Quarterly Newsletter: Quarter 3, 2024
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According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, “In ancient Greece and Rome, the Dog Days were believed to be a time of drought, bad luck, and unrest, when dogs and men alike would be driven mad by the extreme heat!”
PHF experienced a robust summer that was a win for all, with no dogs involved!
We brought music & educational programming to ~5,000 local students this summer – a massive increase from the 103 local students we engaged with last summer!
$60,00 in wages was provided to 50 Preservation Hall musicians for foundation programming during the slowest gig season of the year
$45,000 in Community Engagement support was provided to fellow cultural organizations and individuals
Perhaps the highlight of summer was seeing our dear friend Will Smith return to the stage after a critical surgery that was essential for his ability to play music again.
This summer, we celebrated with live music, arts & crafts and educational programming, engaging over 200 campers at both the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission Camp and Art Camp 504.
This was our first collaboration with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission and it sure was magical! We increased access to the arts, offering campers a variety of up-cycled materials to craft DIY instruments and jam alongside Preservation Hall musicians.
Joining us for these summer camp sessions was our first ever Artist in Residence, Coqui Calzadilla from Havana, Cuba! PHF was honored to sponsor Coqui’s 2-week visit to New Orleans, engaging in musical conversations, jam sessions, and visits to educational events.
We expanded our new 'DIY Instrument' activity to a booth at KidsmART’s annual Art Jam, where musicians kicked off the event with a celebratory set and stayed to help at the crafts booth.
This hands-on experience, where students created their own instruments alongside musicians, has transformed their engagement and brought their connection to music to a whole new level!
We’re back for the school year, having already hosted 11 Back-to-School assemblies at local K-12 schools. Local students, parents, and educators kicked off the school year with free performances by Preservation Hall musicians and an engaging 'Meet the Instruments' activity.
Following the recent impacts of Hurricane Helene, the National Independent Venue Foundation (NIVF) would like to remind everyone that the NIVF Emergency Relief Fund (ERF) is available to provide economic relief to independent, music and comedy venues, festivals, and promoters across the United States experiencing a critical severe emergency due to circumstances beyond their control.
The ERF is a crucial initiative to preserve and nurture the national independent, live entertainment community.
Congratulations to our 2024 Community Engagement Grant Award recipients for their outstanding dedication to New Orleans music & culture! Awardees have been recognized for their work to strengthen the ecosystem of the city’s cultural community.
We are deep in the throes of our PASS IT ON Capital Campaign supporting the renovation of 730 Saint Peter Street, the future home of the Preservation Hall Foundation and activities including music education, archival exhibitions, artists in residence and musician support. We hope you will join us! To learn more, click below:
Our National Partner in Florida, St. Cloud Middle School Jazz Ensemble kicked off the school year by learning "Do Whatcha Wanna” from our lesson collection.
Despite schools being out for the summer, quarter was a huge success for our digital learning resources:
72,061 learners viewed our digital learning media on YouTube
12,000 educators/learners accessed Preservation Hall Lessons.
Our newly published Brass Bandbook (Intermediate) is the second most accessed digital learning resource for the quarter.
Archivists Felli Maynard and Kelly Porter are now certified FEMA incident commanders and continue with American Institute for Conservation-led museum and archive disaster preparedness training.
At October's end, the Pres Hall Archives will belong to local museum mutual-aid network for natural disaster response that allows professionals to save collections from damage in the event of extreme weather.
HBCU students in HNOC's museum internship summer program rated their experience with the archives team as their #1 archival experience in the city out of all 9 facilities visited. Archives was honored to receive this news as it has been their top priority to mentor and welcome young archivists of color in a profession that typically lacks diversity across the board.
We are so excited to welcome Naima Murphy Salcido and A'mya McKnight to the Foundation team!
Naima Murphy Salcido
A’mya McKnight
As our new Development Officer, Naima will be working directly with our Hall Pass members and the philanthropic foundations that support our programs throughout the year.
As an Archives Assistant, A'mya will be teaming up with Foundation Archives to catalog and ensure preservation of analog audio and film reels.
On October 16th, we return with our annual Legacy Event, inducting Mari Watanabe and Dodie Smith-Simmons for their 100+ years of dedication to Preservation Hall and posthumously celebrating Sweet Emma Barrett. Learn more about our Legacy Program below.
Help us amplify the next generation of New Orleans musicians and keep our traditions alive.
Thanks for Staying Connected!
Keep up with the Foundation's day-to-day activities via our social media accounts below or check out our website.