community Programs
Mutual engagement with the larger community…
… is a core part of our artistic practice at Future Fields.
Our values emphasize connection across identity points such as age, gender, race & ability.
Grounded in a peer support approach - in which each person is the expert of their own experience - our programs work to support artists at various phases of the process of self-expression.
Educational Programs
Our community hosts and participates in a range of educational programs that have won a number of grants and awards.
The Edmunds Music Production Club , started by Eric Maier at Future Fields in 2022, was given funding to support seventh and eighth grade students in the creation of music in various genres using various methods, while giving studio staff and interns the opportunity to connect to musicians at a different stage of life.
In 2023 the program moved to the Digital Media Lab (DML) at the Burlington Technical Center (BTC) and became the Make Music Club, led by Maier and Jason Raymond. This move increased collaboration across age, with high school students joining Future Fields to lead the club, as part of their vocational mentorship requirement.
In 2024 the program won a Voya Unsung Heroes Award for innovative teaching ideas. Also in 2024, the same Raymond-Maier partnership was awarded a Music Drives Us grant to start an Exchange Program, bringing Future Fields professionals to the Burlington Technical Center; and BTC audio engineering students to Future Fields. This program asks all involved to bring their personal knowledge and experience to the table, and always seems to lead to something new!
Community members have also won a number of Vermont Arts Council grants for a variety of projects.
Future Fields has collaborated for the past few years with the SOCAPA songwriting camps to record singles for teen artists in their programs. We highly recommend this program.
Please contact us for information!
Internship Program
Our popular and well-established internship program helps students of recording develop their interest and skill through observation, participation, and social connection. Internships at Future Fields are self-directed and flexible, based on the needs and availability of the intern, and the bandwidth of the studio. Internships can be formal and for credit ; or informal. Past interns - from programs at UVM, Champlain, Ithaca, UMass, Bennington, Columbia College & more - have gone on to work in the industry (including at Future Fields!) in a number of capacities! This program is often at capacity . . .
Fill out an internship application here …
…and we will be in touch if we have space !
Residency Program
The Future Fields residency program , hosted primarily in our beautiful Songwriter Room, provides artists space to create. Supported by a series of scholarships emphasizing social representation , we’re able to offer this two-month weekly program to most participants free of charge. Residencies are primarily self-directed but do include community events such as listening sessions, industry workshops, performances, and jams.
Rehearsal Space
We also offer a variety of rehearsal spaces for bands and individuals ! Practice slots come with full P.A. and backline (in addition to the vintage furniture and plants).
Rates are on a sliding scale with support given, as always, to those experiencing cultural barriers to artistic creation.
