The Western Illinois Museum invites the community to an interactive musical experience with the double bass featuring musician Will Yager on May 1 on the Museum’s Our Front Porch. This hands-on program encourages visitors to explore the surprising and playful possibilities of the bass while discovering how unexpected sounds can be created through experimentation and improvisation.
Participants will experience Yager’s creative approach to sound-making and have the opportunity to try his techniques themselves, turning the Museum’s unique garage space into a collaborative sound lab. Using simple tools and inventive methods, Yager demonstrates how everyday objects can transform the instrument’s voice—like a bouncy ball on a stick, known by musicians as a “superball,” which can produce deep, whale-like tones when drawn across the strings. Guests are invited to experiment alongside Yager, discovering new sounds with the bass and even with objects and surfaces found around Our Front Porch. All participants will leave with their own superball and the satisfaction of being a part of the program while trying something new.
Doors and bar open at 5 p.m., and a $5 suggested donation is requested at the door.
Visiting from Cedar Falls, Iowa, Yager is a musician dedicated to experimental music, improvisation, and collaboration. His work focuses on inviting audiences into the creative process, making each program a shared experience where curiosity and play lead the way.
This program is designed for adults, kids, and anyone interested in creative exploration, making it a welcoming opportunity for families, friends, and first-time visitors to experience music in a new way.
Yager’s performance is part of the Music on Our Front Porch series, which brings world-class jazz and classical musicians into the Museum’s cozy, one-of-a-kind garage space, offering audiences a rare chance to engage directly with accomplished performers in an intimate setting. The series continues on Friday, June 5 with flutist Amanda Pond.
This program is supported in part by grants from the Illinois Arts Council.
The Western Illinois Museum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating and nurturing the history, culture, and traditions of McDonough County. The Museum serves as a vibrant community hub, offering exhibits, an open collection area, lectures, music, and public programs in a historic and fully accessible building located at 201 S. Lafayette Street, one block south of Macomb’s Courthouse Square.
A full schedule of events is available at wimuseum.org or by following @wimuseum on social media. For more information, call 309-837-2750, text 309-837-2613, or email [email protected].
