NEW ENGLAND
SCHOOL PERFORMING
ARTIST DIRECTORY
SOCIAL STUDIES


NEW ENGLAND STATES (and NEW YORK)

(See Also REGIONS, OCCUPATIONS, FAMOUS PEOPLE)

CONNECTICUT || MAINE || MASSACHUSETTS || NEW HAMPSHIRE
RHODE ISLAND || VERMONT


CONNECTICUT


photo of Tom Callinan and Ann Shapiro
   TOM   CALLINAN   and   ANN   SHAPIRO
c/o Crackerbarrel Entertainments
55 East Town Street
Norwich, CT 06360-2345
Phone and Fax: (860) 889-6648
E-Mail: tom.c@crackerbarrel-ents.com
Website: http://www.crackerbarrel-ents.com/tomann01.htm

For over 30 years, the husband and wife team of Tom Callinan and Ann Shapiro has toured an assortment of informative and entertaining participatory programs throughout the Eastern Seaboard of the United States for audiences as diverse as nursery schools through nursing homes. Whether appearing as solo artists or as their duo, they blend their extensive repertoire of songs, which span many centuries, with an impressive array of instruments from the wind, string, and percussion families. As storytellers, they were among the Featured Tellers at the National Storytelling Festival (1999), and "Tellers-In-Residence" at the International Storytelling Center (2003). Their stories are told in-tandem or individually, embellished with humor, music, sound effects, and audience involvement. Each has been designated a Master Teaching Artist by the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.

Tom, a former junior high school teacher with a B.S. in Secondary Education from Central Connecticut State University, and a M.A.L.S. from Wesleyan University, has written over 100 songs about Connecticut – more than anyone in history. Via legislation passed by the Connecticut General Assembly, and signed by then-Governor Lowell P. Weicker, Jr., Tom was designated Connecticut's first "Official State Troubadour" in 1991. His credits include: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; "Good Morning America"; "Shining Time Station"; among many others. Honors include: composing songs included in Emmy Award-winning documentaries and co-writing songs on Parents Choice Gold Award recordings, among others.

In addition to her work as a creative and performing artist, Ann also serves as the Executive Director of the Connecticut Storytelling Center, in-residence at Connecticut College. Ann is the recipient of a number of prestigious awards, including: The National Storytelling Network’s 2005 ORACLE Leadership and Service Award For The Northeastern United States; the 2008 Brother Blue and Ruth Hill Award from LANES (The League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling); and the 2009 Elizabeth L. Mahaffey Arts Administration Fellowship Recipient from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.

Tom and Ann have produced over a dozen recordings on CD and cassette (see website: www.Crackerbarrel-Ents.com). A downloadable order form is available at www.crackerbarrel-ents.com/Catalog/Order%20Form.htm, and printed study-guides pertaining to their Arts-In-Education programs are available on request. Information about teacher-training, consulting services, and custom songwriting are available as well.

Program Titles: Environmental Hootenanny; From Sea to Shining Sea; Brother Against Brother; Young America; Come On & Sing-Along; I'm Gonna Write a Song; Home Fires; Imagine Menagerie; Thumbs-Up for Connecticut; Sea Songs, Chanteys, and Nautical Lore; Irish and Irish-American Songs, Tunes, and Tales; Getting Along; Holiday Hodge-Podge, and more.

Audience Limit: 30/class; 300/assembly

Fees: Assembly- $500/solo [1st show. 2nd show @ $300]; $750/duo [1st show. 2nd show @ $450]; Classroom- $500 per day/4 classes-solo. Travel is included within Connecticut. Out of state: 55¢ per mile, round-trip from Norwich, CT.

Funding Sources: Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, New England Foundation for the Arts, BOCES (New York).

Special Requirements: Access to performance space 45 minutes before first show


photo of Don Sinetti and Tom Callinan
   TOM   CALLINAN   and   DON   SINETI
c/o Crackerbarrel Entertainments
55 East Town Street
Norwich, CT 06360-2345
Phone and Fax: (860)-889-6648
E-Mail: tom.c@crackerbarrel-ents.com
Website: http://www.crackerbarrel-ents.com/don_and_tom.htm

With banjo, concertina, guitar, spoons, bodhran, ocarina, penny whistles, bones, and limberjack, Tom and Don are masters of generating audience participation. Their infectious performing style blends sea songs and traditional folksongs with folk-revival and original compositions. Sea chanteys (work songs), done in powerful harmony, recall the days of wooden ships and iron men. Ballads and songs about the environment and the plight of the world's endangered whales bring out their more sensitive side. Effortlessly, the duo shifts gears from ballads, to toe-tapping instrumentals, to silly ditties. They are ideal for inter-generational/family audiences and fund-raisers.

