In The Press

Wild Steps Programs 2026

Our Mission in Practice

Wild Steps advances public humanities and the arts to serve vulnerable populations and strengthen community across cultures. Through music, dance, storytelling, and participatory experience, we bring living traditions into public spaces—libraries, schools, community centers, and cultural venues—where people can encounter one another across age, ability, and background.

Our work emphasizes accessibility, interaction, and shared cultural discovery, making humanities active rather than abstract.

Ongoing Core Programs

🎻Wild West Flag High Fiddlers

Venue: Flagstaff High School

Frequency: Monthly (school year)

A hands-on program with Flagstaff High School orchestra students that introduces Arizona’s own fiddle traditions and regional musical history. Students learn by ear, explore local repertoire, and connect classical training to living folk traditions.

🌵Wild West Fiddle Project

Venues: Libraries and public spaces statewide

Frequency: Multiple events each month A flagship Wild Steps initiative offering:

• Music workshops for musicians
• Participatory dances
• Interactive concerts

Rooted in research and revival of Arizona’s multicultural music and dance traditions, this project turns humanities research into public, embodied experience across communities throughout Arizona.

📚AZ Speaks (Arizona Humanities)

Venues: Libraries statewide

Frequency: Periodic throughout the year

Through AZ Speaks, Wild Steps Director Kate Rose and Treasurer Armond Ramirez present engaging talks and demonstrations that combine storytelling, music, and dance to illuminate Arizona’s diverse cultural traditions.

♿Inclusively Wild Music and Dance

Venues: Community centers, accessible public spaces, and the Tempe Center for Habilitation

Frequency: Ongoing, with monthly programs at TCH

Inclusively Wild Music and Dance is a welcoming, adaptive, and participatory program designed to meet people where they are physically and culturally. Traditional dances and music are taught in inclusive ways that emphasize connection, shared rhythm, and presence over performance.

👵Elder Facility Programs

Venues: Elder and assisted living facilities in Flagstaff Frequency: Approximately three programs per month

Interactive concerts emphasizing participation, rhythm, memory, and shared experience. These programs are a core service area for Wild Steps and consistently well received by residents and staff.

🎼Wild Flagstaff Concert Series

Venues: Rotating music venues in Flagstaff

Frequency: Once or twice per month

An ongoing concert series that brings together musical groups from different traditions and scenes within and beyond Flagstaff. The series intentionally pairs artists and audiences who might not otherwise meet, strengthening the city’s cultural ecosystem.Wild Irish Fiddle and Wild World Irish Fiddle are the host bands that organize the bursting of musical bubbles. They also perform without other bands, aligning with WS mission of community and rooted tradition. We celebrate the fusion of heritage and bringing people together. 

Annual Signature Event

🎶 Wild Flagstaff Music Festival

Venue: Central Flagstaff (outdoor/public space)

Frequency: Annual, one-day festival

A celebratory gathering inviting musicians from multiple cultural traditions for a day of interactive performances. The festival emphasizes traditions meeting traditions, audience participation, and discovery beyond familiar musical “bubbles.”

Emerging & Future Initiatives

📖 Literacy & Youth Partnerships (Rhythms of Reading)

Venues: The Literacy Center; Boys & Girls Club of Flagstaff

Frequency: School vacation periods; pilot phases in 2026

Wild Steps is developing arts-integrated reading programs that pair literature with music, movement, and storytelling. Youth outreach is a priority for 2026, with programs designed to support literacy, engagement, and cultural curiosity.

🥁 Wild Pulses: Healing Through Rhythm & Story

Venues: Partner shelters and service organizations

Frequency: Recurring program series

Wild Pulses is Wild Steps’ trauma-informed program serving people experiencing homelessness, using rhythm, music, movement, and storytelling to foster connection, grounding, and community. Sessions are designed to be low-barrier and participatory, requiring no prior musical experience.

🏜 Southwest Musical Heritage Project

Venues: Statewide; digital and public-access platforms

Frequency: Multi-year project (pending funding)

A large-scale public humanities initiative involving scholars, ethnomusicologists, historians, and culture bearers. The project focuses on preserving, interpreting, and making accessible the musical heritage of the Southwest and is currently under consideration by national funders.

📜 Scholarly Editions & Translations

Venues: Digital and print dissemination

Frequency: Project-based (pending funding)

Wild Steps has applied for NEH support to manage scholarly editions and translations of key humanities texts, expanding the organization’s role in public-facing scholarship.

Ideas for 2027 and beyond

A goal is to eventually house mission-aligned programs led by board members and external people,pay more artists, and possibly hire staff. 

It would be great to increase our donor base, volunteer base, and partnerships, for greater impact locally and beyond, including internationally. 

In Summary

Wild Steps continues to:

• Deliver consistent, accessible programming across Arizona
• Serve youth, elders, disabled participants, and general public audiences
• Bridge scholarship and community experience
• Strengthen cultural connection across traditions
• Build toward ambitious, multi-year humanities initiatives

This integrated approach positions Wild Steps for impactful growth in 2026 while remaining grounded in community, care, and cultural integrity. We hope to strengthen public presence, including online, with coherent branding and grow our budget to have more of a cushion as well as expanding in 2027.