Old Town School – On The Road

Dispatches from the road from our wayfaring travelers.

North Umbrian Pipes

north_umbrian_pipes.mp3

Here is a recording of some of the Rapper Dancers playing North Umbrian pipes.

Filed under: England,Notes from Maria,Uncategorized by Maria | April 22, 2008 | Comments (0)

Dunstanburgh Rant

dunstanburgh.mp3

Hi!

This is a tune that Ruth Ball taught me in a practice room at The Sage Gateshead. It’s called Dustanburgh Rant. A rant is a type of dance.

Maria :)

Filed under: England,Notes from Maria,Uncategorized by Maria | April 22, 2008 | Comments (0)

More Reflections from the Trip

We’re home now, but I wanted to add a little to the narrative.

Some things we saw that could find a home in Chicago. In the British Museum, sculptures created by Mozambiquan artists using decommissioned weapons — beautiful and moving. In Heathrow airport, corridors lined with images depicting apparent opposites that could switch signs according to the viewer, i.e. a high heel and a hot pepper labeled variously as “pain” or “pleasure.” In our Helsinki hotel, elevator doors filled with photographic representations of the wondors of the Finnish environment, different on every floor. In every British pub, beautiful varnished mahogany bars that offer such a warm contrast to Americas chrome, formica and marble. In every classroom at Sibelius Academy, vitrines displaying ancient or exemplary instruments, a bit of musical heritage on permanent exhibit.

How to convey this energy? Our delegation saw some extraordinary performances and our immediate response was a desire to share this with the entire community at Old Town School — we’ve just got to figure out a way to get some of these amazing artists to Chicago. But the next challenge will be generating a critical mass of enthusiasm among our Chicago colleagues and students. Those of us who traveled have the experience of having witnessed these incredible artists, butmost people at the School have no particular reason to get excited about Northern English fiddle tunes, Chinese sheng players or ancient Finnish shamanic vocal styles. What is our strategy for impressing our friends with how really special some of these things can be? That something they’re probably never stopped to imaginecould offer sucha powerful experience. If our hoped-for exchange program is to work, somehow we’ll have to engender an open-ness, a desire to try something new, that is not most people’s default setting.

Prospects for future exchanges. Our hosts were very enthusiastic about their encounters with Old Town School teachers. In the last 24 hours in Finland, Boogie taught two hip hop classes, Barb taught a clogging workshop and a vocal class, Maria taught a fiddle class, Joe was whisked away by the harmonica students and gave them a seminar that occupaied about 7 hours over two days. Over our farewell meal I asked one of the faculty how she felt things had gone, and she responded that the students were “ecstatic.” I believe with both Britain and Finland the only hurdle left to surmount before we can initiate some serious faculty swaps is to consult the calendar to find dates that work for both institutions. There is an excitement from both sides that will drive this process forward.

What’s next? This trip represents a beginning. It is a beginning on what could evolve into ongoing relationships with the Sage Gateshead and Sibelius Academy. And it is also the first step in building a program that can and should expand to other cultures and parts of the world. Due to the MacArthur Foundation’s funding proclivities, I suspect the next steps will be with Mexico and India. In any case this trip was a success on multiple levels, for the School, for our hosts, for the individual teachers involved, and for the prospects that it opens for future evolution. I offer my deepest appreciation to the team from Old Town School who made this all possible. Thank you.

Bau Graves

Filed under: England,Finland,Notes from Bau,Uncategorized by Bau | April 12, 2008 | Comments (3)

The Singapore Chinese Orchestra…

On Friday evening we sat through a long-winded, ambitious, but ultimately disappointing performance at The Sage entitled THE LONG WALK HOME, which was written in response to the death of five Chinese immigrants in the Morecabe Bay Tragedy. I sat next to Boogie and Joe. Joe fell asleep. While the performance left something to be desired, it was remarkable that The Sage could put together a project that engaged professionals and amateurs alike. As I said: ambitious. There were more people on stage than were in the audience.