Their programs can be specific or eclectic in theme, depending on the needs of the sponsoring organization (school, library, museum, etc.). Some feature the implementation of "home-made" apparatus to simulate the experience of working on a ship for volunteers selected from the audience. Rhythm instruments are often distributed to volunteers selected from the audience to form a "foo-foo" band, reminiscent of those found in immigrant communities, or on ship-board in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th Centuries. Music, songs, Don's award-winning illustrations, slides, and an assortment of hands-on artifacts raise the lecture/demo format to a multi-media experience.

Program Titles: Songs & Tales of Ships & Whales; Folksongs - Old & New; Songs For the Earth; Instruments & Instrumentals; Drawn By the Song of the Sea (Illustrations/Slides & Music).

Audience Limit: 30/class; 300/assembly

Fees: Assembly - $650/duo, $400/solo; Classroom - $400 per day/ 4 classes - solo; $.55 per mile, round trip from Norwich, CT

Funding Sources: Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, New England Foundation for the Arts, BOCES (in New York)

Special Requirements: Access to performance space 45 minites before first show


photo of Jim Douglas
   JIM   DOUGLAS
53 Whittemore Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
(508) 347-2065
E-Mail: jim.douglas@nichols.edu

Jim Douglas sings history alive! Students love his "In Tune With the Times" programs because they are lively and entertaining. They enjoy hearing and singing great songs, seeing new and interesting folk instruments, and learning about other people and times. Teachers love the programs because they reinforce many classroom lessons. Enrichment providers love the programs because they bring to life a special part of our musical and cultural heritage in a way that is authentic, meaningful, and memorable.

During two decades as a full-time school performer, Jim has shared his love and extensive research of the past and its music with audiences of all ages in well over a thousand schools. Mr. Douglas has a Master's Degree in History (University of Connecticut), has published four books, and released seven recordings of New England songs and stories. His book, Songs of New England: A Sourcebook for Teachers, is being used extensively throughout the region, and his most recent book, Music in Every Classroom : A Resource Guide for Integrating Music Across the Curriculum, Grades K-8 (Libraries Unlimited), is helping teachers across the country enrich their classes. Jim's latest recording, Under A Spell, earned the prestigious American Library Association Notable Award.

Jim's work has been supported by such organizations as the National Foundation for the Arts, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Young Audiences of Maryland and Connecticut, Connecticut Humanities Council, Old Sturbridge Village, Mystic Seaport, and Plimoth Plantation.

Program Titles: Yankee Doodle and His Cousin (colonial songs); A Peddler's Pack (songs of old New England); (Your State) Songster; Thar She Blows! (songs the whalemen sang); A House Divided (songs of the Civil War); The American Saga (American folk songs); From Farm to Factory; Across the Western Ocean (Irish immigration); Freedom Is A Constant Struggle (the Constitution); Thereby Hangs A Tale (tall tales from New England)

Audience Limit: 40/class; 200/assembly

Fee: $350 - 1 assembly; $275for each assembly after; $400/day of classes (up to 4/day)

Funding Sources: Massachusetts Cultural Council


photo of Yankee Notions
   YANKEE  NOTIONS
Jim Douglas
53 Whittemore Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
(508) 347-2065
Fax: (508) 213-2333
E Mail: jim.douglas@nichols.edu
Website: www.timvanegmond.com

Years ago, friends and neighbors gathered at community and family events to share stories, play tunes and sing songs. Times have changed, but those songs, tunes and stories continue to delight, especially when performed by Yankee Notions.

Yankee Notions is Jim Douglas and Tim Van Egmond. Both are accomplished singers, storytellers, and musicians (guitar, hammered dulcimer, English concertina, pennywhistle, Appalachian dulcimer). Performing throughout New England for close to 20 years, Yankee Notions has been featured in hundreds of community concerts and festivals, schools, libraries, senior centers, and heritage museums (including Old Sturbridge Village (MA), Historic Deerfield (MA), Mystic Seaport (CT), Old Bethpage Village Restoration (NY), and Plimoth Plantation (MA)).

Because of their extensive repertoire and experience in working with audiences of all ages in a wide variety of situations, Yankee Notions can provide a concert program tailored to your audience’s interests and needs. (We also provide indoor/outdoor sound system at no extra cost.)

