The Swallowtails are an acoustic folk-rock band inspired by the evolution of the butterfly: cyclically reinventing itself to spread its wings. Coming from a wide array of musical backgrounds, they have an idiomatic approach to genre, being able to incorporate influences of rock, pop, folk, classical, and jazz in their songs.

Listeners have described their sound as “a warm hug” and an “experience where worlds collide.” The Swallowtails are artists committed to creating music that is honest, heartfelt, and reflective of who they are, to connect with listeners through recorded work and live performances. Formed in Kansas City, MO in 2018, the trio is made up of Miki P on Guitar/Vocals, Adee Dancy on Cello/Vocals, and Rachel Lovelace on Bassoon/Vocals. The Swallowtails met through the collaborative music network in Kansas City, each pursuing music professionally and academically.

The Swallowtails have released two albums in their 5 year history: their debut “Right Where We Are” in August of 2020, and their recently released sophomore album “The World Still Spins” on May 22nd, 2023. The Swallowtails vision is to write honest, heartfelt songs to share with listeners from all walks of life, making connections through recorded work and live performances. Whether you’re a new listener, or seasoned Swallowtail supporter, our commitment is to create music that feels like coming home.

Miki P and the Swallowtails are artists committed to creating feel-good music that combines a range of emotions drawing from their individual forces of nature. The band being an array of unique musical backgrounds, listeners have described their sound as “a warm hug” and an “experience where worlds collide.”

Members of the band include Miki P on Guitar/Vocals, Rachel Lovelace on Bassoon/Vocals, and Adee Dancy on Cello/Vocals. In search of beautiful melodies, The Swallowtails are artists committed to creating music that combines a range of emotions through grounded songwriting, sealed together with their unique instrumentation.

The Swallowtails recently released their sophomore album “The World Still Spins” May 22nd, 2023.

$1,000 for our workshop and $600 for our performance

Workshop Breakdown: $333 for each artist expertise, leadership of workshop & time

The goal of our workshop is to provide opportunities and inspiration to students who pursue classical or structured music in their schools. The workshop will allow students of many disciplines to use their instruments (voice, strings, band, etc) and their applied skills/knowledge to create contemporary and improvisational styles. For younger students (ages 7-14) we will have a performance of our original music, and then a 1- hour workshop segment that engages students on their primary instrument, accompanying our original songs.

As educators and clinicians, we can provide experiences for students of many age levels and abilities, each one of us with a primary instrument applicable to band, orchestra, choir, or general elementary education. For older students (high school and college) we are able to provide a contemporary arranging and songwriting clinic, with a focus on classical instruments in unique settings (i.e. folk, rock, pop).

We will encourage students to use their applied skills and creativity to arrange for their own instruments in unexpected ensembles. The vision is that we would visit classes that have a wide array of instrumentalists/vocalists, in classes such as Musicianship, Music Theory, Orchestral Arranging, Improvisation, or Chamber Music. We would select groupings of 3 or more at random in the classes, encouraging students to think outside the box with their arrangements.

Students are encouraged to bring lyrical and structural ideas for their songs, and we as the clinic leaders will give tools to develop those ideas throughout the workshop. By the end of the 1.5 hour workshop, students will have a first draft of an original song, complete with lyrics, full song structure, and instrumental accompaniment/melodies.

Our style of arranging as The Swallowtails focuses on creating sweeping melodies, balanced harmonies, and call and response between instruments and voices. We believe that workshops like this could open creative potentialities for students of all ages, and create new musical possibilities that expand their personal artistic practice as well as potential professional innovation.

$1100 (Breakdown: $300 a member, $200 for prep of workshop & band operational fees)

With the recent release of our sophomore album, The World Still Spins, we would love to provide an album-listening and Q&A session for the host community. Since we may encounter communities that might not have heard our recorded music, this is a great opportunity for sharing our recent project and engaging with folks who might not be involved in the workshop.

Resumes

• Adee Dancy Resume
• Rachel Lovelace Resume
• Mikala Petillo Resume
• Swallowtails Resume