Ben Allison workshop at Greenville High School in Greene County, NY

MUSIC MIX
Music Mix is a multifaceted project designed as an on-going initiative addressing a diverse cross-section of participants.  The initial goal is to create and maintain a performance initiative in the Capital area and Hudson Valley corridor that is driven by a comprehensive education plan.  To this end a series of performances, workshops, seminars, master-classes and recording projects will be implemented that will impact general audiences, music students, educators as well as developing artists.  The objective is to create an active forum for the exchange and dissemination of ideas related to the creative process in all musical genres.

El Jem, Tunisia

CROSSING PATHS
Crossing Paths is a cultural exchange project with the goal of establishing and sustaining artistic relationships with artists, educators, students and institutions from various parts of the world. The aim is to construct creative bridges which will: allow for a unique exchange of ideas and methods, explore music from other cultures, expand the world music vocabulary, create new work, and harmonize music and rhythm from other cultures with regional concepts of American music. The global fusion will display classic American music interacting with its world counterparts providing a unique opportunity for artists, educators and students to further understand the origins and depth of the creative process while providing a paradigm for the development of new music initiatives and innovative cultural diplomacy.   

Roswell Rudd and David Oquendo

JAZZ one2one
The one2one Jazz Series, now in its tenth season, was designed to showcase exceptional jazz artists in intimate settings and provide an outlet for musician/composers to present new and adventurous music as well as innovative interpretations of jazz classics.  Produced by Planet Arts, the critically acclaimed and ASCAP award winning one2one Jazz Series continues to be a creative force in the Hudson Valley.

THE OPEN MIC (Music Industry Connection) PROJECT
The Open MIC Project is a student oriented program that provides young people with an opportunity to learn about various aspects of the music industry from professionals in the field. The core of the project is the creative process. Using this as a jumping off point, students are connected to the industry through direct contact with and observation of working professionals.
 

THE OPEN MIC - MUSIC JOUNALISM INITIATIVE
A recent, special component of The Open MIC, Planet Arts sent photo and print journalists to a local area high school for several workshops on how to photograph and write about music concerts.  Students attended two of the one2one concerts and their photos and reviews were published on Albany’s nippertown.com website as well as  the International Jazz Journalist Association website where jazz journalists from around the world commented on the student work. 

Bob Brookmeyer rehearsing the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra

DoAM INITIATIVE
DoAM (Documentation of American Music). The DoAM initiative focuses on large ensemble projects, documenting important American music compositions of established, mid-career and emerging composers. While independent and large-scale projects are often overlooked major and independent record labels, the Planet Arts Recordings mission has been instrumental in providing an outlet for outstanding artists to document and showcase their work.