For two U.S.-based, month-long music exchanges scheduled for the spring and autumn of 2024, OneBeat is currently collecting applications. 50 musicians from different nations will participate in OneBeat 13 (April–May) and OneBeat 14 (September–October) to collaborate on original music composition, production, and performance, as well as to create plans for arts-based social engagement. Every session starts with a residence and then moves into a tour. OneBeat Fellows will give performances for a variety of American audiences, work with regional musicians, and organize youth workshops. OneBeat participants establish ventures related to mutually reinforcing networks of music-driven social enterprises when they return to their home nations and communities after the program.
50 participants will be selected this year – 25 for OneBeat 13 in Spring 2024, and 25 for OneBeat 14 in Fall 2024. The program will be 30-33 days in length. While in the U.S. the Fellows will participate in a two-week residency, during which they will develop and rehearse original material. They will then go on a 10-14-day tour, during which they will perform the music they developed and rehearsed during the residency period. Throughout the program Fellows will develop and lead creative workshops for youth and community groups.
The 21st-century music industry executives congregate at OneBeat. OneBeat was established in 2012 as an annual residence and tour program centered in the United States that unites up-and-coming musicians from all over the world to collaborate on the creation, production, and presentation of original music as well as the development of tactics for arts-based civic and social involvement. OneBeat has expanded into a plethora of programs since then, including the OneBeat Institute, OneBeat Abroad, OneBeat Virtual, OneBeat Accelerator, OneBeat Industries, and the flagship OneBeat program.
OneBeat is a music exchange and hub for music-based social entrepreneurship, where forward-thinking musicians from all over the world develop team initiatives meant to have a good effect on regional and global communities. OneBeat is a project of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, in partnership with the ground-breaking New York-based music collective Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation. It uses collaborative original music as a forceful new method of cultural diplomacy.
OneBeat gives musicians and artists from a staggering variety of backgrounds the possibility to establish common ground, forge novel musical combinations, push the limits of music technology, and discover strategies for including all parts of society in the musical creation process. OneBeat aims to serve as the hub of a fresh way of thinking about how music and artistic expression may contribute to the development of healthier communities, wealthier nations, and a more peaceful world. It was created and produced by the NYC-based arts organization Found Sound Nation.
Location:
United StatesBenefits
- All costs will be covered for OneBeat Fellows, including travel and accommodations.
- Fellows will also receive a per diem and a modest honorarium.
Eligibilities
- Age: Applicants must be 19 or older by the start of the program (September 1, 2024) and 35 or younger at the end of the program (October 31, 2024).
- Musical Background: Musicians from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply, with or without formal musical training. they welcome music of all genres, including but not limited to traditional/folk, hip-hop, experimental, electronic, jazz, classical, sound design, beat-making, multimedia art, or any combination of these styles. In addition to full-time professional musicians, we also invite adventurous musicians who double as community organizers, instrument builders, writers, videographers, musicologists, educators, storytellers, dancers, shadow-puppeteers, and more.
- Musical Excellence – A high level of performance, composition, improvisational, production, and/or technological skill. Ideally, OneBeat musicians will be innovating stylistically, lyrically, or technologically within their musical worlds.
- Collaboration – Applicants’ willingness to reach across cultural and musical divides in creating original music or re-interpreting traditional music, while respecting the essence of each tradition. Applicants should be prepared to try new things musically.
- Social Engagement – Musicians who have used music to serve their communities or greater societies. This might consist of guiding young people in music education, addressing social or political issues through musical content, reviving dying musical traditions, and more.
- English Proficiency – Applicants should be able to converse in and understand basic English, as it will be the common language of the OneBeat program.
- Internet Proficiency – Whenever possible, OneBeat Fellows should actively use email and be able to connect to the internet to participate in website-based activities.
Application Process
- Register to start a new application. If you’ve already started, log in to continue.
- Complete the application as instructed.
- Audio/ Video Materials: Applicants should plan to write about their musical background and interests as well as future projects and goals.
- Applicants will be asked to submit 3-5 samples of their solo and collaborative work (both audio and video are accepted).
Application Deadline: September 16, 2023
Application ClosedOfficial link
