EDUCATION

As passionate educators, Astral Mixtape enjoys sharing music at institutions across the nation. From residencies at top universities to personalized elementary classroom visits, we are committed to inspiring students in a way that is both enriching and relevant to the industry today.

TESTIMONIALS

“LA-based ensemble Astral Mixtape performed their arrangements of Astor Piazzolla and Aaron Copland pieces with a chamber orchestra that consisted of students from the Evergreen and Vancouver School Districts. The collaboration incorporated spontaneity and passionate intensity that resonated incredibly well with the crowd.” - James Bash, Northwest Reverb

“The high school students ‘went bananas,’ cheering and wanting more and more at the close of the performance. Educationally, as a part of the performance, they showed the students step-by-step how to begin to use their classical training to add  today’s hip music to their playing.” - Robert Gillespie, Ohio State University, ASTA

 “What truly sets their performances apart is how they bring the technical mastery and artistry honed through their classical training to their own compositions and improvisations. This fusion of refinement and innovation makes their work not only inspiring but also highly relatable to young musicians.” - Dijana Ihas, Pacific University

“Michael, Nathan, Juan-Salvador, and Misha were phenomenal during their visit to MUS 102 Exploring Music. It was absolutely THE highlight of the semester for my students. Their music was astonishingly beautiful, and it was a huge privilege for my class to be so up close and personal with them as they played and told their stories. They so clearly spoke about and demonstrated how they collaborate and how they originated each work, even my students with no musical background could follow the inner workings of their complex compositions. Those of us who do have some musical experience found their musicality and creativity inspiring.

One of my students wrote to me after class, "I really enjoyed the music in class yesterday! It was my first time attending a music concert, and it was truly amazing. I was deeply inspired by the performers; as they played, it was clear they were fully immersed in the music, and they spread those feelings and energies to us as well." My students and I will remember the session with Astral Mixtape for the rest of our lives!” — Elissa Herbert, Depauw University

“Michael, Nathan, Juan-Salvador, and Misha, your residency at DePauw was phenomenal… You each have a positive, encouraging manner in approaching how you introduce improvisation--a skill we have been fostering in all our music students for years--and this only made the students more confident, encouraged, and creative in how they responded to your prompts.  

In terms of your music and performance…I am now officially a fan, due in large part to having the opportunity to watch and listen to you interact live.  How you four communicate, share, and react musically is incredible, and more university students need to witness this.  I hope you will continue to be available for our kind of residency, and will have the chance to visit more and more campuses.  You're models for 21st Century musicians and listeners, and I hope you'll continue to flourish as an ensemble.” — Craig Paré

  • Performances

    35 to 90 mins

    Astral Mixtape’s music fuses spectacle of pop, the spontaneity of jazz, and the experimentation of contemporary music into one exciting, genre-defying show.

  • Presentations & Workshops

    Educating students through a mix of practical instruction and engaging activities:

    - Entrepreneurship for musicians (how to develop one’s own projects)

    - Astral Mixtape’s creative process for writing music 

    - Exploring performance practice in classical and popular genres

    - Introductory improvisational techniques

  • Interactive Performances

    Musical performance, storytelling, and discussion are woven together to explore key topics such as:

    - Rhythm, Groove, and Social Emotional Learning

    - Finding Your Voice in Arrangement and Composition

    - The Art of Collaboration

  • Coachings & Masterclasses

    Equally at home in the classical and popular worlds, we offer private or public performance classes on the following subjects: 

    - Strings, piano, chamber music, and orchestral studies

    - Music theory, songwriting, and composition

    - Collaborative rehearsal techniques