"Once you engage the kids, the rest will come."
Michael Greene, president, the Grammy Foundation
 In
May 2000, the National
Endowment for The Arts, then Councilwoman Laura Chick, and
then Councilman Michael Fuehr, gave the California Traditional
Music Society a total of $11,500 in grant money to start a pilot
program to put folk music into the schools. These programs were
provided “Free” to Southern California’s most
severely under-served Title 1 elementary schools (those serving
more than 65% low-income students).
In a little under six weeks, we reached 10,926 students in 16
elementary schools, the majority of them were the poorest elementary
schools in our area. We employed seven local folk
musicians, and presented 32 programs. The programs were historically
educational and participatory with the children involved in folk
dancing, folk singing, storytelling, and playing folk instruments.
Most of these children have never had an extra curricular program
at their school.
 In
May, June and July of 2001, we received new grant money from the
Winnick Family Foundation, and the Employees
Community Fund of Boeing California. In addition we were awarded
a grant from Julie Korenstein, President of the Los
Angeles Unified School District. and a grant from Councilwoman
Cindy Miscikowski was used to fund two schools in her Council
District. With these new funds we reached 11 new elementary schools
and one middle school, employed 10 folk musicians,
and  presented
33 programs. We reached and involved over 10,630 students, bringing
the total number of children introduced to folk music by the California
Traditional Music Society within the two year period, to almost
21,556.
From June 2002 through December 2003, with the support of highly
competitive National
Endowment for The Arts Challenge America Fast Track grant,
the Maurer Family Foundation, the Weingart
Foundation, Councilman
Dennis P. Zine, U.S.
Bank, First
Bank in Encino, Employees
Community Fund of Boeing Corporation, the funds raised  from
the Hal & Ann Wakcher vacation raffle donation, numerous individual
donors, and a new grant from the Entertainment
Industry Foundation, the  California
Traditional Music Society “Folk Music in the Under Served
Schools” program introduced folk music, dance and storytelling
to 24,700 students at 34 schools. This brings the total number
of students reached by the CTMS program to over 40,000 students
with 150 programs at 61 schools, and we have provided employment
for 31 folk music artists.
We provide low cost historical, educational and participatory
Folk Music programs to schools with an arts and music budget, and “free” to
under served elementary schools. CTMS has 25 years’ experience
presenting Folk Music to adults and children. Music plays an important
role in educating young children.
 Folk
Music is a vital way of learning to appreciate the many unique
cultural traditions in a positive celebratory context. In addition
to being entertaining, musical experiences help children develop
skills that are essential to the developmental process. The National
Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) has done extensive research
on this subject and their studies show that when children listen
to and sing songs, they learn letter sounds, and rhyming patterns.
Music enhances their math skills by recognition of repetitive patterns
in the rhythm and melody of songs. They also clap and count to
the beat of music. Music enhances children’s memory techniques.
They learn and remember important facts when the information is
combined with a catchy tune. By singing and dancing to an upbeat
song with positive messages, children cultivate good feelings about
themselves and the cultures from which the music springs.
The California Traditional Music Society (CTMS) is dedicated to
the preservation and dissemination of the traditional folk music,
dance, and related folk arts of America's diverse cultural heritage.
Our goals are to broaden public involvement with folk music, celebrate
ethnic traditions, promote cross-cultural understanding, and to
increase public understanding of the value and variety of folk
music an dance. With the continued support of the community and
local business’s, CTMS will expand this successful program
to reach even more children through future school programs.
Artists Participating in the CTMS School
Program
- Connie Allen & Bill Dempsey: Connie
and Bill enjoy sharing music with young folks. Both work as music
teachers. Bill as a band instrument instructor with the Santa
Ana Elementary Schools and Connie teaches fretted dulcimer privately.
They are active in the Children’s Music Network. They perform
and teach traditional Appalachian music at living history programs
and children’s libraries throughout Southern California.
As part of their programs they bring numerous traditional instruments,
like the fretted dulcimer, for children to have hands on experience
playing the instruments. Their website is www.billandconniemusic.com.
- Entourloupe: Five musicians from
Quebec who presented a hands-on participatory introduction to
the traditional folk music, dances, instruments and history of
Quebec. Vist www.millepattes.com/Anglais/entourlo/bref.html for
more information about Entourloupe.
- Sandii Castleberry and Ron Daigh: “Roots
of American Music”. Dressed as Early American pioneers,
this duo expertly takes students back to a simpler time to explore
the multicultural roots of American folk music and its instruments.
Students hear toe-tapping performances on the guitar, banjo,
harmonica, Appalachian dulcimer, spoons, washboard, limber jack,
jug and others. The children love interacting with the performers;
and some even join the duo in a grand finale frontier band. Find
out more about Sandii at www.sandiicastleberry.com
- Sandii Castleberry with Richard Cook: Present
the “Celtic Collection”, a fun, and informative review
of the music of Ireland and Scotland that includes performance
on Irish whistles, bagpipe, the ancient Irish drum (Bodhran),
guitar, banjo-mandolin, fiddle, bones and spoons. Children try
their hand at the art of ancient Irish drumming or clap along
to the exciting rhythms of an Irish jig or reel.
- Bill Knopf & Tom Corbett, seasoned
musicians and teachers introduce traditional bluegrass music,
songs and instrumentals on banjo, guitar and mandolin. Tom's
website is www.tomcorbett.net
- “Banjo Bob” and Melody Burns are
a bilingual duo who bring years of experience along with tried
and true traditional American sing-along folk songs to their
programs in a high-energy interactive performance in which children
may actually try out a number of folk instruments.
- Musicantica: traditional Italian
music masters Enjo Fina and Roberto Catalana introduce tamburelo
and putipu drums, medieval guitars, bells, flutes and mandolins
in their assembly programs. www.musicantica.org is
their website
- Dan Crow, one of America’s
most beloved family entertainers and recording artist, entertains
and teaches through lively sing-along performances. Appearing
regularly on Nickelodeon and the Learning Channel, Dan writes
and plays songs for Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo and children all over
the world. He presents more than 200 school concerts a year and
is a recipient of the “Professional Artists in Schools” Lifetime
Achievement Award. You can visit Dan Crow's Nest at www.dancrow.com
- Michael D. McCarty: A multicultural
storyteller of African, African-American, and International Folk
tales, Historical tales, Stories of Science, and Spiritual stories.
His stories inform, educate inspire and amuse. More information
about Michael can be found on: www.dreamshapers.org
- Chaskinakuy: Edmond Badoux and Francy
Vidal present the traditional folk music of the Andes, using
over 25 authentic instruments. The program is interactive with
the children playing the instruments and learning to dance a
traditional Andean folk dance. Visit www.chaskinakuy.com
- France Bourque Moreau will join
our roster of artists in June 2004 from Montreal, Quebec, when
she will teach the music and dance of French Canada. She will
participate in the 22nd Annual Summer Solstice Folk Music, Dance & Storytelling
Festival in June as well. Her website is www.bourque-moreau.com.
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