In a continuing effort to promote and advance bluegrass, old-time and folk music in Southern California, the Topanga Banjo•Fiddle Contest will sponsor free folk singing programs in Los Angeles City and County Libraries and schools, starting in 2009. There is no charge to the library or school and there is no charge for admission to the concerts. The public is welcome to attend all library concerts. School concerts are open to students only*
 Gigi & Mike |
|
 Sandii Castleberry |
| FOLK SINGERS | LIBRARY/SCHOOL | DATES AND TIMES | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gigi & Mike's |
Granada Hills Library |
Saturday | |||
The Hollow Trees |
*3rd Street Elementary School |
Wednesday |
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| ** With special guest 2008 Topanga Advanced Fiddle Winner, Katie Nakamura | |||||
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Tom & Dawn, Folksingers |
Studio City Library |
Wednesday |
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Sometimes in Tune |
Santa Monica Library |
Saturday |
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Fur Dixon & Steve Werner, |
Santa Monica - Main Library |
Saturday |
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Mr. Tom, |
Encino-Tarzana Library |
Saturday |
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Ross Altman, |
Canoga Park Library |
Saturday |
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The Hollow Trees |
Zimmer Children's Museum |
Wednesday |
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Gigi & Mike's |
Pasadena Public Library |
Saturday |
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Sandii Castleberry |
West Valley Regional |
Thursday |
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Sometimes in Tune |
Glendale Central Library |
Saturday |
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The Hollow Trees |
*Wonderland Elementary School |
Wednesday |
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Tom & Dawn |
Westlake Village Library |
Friday |
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Fur Dixon & Steve Werner, |
Woodland Hills Library |
Saturday |
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 Mr. Tom, The Music Man |
|  Ross Altman |
and captivate a young audience. Folk songs contain timeless melodies that live on for centuries. They tell of the good times and hard times of the people, the land, their work, and their freedom. Folk singers help parents introduce folk singing to their children.
Did you know that long before there were iPods, CDs, television, radio and movies, people had to create their own leisure pastimes? In America and other countries this took the form of songs and stories that were made up and passed down by word of mouth, from grandparents to their parents to their children, and so on. Many of the songs people passed along spoke of their lives, their loves, their work, their wars, the good times and bad. For example, cowboys sang to keep themselves awake when riding herd or sitting around a camp fire at night. Songs like “Old Chisholm Trail,” “I Ride an Old Paint” and Red River Valley speak to us of life as it was in the Old West. And the cowboy songs, sea shanties, immigrant ballads, gold rush songs,lumberjack songs, spirituals, railroad and pioneer songs make up a people’s history of America
These library programs will emphasize folk songs, both American and international, sung and played on stringed instruments, guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, dulcimer, recorder, and so on; American, Appalachian, African-American, Civil War, Stephen Foster songs, the songs of Pete Seeger, The Weavers, Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, Odetta and so on, will be included. A few of the hundreds of folk classics are:
John Henry (the steel driving man)
This Land is Your Land, Woody Guthrie
Froggy Went a Courtin'
So Long It's Been Good to Know You, Woody Guthrie
Shenandoah, (You Rollin' River)
Lonesome Traveler
Follow the Drinking Gourd, (Southern slave's underground railroad)
Red River Valley
My Darlin' Clementine
Home On the Range
Big Rock Candy Mountain
Go Down, Moses
Down By the Riverside
Good Night, Irene
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To request a program for your library or school, or for information, contact Warren Garfield, Program Coordinator (323) 656-5813 or email: warrengar@sbcglobal.net |
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Sometimes In Tune |
