ABOUT THE PROJECT

Writing Our Musical History is a project that was initiated by Rockport Music to work collaboratively with 1623 Studios and the music departments of four school districts. Students in Rockport, Gloucester, Manchester-Essex and Beverly High Schools worked with teaching artist Alexandra Grace six times throughout the 2023-24 school year to create a song about a place in their hometown that was meaningful to them. Alexandra lead and gave guidance in creating lyrics, harmonies and instrumental parts in the composition, ultimately empowering the students to write their own narrative, hone their creative agency and work collaboratively in a team environment to center their voices. While history is the study of past events, this project reframed the concept and gave students the opportunity to write their own history today and to reflect on being an active part of it.

Students also had the opportunity to work with professional musicians to perform their songs, both at the Shalin Liu Performance Center for a finale concert and at each chosen site of inspiration. 1623 Studios recorded each performance and documented the process. In addition to the live performances, a sign/plaque will be posted at each site to both commemorate the song and have it accessible via a QR code for visitors to experience the performance on demand. Music tends to be the art form that is not easily accessible publicly after a performance, so by leaving the recordings in a public place, the songs will continue to be heard for years to come.

The Writing Our Musical History project expands upon Rockport Music’s vision for education programming: engaging and interactive programming of all genres throughout the community to encourage curiosity, participation and creativity through music. Our programs are Bridging Artists with the Community and Connecting through Engaging programs with Students on and off Stage (ACCESS).

ABOUT THE TEACHING ARTIST

Alexandra Grace is a singer-songwriter, artist, and music teacher from Gloucester, MA. She graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2020 with a Bachelor of Music in songwriting and vocal performance and a minor in psychology. Since then, she released an EP of original songs, Solstice, which won awards from the John Lennon Songwriting Competition and International Songwriting Competition, and is set to release her second EP, The Archer, this spring. In 2021, she started Alexandra Grace Music teaching studio in Gloucester with the hopes of giving young musicians and creatives a place to make music, collaborate, perform, and share their art with others. Alexandra believes songwriting to be a huge part of her creative journey, and encourages all students to share their stories through this medium. When she’s not teaching or making music, you can find Alexandra painting, silversmithing, doing yoga, reading, going to art museums and concerts, and spending time with her cats.

For more information about the project, contact Director of Education & Partnerships Elizabeth Stefan at estefan@rockportmusic.org.