The purpose of the Freight & Salvage Education Department is to initiate conversations about the past, present, and future of traditional music, uncover previously hidden narratives, and illuminate connections between people and cultures.
Everything we do at the Freight & Salvage is rooted in the folk tradition of creating in community. In the Education Department, we intentionally create programming which explores culture and history as well as technique and repertoire, in an effort to honor and uplift the ways in which music has helped forge and sustain communities over millennia.
FREIGHT IN THE FIELD: COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
Golden State of Song, our flagship arts integration program, enhances and enriches the study of California history via the vehicle of valuable songs and stories from the state’s many native, immigrant, and migrant communities. This program is currently embedded in every Berkeley Unified School District elementary school, and is slated for delivery in multiple public and private schools. Golden State of Song is supported in part by the California Public Library and by our generous donors. Visit the website and get in touch to bring a Golden State of Song presentation to your school!
Playing with Tradition, another arm of our school programs, sends Freight teaching artists out into schools for immersive residencies, coaching, and interactive assemblies.
Our grassroots choir, the Freight Singers Community Chorus, meets for two sessions every year and culminates with concerts onsite at the Freight.
We collaborate regularly with local and national educational institutions, culture-bearing organizations, and individual artists to create experiences for audiences of all ages.
ONSITE AND ONLINE: PROGRAMS AT THE FREIGHT
Our weekday evening classes, which launched in tandem with the opening of our building at 2020 Addison Street, have served thousands of eager music students over the years.
Our robust workshop and lecture offerings help students dig deep into specific musical skill sets, and our online lectures and pre-show talks offer opportunities for music lovers to learn more about the people and cultural values behind some of their favorite sounds.
Our long-running jams in various genres continue to be part of the Bay Area’s vibrant roots music scene.
The Freight’s education programs are led by teaching artists with decades of classroom and performing experience, and are managed by Director of Education & Community Engagement PC Muñoz and Education Manager Jen Moser-Villaseñor.
We’d love to hear from you! Contact us at education@freightandsalvage.org