Y'all, this petition to protect the music department at Mills College is extremely important for American Experimental Music.

Please at least give it a read. If you do sign, please make sure your name and any affiliations you have are visible and included.

https://www.change.org/p/president-hillman-the-mills-college-music-department-and-center-for-contemporary-music-must-be-protected

Half of the people in the film Sisters With Transistors were connected to Mills!

#SaveMills #SaveCCM

Please boost!

Now listening: https://othermindsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/first-things-first

Irreverent, fun, weird sound art from former #MillsCollege faculty Anthony Gnazzo

#SaveMills #SaveCCM

Now listening: https://othermindsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/gallivants-and-garnishes

Ramón Sender was a co-founder of the San Francisco Tape Music Center, which later became The Center for Contemporary Music at #MillsCollege. Sender was instrumental in the invention of the voltage controlled synthesiser and I think I hear a Buchla on this delightfully weird, multilayered album.

#SaveMills #SaveCCM

Now Listening:
https://millscollegemusic.bandcamp.com/album/mills-spring-2020-compilation

Music from #MillsCollege CCM, spring 2020. This is a selection of what recent students have been doing.

#SaveMills #SaveCCM

Now listening: https://maryclarebrzytwa.bandcamp.com/album/experimental-electronic

Experimental Electronic by #MillsCollege alum Mary Clare Brzytwa

The extremely cool album photo shows a clarinet with a proximity detector on it. Listening so far, it sounds like left coast dreamy electronics.

#SaveMills #SaveCCM

Now listening:

https://djll.bandcamp.com/album/skin-tightener

Noisy free improv. Recorded at #MillsCollege by people involved with the music department in various capacities.

#SaveMills #SaveCCM

Now listening:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy3W-3HPMWg

A Rainbow in Curved Air by former #MillsCollege faculty Terry Riley.

His second most influential piece has a droney undercurrent, but is a steady forward momentum. Loopy but linear. Busy but still. The Guardian describes this piece as "feel good".

#SaveMills #SaveCCM

Now Listening:

https://othermindsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/om-live-hommage

Cello and electronics from #MillsCollege teacher Joan Jeanrenaud

Very complicated droney new music vibe.

#SaveCCM #SaveMills

Now Listening:

Lovely Little Records

https://www.ubu.com/sound/lovely.html

A fascinating compilation of the state of experimental electronic music in 1980. Everyone on the record either taught at or studied at #MillsCollege.

John Bischoff was a founding member of The Hub and taught at Mills for ages.

Paul Demarinis is a Mills alum, who has done amazing work with text. (This computer work is 1980!!)

Phil Haromic was a Mills alum and also the housemate of my MA thesis advisor. I wish I'd met him, but alas, he did not survive the AIDS crisis.

Frankie Mann was an early adopter of computer controlled synthesis. I know of her because John Bischoff told me to to look her up. This is one of the only things I've found.

Maggi Payne is a Mills alum and the former director of CCM at Mills. She was my composition teacher.

Blue Gene Tyranny was a teacher at Mills and also a member of the Once group in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His work is extremely influential, especially on piano.

#MillsMusic #SaveMills #SaveCCM