The Arkansas Music Office is looking forward to sharing the experiences and techniques of creating contemporary musical art with those that love creating music and need guidance on how to explore the world of being a performing artist. We share our methods and experiences as professional musicians who are active in various music industry spaces.

By adapting each lesson plan to the class’s skill level and including any curriculum requested by the teacher, we can serve each unique class on their terms. Our programs are designed to work with the foundation they have learned in their music classes and provide the framework for their next steps toward becoming performing artists. We look to provide students with the information that helps them bridge where they are currently at to the next stage in their creative process. Because of this, we create programs that address creatives at various stages of their development.

These programs include: Bridging the Gap (a common language that connects musicians that sight read with those playing by ear), Going From the Garage to the First Show (using only the technology on a smartphone), and Venue Etiquette to Use Immediately (along with other mutually beneficial relationships). While How to Hustle Like an Artist, Visuals (The Other Half of Performance), and How to Sellout Venues (and be invited back) address creatives that are currently in the gigging economy.

As we combine classical/jazz woodwinds, with tribal percussion, hip-hop beats, and traditional rock instrumentation to create our body of work. We would be open to designing a program around harnessing and recording these instruments and the workflow we use to create contemporary pop music.

We bring the students behind the curtain of the real-world experience of an active performing/recording artist. Teaching from the perspective of DIY creativity while still navigating all the moving parts of the music industry. Our goal is to help cultivate homegrown talent in Arkansas; bridging the gap between talent and success, by connecting musicians with education, resources, and opportunities to build their own careers in music.

Background     

The Arkansas Music Office is founded by Veronica Wirges and Chris Long. The organization is focused on helping musicians connect with resources and opportunities within the state. This project came about when the music duo known as Monsterboy LIVES reflected on the current state of the music community in Arkansas. Inspired by the deficit of support they had as young artists, they seek to educate fellow creatives. They present workshops through the Arkansas Arts Council, the only state-funded arts agency, and Mid-America Arts Alliance, a regional, arts nonprofit organization.

The founders are also members of Monsterboy LIVES an active music project out of Little Rock, Arkansas. Both multi-instrumentalists, the husband and wife duo combine antique/vintage instruments with modern-day production such as electronic beats and found sound samples.

Veronica Wirges feels a kinship with the quirkiness and sonic complexity of antique instruments, such as a 100-year-old 5-ft-tall bass saxophone. While Chris Long harnesses the warmth of vintage keys and guitars from the 1960s-1990s. By integrating these iconic sounds with the modern-day intermingling of genres, world percussion, and found sound samples for beat making, they create their signature vibe.

Monsterboy LIVES was discovered in 2017 while writing their first collection of songs at Bonnaroo by MTV.com. In 2020, they entertained 7,000 viewers a night via live streaming from their living room for 60 days during the shutdown. In 2021, the duo wrote a collection of horror songs for the NPR affiliate podcast: Arts and Letters. In 2022 the duo signed to Kinetik and plays stages along the East Coast and the Southern States. In 2023 they received the Catalyze grant funded by the Windgate Foundation.