Announcing 2023 Katie Kurcz Awardee – Kevin Smith

Today, we are delighted to announce Snow City Arts’ 2023 Katie Kurcz Memorial Fund awardee, Kevin Smith! Kevin is a teaching artist at Rush University Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital University of Illinois. Kevin is also a guitarist, composer, music educator and a father to an adorable toddler named Malcolm! Kevin joined Snow City Arts in 2017 and he’s been impacting the lives of our students ever since through the power of music. 

With his Katie Kurcz Memorial Fund project, Kevin is excited and honored to have the time, resources and finances needed this year to fund and learn the inner workings of Ableton and take that new music knowledge and apply it to all of his future music lessons with SCA students. Due to presently only having a general knowledge of electronic music and only a rudimentary knowledge of Ableton, Kevin, prior to the Kurcz award, has already tried to explore unique ways to make original electronic and non-traditional music by creating his own ad hoc solution. This system consisted of a midi controller connected to a laptop with a software called Logic Pro and has served as the temporary system in exploring different ways of instrumentation. While that has been working decently, Kevin will be using his Kurcz Fund award to support financing the necessary training courses for Ableton (a recommended software), one on one trainings that he is not able to learn on his own through Youtube and to, of course, purchase an Ableton Push 2 Controller.

My current project plan involves using elements of electronic music (beat creation, recording, gathering samples, creating samples, creating melodies, creating harmonies, layering sounds, etc.) to enable students to virtually collaborate on songs in a sound collage.” – Kevin Smith, Snow City Arts Teaching Artist

Kevin’s Statement 

“Teaching music comes with all the rewards any teacher enjoys as students learn something new – but it’s also a source of joy because creating music is, simply, fun. It’s fun! That’s why we’ve been doing it for tens of thousands of years. 

My goal in workshops is to create a situation where getting to that joy point – the point where you’re actually making music, the fun part – is as accessible as possible to as many students as possible. I want students to realize that they don’t need a background in music to get to this point. Fast. 

Finding and creating music doesn’t have to include mastering an instrument; it can involve students applying skills they already have in a musical setting, starting from whatever interests they have and building from there. I want to continue to develop my skill set so that I’m able to bring a wider range of influences to my instruction to better meet students where they are.” – Kevin Smith

With the Ableton Controller, Kevin plans to enable students to create music in other modes by using everyday sounds, “found” sounds, their own voices and bodies, the machines in their rooms, etc. to create one-of-a-kind music that expands beyond just traditional music. By offering them tangible ways to understand and discuss rhythm and other foundational musical concepts, Kevin is delighted to present students with a more accessible entry point into music that allows students to create brand new original music that reflects the kind of music they are already listening to. Kevin is so grateful to be this year’s awardee and thrilled to see how he can inspire future students to create their own original music through everyday songs along with electronic music.

“All of this is possible through electronic music, and specifically via Ableton’s Push 2.” – Kevin Smith

Learn more about Kevin Smith here, in one of our previous blogs and you can listen to some of Kevin’s music here.  

Want to help teaching artists like Kevin expand their own practice and create innovative new workshops for Snow City Arts students? Donate to the Katie Kurcz Memorial Fund today! 

You can also read all our teaching artists’ biographies on our Staff page, or experience one of our TA-hosted virtual Art Parties.

Thank you again to the Kurcz family and all of the memorial fund donors who make this scholarship possible and help Snow City Arts continue our mission of inspiring and educating children and youth in hospitals through the arts

In 2017, the Katie Kurcz Memorial Fund was established to honor Katie Kurcz, our beloved friend, former Auxiliary Board Member, and fierce advocate for Snow City Arts. Following Katie’s passing in 2017, her family established the Kurcz Fund to provide support for Snow City Arts teaching artists in deepening their artistic practices and creating new learning opportunities for SCA students. As a result, this fund has continued to touch the lives of many, build upon our teaching artists wondrous talents that we get to then bring back to our students in the hospital. We continue to have immense gratitude towards Katie, her family and the donors of this fund that continue to help bring the arts to children and youth in hospitals and impact their lives.

Make a donation to the Kurcz Fund today!