Sample School Programs Include:
  • A Peddler’s Pack: An eclectic mix from New England and beyond. Lively Irish and French Canadian tunes, traditional and contemporary songs sung in two-part harmony.
  • The Sailor’s Trade: Shanties (work songs) and fo’c’sle songs (songs for recreation) from the days of ‘wooden ships and iron men.’
  • The Jolly Farmer: Perfect for agricultural fairs and the like. Songs and tunes from 18th and 19th century New England, when ‘the farmer was the man’
  • Seasonal/Holiday Samplers: Whether it’s a Harvest Festival, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween, First Night, Old Home Day, St. Patrick’s Day or other special day, here’s the entertainment to help celebrate it in style!

Program Titles: A Peddler's Pack; The Sailor's Trade; The Jolly Farmer; Seasonal/Holiday Samplers

Fee: Starts at $650 for 2 assemblies, same day, same school. Block booing discounts available.

Funding Sources: Massachusetts Cultural Council, New England Foundation for the Arts


MAINE

photo of Jackson Gillman
   JACKSON   GILLMAN -   "Stand-Up   Chameleon"
PO Box 41
Onset, MA 02558
(508) 295-0886
E-Mail: jacksong@jacksongillman.com
Web site: www.jacksongillman.com

Sparkling with energy, wit and whimsy, the "Stand-Up Chameleon" magically transforms into a wide array of colorful characters. Through his many talents as songsmith, comic, mime and storyteller, Jackson engages and delights audiences of all ages with his highly visual and interactive performances. Many different shows to choose from including several educational nature programs. Has been a featured performer at festivals across the country. For 6-12 grades, his two substance abuse awareness presentations have been used annually by schools for their prevention programming. 28 years experience, easy-going and flexible, references galore.

Program Titles: Nature in Action, Story & Song; Riot in the Garden; BUGS!; Applemania; Autumn Wonders; Halloween Silly Willies; Winter Revels; Spring into Action; On a Wing and a Song; The Man Who Planted Hope; Kipling: "Just So"; Levity in Motion; Harlequin and the Gift of Many Colors (with ASL); The Dancing Man (with ASL); Holiday Revels (with ASL); Hard Knocks - substance abuse program (grade 6 and up)

Fee: starts at $375 + travel

Funding Sources: New England Foundation for the Arts


MASSACHUSETTS

photo of Jim Douglas
   JIM   DOUGLAS
53 Whittemore Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
(508) 347-2065
E-Mail: jim.douglas@nichols.edu

Jim Douglas sings history alive! Students love his "In Tune With the Times" programs because they are lively and entertaining. They enjoy hearing and singing great songs, seeing new and interesting folk instruments, and learning about other people and times. Teachers love the programs because they reinforce many classroom lessons. Enrichment providers love the programs because they bring to life a special part of our musical and cultural heritage in a way that is authentic, meaningful, and memorable.

During two decades as a full-time school performer, Jim has shared his love and extensive research of the past and its music with audiences of all ages in well over a thousand schools. Mr. Douglas has a Master's Degree in History (University of Connecticut), has published four books, and released seven recordings of New England songs and stories. His book, Songs of New England: A Sourcebook for Teachers, is being used extensively throughout the region, and his most recent book, Music in Every Classroom : A Resource Guide for Integrating Music Across the Curriculum, Grades K-8 (Libraries Unlimited), is helping teachers across the country enrich their classes. Jim's latest recording, Under A Spell, earned the prestigious American Library Association Notable Award.

Jim's work has been supported by such organizations as the National Foundation for the Arts, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Young Audiences of Maryland and Connecticut, Connecticut Humanities Council, Old Sturbridge Village, Mystic Seaport, and Plimoth Plantation.

Program Titles: Yankee Doodle and His Cousin (colonial songs); A Peddler's Pack (songs of old New England); (Your State) Songster; Thar She Blows! (songs the whalemen sang); A House Divided (songs of the Civil War); The American Saga (American folk songs); From Farm to Factory; Across the Western Ocean (Irish immigration); Freedom Is A Constant Struggle (the Constitution); Thereby Hangs A Tale (tall tales from New England)

Audience Limit: 40/class; 200/assembly

Fee: $350 - 1 assembly; $275for each assembly after; $400/day of classes (up to 4/day)

Funding Sources: Massachusetts Cultural Council


photo of The Gerwick Puppets
   GERWICK   PUPPETS
Lenny Gerwick and Deborah Costine
6 Wood Street
Southborough, MA 01772
(508) 481-6260
E Mail: info@gerwickpuppets.com
Website: gerwickpuppets.com

Twenty-five years of performing for New England school children! Eight productions are available, designed for K-6. The productions are performed on our elaborate 15' wide puppet theater with scenery lighting and classical music. Curriculum materials available.

