A Hands-on Lecture and Concert January 2017

SHAKUHACHI The Bamboo Flute

Shakuhachi: The Japanese Bamboo Flute �1

A Hands-on Lecture and Concert January 2017

Employing a distinctive blend of lecture, hands-on practice, and performance, Bruce Huebner - Graduate of Tokyo University of Fine Arts, Shakuhachi Shihan, and World Musician, uses the ancient Japanese bamboo instrument, the Shakuhachi, to take audiences on a unique journey from the traditional to the contemporary,

The journey begins with a lecture and performance of a traditional piece that has been passed down in Japan for generations by Buddhist Monks. Select audience members or the entire audience can participate by taking up the shakuhachi together, while Bruce teachers learners how to read traditional music notation, where to place their fingers and how to create sound from the instrument's unique embouchure.

During this customized lecture and mini-concern experience, Bruce speaks about the history and construction of this ancient instrument using live performance and the group shakuhachi lesson. This hands-on learning opportunity allows audience members to practice the fusion of traditional and modern world music and contemplate why it matters in the 21st Century.

Often Bruce will invite a guest guitarist to join him for this lecture concert experience. As a duo, this affords a unique opportunity for listeners to take a journey along the ancient Silk Road to Spain, where the audience learns the ancient roots and surprising affinity of the guitar and the shakuhachi. Traveling from the traditional to the contemporary, the musicians break the boundaries of folk, classical, jazz and experimental music. This concert lecture series ends with a rollicking session of jazz, Latin, folk, and original world music, bringing the learners home.

Shakuhachi: The Japanese Bamboo Flute �2

A Hands-on Lecture and Concert January 2017

Participants will gain insight into the challenges of learning an art that springs from outside one's own culture while correspondingly enjoying the rewards of creating something new from an ancient traditions. Group discussions consider concepts like home, foreigner, outside and insider, all while contemplating the sounds of ancient instruments that are a living part of our world heritage.

This lecture-concert series is appropriate for students of music, ethnomusicology, Japanese culture or Asian students, as well a students of social studies, geography, world history, environmental studies, literature and visual arts. All lectures an music selection can be designed to meet the needs of a specific audience.

Shakuhachi: The Japanese Bamboo Flute �3