We had the opportunity to hear members of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra at The Sage, and for me it ended up being one of the highlights of our time in Newcastle. These are folks who play on traditional Chinese instruments dating back to the fourth century. As I listened to them, I started thinking about what constituted virtuosity when these instruments were first designed and played. There’s the Pipa, which resembles an Oud with large wooden frets that extend some distance away from the neck. As the player zipped along on a traditional tune dating back from the early days of the instrument, I couldn’t help but marvel at the fact that this instrument was played nearly a thousand years before the church in Europe had even discovered polyphony. There’s the Xin (pronounced “shin”) which is an egg shaped reed instrument that makes a sound akin to the modern alto flute, but with more sonance in the tone. There’s the variety of two string bowed instruments: the Gaohu, Erhu and Zhonghu. The Gaolyn Sheng, played at this concert by the remarkable Guo Chang Suo, is a set of pipes that are blown from underneath. The sound is reminiscent of the concertina.

Listening to the ensemble was a remarkable experience. Would I ever had heard these instruments had I not been in England? Ros Riley rushed me backstage to meet the artists and their manager, Terence Ho Wee San, who informed me that the music director of the complete orchestra in a man named Tsung Yeh, and that he lives in South Bend, Indiana! Terence will put me in touch with him.

He showed me a video of the full orchestra, but I wasn’t as impressed. It seemed to me that the complete band (of around 70 players) was trying to emulate the sound of a classical symphony orchestra. But the smaller group I’d just heard! They presented a concert of traditional Chinese music as it might have been heard 1,700 years ago, peppered with shorter solo pieces. It was far more exciting then the video. They’ll be in New York in July 2009, but other than that they have no plans to return to the states. We must find a way to present this group in Chicago.

Where does a person in the states go when they wish to pursue a serious course of study in traditional music? I’ve been thinking about this a lot. Do we ever want to become a conservatory for instruments and musical forms that are unrepresented in classical conservatories? Would we ever be able to do this while remaining true to our core values? I wonder.

We decided to blow off an Irish Caeli that was scheduled, and ended up in a pub called The Cumberland Arms. I am so glad that we did. We got to watch a group of sword dancers and fiddlers do one of their performances, which they present in various found spaces around Newcastle. One of the fiddlers was our new friend Ruth, and her boyfriend Tom was one of the dancers. I’ll be posting a short video of the performance.

It’s incredible the way music and dance can sometimes just emerge from a place. This point was driven home in one remarkable moment. The seven of us were sitting in the back room of The Cumberland Arms, and Joe took out his harmonica and started playing. A single note turned into two, and then three. The music began gently, but then gained in richness as he continued, drifting out over the din of noise. Soon, he held the chatty drinkers in rapt attention. It was a beautiful moment. The music simply emerged. It was perfect.

Filed under: England,Notes from Robert by Robert | April 8, 2008 | Comments (0)

Day by Day

We’re having an incredible time. Other than the fact that I, Barbie S., am on the National TSA list as possibly being dangerous, we’ve had easy plane experiences, and arrived in London Thursday morning low on sleep, high in spirits, and cozy as a family of 7. Steve L. had his first Starbuck’s at the London airport before our next flight to the lovely town of Newcastle.

We spent part of Thursday toodling around Newcastle in a rented van through the beautiful rolling English countryside between our generous hosts’ homes, and visiting the impressive Sage Gateshead. This incredible blimp-shaped facility houses four music halls, one of them 1700 capacity, practice rooms, multiple programs in formal and non-formal music education (with Newcastle University) and concerts and performances of every variety and stripe, all in a glassed-in modern structure that overlooks the winding Tyne river.

Thursday night we had a jam session with our hosts and some other musicians who play fiddle and North Umbrian pipes (like a bagpipe). Delicious homemade food and baked bread, the air so clean and fresh and wholesome, our hosts Ros and Graham and Theo and Pam so joyous, so British in speech and hospitality.

After Graham’s breakfast of eggs, toast and kippers, we set out to perform at Marley Hill school, where we each led a number and Boogie got all the kids up hip-hopping. Then we vehicled into Gateshead across the river from the Sage, went to the market place past churches from the 1500′s and colored flowers dotting cobblestone walkways and charming cafes. Had a meeting with the Sage
Gateshead people this afternoon to share descriptions of Old Town School and Sage, and brainstorm ideas. Headed to a pub in Gateshead, and then a Chinese music concert here at the Sage.

