveling to Detroit and teaching our Electronic Music Powered by Girls workshop for Girls Rock Detroit.
Then onto Chicago for our inaugural Teach the Teachers day-long intensive. During a day-long workshop, we brought together a consortium of music educators from various Chicago institutions and introduced them to the pedagogical underpinnings, curriculum and logistical strategies involved with a TECHNE workshop.
As part of the intensive, participants experienced a signature TECHNE workshop themselves to better understand the transformative possibilities when technology based art making is embedded with contemplative practice and musical improvisation. It is this unique combination that is the principle foundation upon which all TECHNE workshops are based. Upon completion of the intensive, participants were given access to our new working guide outlining TECHNE’s pedagogy, curriculum and logistical strategies.
Working with our new TECHNE Connect collaborators, Katie Young and Jessie Marino, TECHNE did a two day workshop with Girls Rock! Chicago students.
Girls Rock Detroit
Girls Rock Detroit
Girls Rock! Chicago
Girls Rock! Chicago
Girls Rock! Chicago
Girls Rock! Chicago
Girls Rock! Chicago
Girls Rock! Chicago
Girls Rock! Chicago
Katie Young & Jessie Marino, New TECHNE Connect collaborators!
TECHNE was honored to join the amazing roster of artists, technologists, and musicians for the inaugural AMT Festival (art, technology, music), a pilot initiative of the San Diego Art Institute (SDAI) in collaboration with the Fleet Science Center and Southwestern College.
From February 2-4, 2017, AMT featured panel discussions, lectures, demos, DIY educational workshops, and artist performances that reflect themes at the forefront of electronic arts/music, data visualization/sonification, and the confluence of arts, technology, and music.
We presented our Sounding Points of Light workshop, where participants learned how to make their own light controlled oscillator. Afterwards, the instruments were presented as an installation that audiences could explore and interact with in the SDAI gallery space.
In October/November of 2016, TECHNE headed to the west coast for a week of workshops, lectures, and concerts. We worked with ProArts Gallery in downtown Oakland to present a Teach the Teachers workshop to Bay Area Girls Rock Camp volunteers and administrators, teaching them how to build and run an Electronic Music: Powered by Girls workshop. We followed up with a concert with local collaborators Marshall Trammell, Nava Dunkelman, and Jeanie-Aprille Tang.
Then it was on to Mills College for a 3 day workshop, lecture and concert as part of their prestigious David Tudor Artist in Residency program. Together with undergraduate and graduate students we presented Sounding Points of Light, a workshop that allows participants to build and perform with light controlled oscillator instruments. The students presented their instruments on a double bill with Suzanne and Bonnie for the final day of the residency.
Marshall Trammell set up at ProArts
BAGRC Teach the Teachers, ProArts
BAGRC Teach the Teachers, ProArts
BAGRC Teach the Teachers, ProArts
BAGRC Teach the Teachers, ProArts
BAGRC Teach the Teachers, ProArts
BAGRC Teach the Teachers, ProArts
Bonnie & Suzanne Duo in Littlefield Concert Hall, Mills
Mills College Student Concert in Greek Theater
Mills College Student Concert in Greek Theater
Mills College Student Concert in Greek Theater
Sounding Points of Light, Mills College
Sounding Points of Light, Mills College
Sounding Points of Light, Mills College
Sounding Points of Light, Mills College
Sounding Points of Light, Mills College
Suzanne assisting
Breadboards in action
Sounding Points of Light, Mills College
Sounding Points of Light, Mills College
Bonnie in workroom explaining breadboards
Suzanne in workroom
Littlefield Concert Hall, Mills College
Photos courtesy of
Genevieve Neumuth
Dani Leventhal
TECHNE spent a month in July at the Prattsville Art Center & Residency developing and researching their new workshop “Sounding Points of Light” a photo-oscillator instrument building workshop where participants create a light sensitive electronic instrument using basic circuit building tools.
As part of the residency we worked with NYU students demonstrating the instruments and performed as a duo in the art center’s Headed for the Hills Music Festival.
Here’s a sample of the instrument we developed while in residence!
TECHNE returned to Ojai California in early July to work with Girls Rock Santa Barbara / Summer Sleep Away Camp students! It was an awesome two days of working with students building contact microphones and creating hydrophones!
This July Techne took their Electronic Music: Powered by Girls Workshop on the road to Girls Rock Camps and arts centers in the southeastern United States. For the entire month of July we traveled to 10 different cities working with young campers, counselors, instructors and volunteers. In addition, we connected with local music promoters and organizers and presented concerts at some of our favorite local venues.
Our 2014 tour route!
Our amazing Girls Rock camps and venues
Here’s all the amazing venues, arts organizations, and camps we collaborated with on our tour!
Press and a cool blog post from one of our students in Philly
Girls Rock Philly rocks the Rotunda…. photo from Daizha’s blog post.
In Philly we did a 2 day workshop to build the contact mic and then present a public concert at The Rotunda in collaboration with Bowerbird. Here’s a clip from our concert!
“I had a blast working with everyone and collaborating with such odd and unusual sounds had made it one of the most fun and carefree performances I’ve ever done! I definitely left the workshop with a new perspective on traditional music making.” — From Daizha J
Some pics from the road where I celebrated my 37th birthday and made 8$ on my shirt in New Orleans, Suzanne bought fireworks South of the Border, we visited Lincoln’s birthplace, we geeked out on synths in Asheville, NC, ate Spudnut donuts in Charlottesville, VA, and swam in the warmest ocean water at Folly Beach in SC.
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A HUGE thank you to our Indiegogo donors!
None of this would have happened without the generous support of our Techne Indiegogo donors. Over 165 of you donated over $8,000 to make these workshops and concerts possible.
Alan Jones
Alana Lewis
Alex Zucker
Alison Parks
All of our anonymous donors (you know who you are and we annieaabb
Asha Tamirisa
Ben Bracken
Beth Bedi
Bill Hsu
Bob Ostertag
Brian Olewnick
Carl Ehrhardt
Caroline Park
Cassandra Perry
Chantal Auger
Choi Joon Yong
Chris Brown
Christine Sun Kim
Control / http://www.ctrl-mod.com/
David Felton
David More
Diane Jones
Ed Patuto
Ed Patuto
Elizabeth Slagus
Ernst Karel
Geoffrey Wright
Jason Lescalleet
Jessica Rylan
Jodie Mack
Joel Chadabe
John Berndt
John Eaton
John Melillo
John Thorpe
Joseph Foster
Joshua Lovelace
Julia Niederman
Kara Gates
Kasai Richardson
Kat Martineau
Katharina Rosenberger
Kathy High
Kjell Nordeson
Kristina & Trevor Henthorn
Laura Feathers
Leslie Gilden
Liz Patino
Luke Selden
Maile Colbert and Rui Costa
Margaret Schedel
Mark Flaum
Mathieu Ruhlmann
Paul Kruczynski
Paula Matthusen
Philip White
Rachel Beetz
Sabrina A Schroeder
Sam Brelsfoard
Sam Chintha
Sandra Ewen
Scott Smallwood
Sharon thorpe
Stewart Mostofsky
Susanna Bolle
The Lower Eastside Girls Club
thewheel14
Thomas Mulligan
Timothy Albro
Winifred De Palma
Zeena Parkins
technesound.org 