Old Town School of Folk Music
Founded by Folk musicians Frank Hamilton and Win Stracke, and Dawn Greening, the School opened in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago in 1957[1] (the original location at 333 west North Avenue has since been demolished).
It began by offering guitar and banjo lessons in a communal teaching style and hosting performances by well-known folk musicians.
[3] The Old Town School of Folk Music was originally established by Dawn Greening in her family dining room.
[4][5] With her incredible warmth, and skill at building relationships, Greening and her family acted as a support system to a vast community of struggling folk artists.
During a time when mothers were expected to act as caretakers and people of color were supposed to enter through the back door as servants, Greening and her family took the brunt of social backlash and exclusion from their neighbors.
Coming together with Greening, Hamilton and Stracke developed a classroom technique based upon traditional oral and folk teaching methods: listening, watching, trial and error, and playing by ear.
Several of the early faculty at the Old Town School were past members of Win Stracke's the "I Come For to Sing" review.
Win Stracke, Studs Terkel, Big Bill Broonzy, and Fleming Brown were all members of "I Come For to Sing" at different times.
[6] The initial version of the Old Town School Songbook was an unbound stack of pages to be added to a three ring binder.
Each page had a short history of the song, the chord progression, rhythm indicators, a transcription of the melody and lyrics for the verses.
[7] Pete Seeger, Mahalia Jackson, Jimmy Driftwood, Big Bill Broonzy, and Josh White all performed at the Old Town School in its early years.
[8] Early teachers at the school included Chicago blues guitarist Big Bill Broonzy, and banjo players Fleming Brown and Stu Ramsey as well as the Brazilian singer-guitarist Valucha deCastro (a.k.a.
The late 1960s were a peak of success as several musicians associated with the School rose to national prominence, including Roger McGuinn of The Byrds, Fred Holstein, John Prine, Steve Goodman, Bonnie Koloc, and Bob Gibson.
This was highlighted in February 1989 by a performance from Jesus "Chucho" Rodriguez & Henry Hernandez with their Indian Harp and The Inca Peruvian Highland Wind Ensemble.
It impacts more people's lives today than at any time in its past [10] After occupying a building at 909 West Armitage Avenue in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood since 1968, the Old Town School in 1998 expanded into a new and larger main branch in the former Hild Library at 4544 North Lincoln Avenue, with a 400-seat concert hall.
[15] As of late 2003, Old Town School has occasionally held or sponsored concerts in the 1525-seat Harris Theater for Music and Dance located mostly underground in the downtown Millennium Park.
Students can also take ensemble classes, working with others on the music of groups like The Beatles, The Grateful Dead, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and many others.
[16] On December 1, 2007, Old Town School celebrated its 50th anniversary with a concert at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre featuring Jeff Tweedy, Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn, David Bromberg, Bonnie Koloc, Frank & Mary Hamilton, Lonnie Brooks with Wayne Baker Brooks and Nicholas Tremulis and Luna Negra Dance Theater.
[17] In July 2010, the School announced the planned $18 million expansion of their facility to include new classroom and theater space across the street from their current location (on an empty lot purchased in 2005).
On Friday nights, the School offers 6-String Socials at 909 West Armitage Avenue where students can get together to practice singing and playing.