Friday night’s Chinese music concert was multi-layered, long and overly ambitious, though had it’s incredible elements involving Singapore Orchestra players, professional and lay singers, chanting and movement. It was a tribute commemorating the tragic death of 23 cockle fishers in southern England due in equal parts to racial bigotry and unpredictable tidewaters. Long story for another time.

Saturday morning we drove to Durham to see the Cathedral there built in 1093 with a fascinating history behind it dating back to the 700′s, and the Wear River looping the town which was once a fortress against William the Conqueror. The town is absolutely to fall in love with, winding climbing streets, a charming bustling town square, rich history abounding. We spent two hours in a pub ordering fish and chips.

We dashed back to the Sage for a performance Saturday afternoon of seven members of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra stunning and beautifully crafted by Alistair Anderson, the humble, joyful and renowned concertina player who helped form this Sage Gateshead venue.

Then Saturday night we canned all organized plans and went to a local pub where amid the noise and jollity Joe Filisko sneaked in a brilliant rendition of a slow blues into Circle Be Unbroken, and a spontaneous combustion group of 5 guys in traditional Rapper outfits performed their sword Rappers dance to two live fiddles in a space so small you could land a hoola hoop inside it.

Today, Sunday, our flight was cancelled because of snow, so we scrambled onto a Metro train and hightailed to the rail station. We are on a London-bound train, hoping we can reschedule a flight to Helsinki. The weather lifted, sunshine reigns, and we are soaking up the English countryside from the connecter areas of two train cars, as the train is jammed with people. Luggage is piled helter skelter next to us, we are crammed like cattle a space of a few square feet, and we are laughing and joking and enjoying nevertheless.

Filed under: England,Notes from Barb by Barb | April 7, 2008 | Comments (0)

Our First Two Days…

GREETINGS FROM NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND! This is the first blog entry for the Old Town School’s overseas mission. I am joined here by Old Town School teaching artists Boogie McClarin (hip-hop), Barbara Silverman (guitar, voice, clogging), Maria McCullough (fiddle), Joe Filisko (harmonica), Steve Levitt (guitar), and our Executive Director, Bau Graves. I’ve had to wait a day and a half to write this since all of us have been pretty busy, although I am happy to report that this was the first evening that all seven of us have had to hang out in a pub and throw back a few. I am hoping that we can repeat this activity, nightly.

We’ve been spending most of our time at The Sage Gateshead, which is an AMAZING concert venue across the river from Newcastle. Our host for this leg of our trip has been Ros Riley, who is in charge of the non-classical programming for the space. Today (Friday) we had the chance to meet with the administrative staff of The Sage Gateshead, which includes a number of folks who are involved in educational programming, both at the facility and elsewhere. We talked about how Old Town School is run, and gave them the opportunity to ask some questions about our programs back in Chicago.

Earlier this morning, we all had a chance to visit a primary school and were given the opportunity of throwing together an hour long concert for the kids. Everyone took turns playing and singing, and a great time was had by everyone. Boogie took the stage and the children were absolutely transfixed for twenty minutes as they performed their first hip-hop steps. Great stuff.

On a personal note, I have to say that it is really great how well all of us are getting along. Well, actually, “getting along” probably isn’t the right term. I think that there are friendships that are being formed here, among some teachers and adminstrators who had never even met before our pre-travel meeting a couple of weeks ago. Joe Filisko didn’t know Maria McCullough at all, and now the two of them are hanging out and having a wonderful time. Boogie McClarin didn’t know any of the other teachers, and yet I know that the other four are better people for having made the connection with her.

We got to spend some time walking around the narrow, winding streets of Newcastle. The architecture is a cross between the (very) old and the new; although, unlike Chicago, the new buildings have been designed and constructed to integrate with the historic.

We’re having a smashing time, so far. Unless we start annoying the hell out of each other pretty soon, I think the rest of the trip is going to be just as rewarding!

Filed under: England,Notes from Robert by Robert | April 4, 2008 | Comments (0)


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