The Native American Composer Apprentice Project

Tomasina Yellowman rehearses her piece, "Falling," with composer-in-residence Raven Chacon and the musicians of Sweet Plantain.
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Performance Today visited the Grand Canyon Music Festival, where high school students from nearby reservations learn to speak their minds through the voice a string quartet.
Voices That Need to be Heard
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Tomasina Yellowman rehearses her piece, "Falling," with composer-in-residence Raven Chacon and the musicians of Sweet Plantain.
Nate Ryan / APM

Sweet Plantain rehearses
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Orlando Wells rehearses
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Clare Hoffman preps music
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Driving to Tuba City
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Thunder cloud near Tuba City
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Sun through the rain
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Canyon near Tuba City
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Highway in the desert
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Powerlines
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Approaching Tuba City
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Arts and crafts stand
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Welcome to Tuba City
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Tuba City High School
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Kids on bikes
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Tennis courts
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Shrine of the Ages
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Grand Canyon Music Festival director Clare Hoffman
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Michael Begay at concert
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Brevin Norton at concert
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Orlando Wells at concert
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Whitehorse High School student Malika Oldman introduces her piece at the final concert with the quartet Sweet Plantain.
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Raven Chacon at concert
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Composer-in-residence Michael Begay, center, during the program's final concert.
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The audience gives the young composers and performers a standing ovation at the Shrine of the Ages in the Grand Canyon National Park.
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A couple enjoys the Grand Canyon sunset
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The Colorado River winnows through the Canyon
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