Hot Times at Old Town

Appearing below are selections from the hard copy Hot Times. The objective is to highlight activities at the School and in the larger community, especially those featuring or of special interest to teachers and staff. Your suggestions are welcome. Enter a comment (under any item); it will come to me rather than automatically appearing.

Reading: The Rise of Rural Rhythm

Our enjoyment of music deepens when we know the history behind it: the people, the traditions, the institutions which gave rise to the music we love. That’s one reason why the Old Town School maintains its wonderful resource center — thousands of books, CDs, videos, records, tapes on a wide variety of musical traditions and styles.

Perhaps less known are the resources represented on the School’s the teaching staff. One example is Paul Tyler, fiddle teacher and local convener of the Fiddle Club of the World. Paul holds a doctorate in Folklore & American Studies/ Ethnomusicology from Indiana Unversity; he was the scholar behind the highly-praised Folk Songs of Illiniois, Volume 2, published last year. His most recent work is the lead article in “The Hayloft Gang: The Story of the National Barn Dance,” a collection of essays on the nation’s most popular country music radio program during the 1930s and 1940s, just published by the University of Illinois. Paul’s contribution is “The Rise of Rural Rhythm,” covering the music of the Barn Dance from 1924-41. Other contributers cover the later years of the Barn Dance, Chicago during the depression, radio, immigration, western music, and related topics. Fascinating history!

For “The Hayloft Gang: The Story of the National Barn Dance,” visit your local bookstore to find a copy or follow the link below — http://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/87wfw5fp9780252033537.html. best: ask your local public library to order it!

Filed under: Interesting at Old Town by Skip | August 13, 2008 | Comments (0)


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