Demonstrations are offered on the various aspects of creating puppet theater.

Puppetmaking Workshops for the classroom are available as part of a puppetry unit.

Other workshop topics include hand puppet manipulation, developing character voices and creating a puppet script from a story.

The Gerwick Puppets are available as Artists in Residence and are approved by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Program Titles: Adventures from Thornton W. Burgess; Inside the Haunted House; Aladdin and the Magic Lamp; Aesop's Fables; Rip Van Winkle; Pilgrim Adventure to America; Brer Rabbit Trickster Tales; Mid Winter Magic; The Puppets Teach Fire Safety

Audience Limit: 250

Fee: 1 performance $700.00, 2 performances $1,000, 3 perf. $1250; Residency days are $250/day/artist

Special Requirements: The puppet theater requires a space of 15 ft. width, 10 ft. depth and 8 ft. height. A darkened room is best.


photo of Yankee Notions
   YANKEE  NOTIONS
Jim Douglas
53 Whittemore Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
(508) 347-2065
Fax: (508) 213-2333
E Mail: jim.douglas@nichols.edu
Website: www.timvanegmond.com

Years ago, friends and neighbors gathered at community and family events to share stories, play tunes and sing songs. Times have changed, but those songs, tunes and stories continue to delight, especially when performed by Yankee Notions.

Yankee Notions is Jim Douglas and Tim Van Egmond. Both are accomplished singers, storytellers, and musicians (guitar, hammered dulcimer, English concertina, pennywhistle, Appalachian dulcimer). Performing throughout New England for close to 20 years, Yankee Notions has been featured in hundreds of community concerts and festivals, schools, libraries, senior centers, and heritage museums (including Old Sturbridge Village (MA), Historic Deerfield (MA), Mystic Seaport (CT), Old Bethpage Village Restoration (NY), and Plimoth Plantation (MA)).

Because of their extensive repertoire and experience in working with audiences of all ages in a wide variety of situations, Yankee Notions can provide a concert program tailored to your audience’s interests and needs. (We also provide indoor/outdoor sound system at no extra cost.)

Sample School Programs Include:
  • A Peddler’s Pack: An eclectic mix from New England and beyond. Lively Irish and French Canadian tunes, traditional and contemporary songs sung in two-part harmony.
  • The Sailor’s Trade: Shanties (work songs) and fo’c’sle songs (songs for recreation) from the days of ‘wooden ships and iron men.’
  • The Jolly Farmer: Perfect for agricultural fairs and the like. Songs and tunes from 18th and 19th century New England, when ‘the farmer was the man’
  • Seasonal/Holiday Samplers: Whether it’s a Harvest Festival, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween, First Night, Old Home Day, St. Patrick’s Day or other special day, here’s the entertainment to help celebrate it in style!

Program Titles: A Peddler's Pack; The Sailor's Trade; The Jolly Farmer; Seasonal/Holiday Samplers

Fee: Starts at $650 for 2 assemblies, same day, same school. Block booing discounts available.

Funding Sources: Massachusetts Cultural Council, New England Foundation for the Arts


NEW HAMPSHIRE

photo of Jim Douglas
   JIM   DOUGLAS
53 Whittemore Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
(508) 347-2065
E-Mail: jim.douglas@nichols.edu

Jim Douglas sings history alive! Students love his "In Tune With the Times" programs because they are lively and entertaining. They enjoy hearing and singing great songs, seeing new and interesting folk instruments, and learning about other people and times. Teachers love the programs because they reinforce many classroom lessons. Enrichment providers love the programs because they bring to life a special part of our musical and cultural heritage in a way that is authentic, meaningful, and memorable.

During two decades as a full-time school performer, Jim has shared his love and extensive research of the past and its music with audiences of all ages in well over a thousand schools. Mr. Douglas has a Master's Degree in History (University of Connecticut), has published four books, and released seven recordings of New England songs and stories. His book, Songs of New England: A Sourcebook for Teachers, is being used extensively throughout the region, and his most recent book, Music in Every Classroom : A Resource Guide for Integrating Music Across the Curriculum, Grades K-8 (Libraries Unlimited), is helping teachers across the country enrich their classes. Jim's latest recording, Under A Spell, earned the prestigious American Library Association Notable Award.

Jim's work has been supported by such organizations as the National Foundation for the Arts, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Young Audiences of Maryland and Connecticut, Connecticut Humanities Council, Old Sturbridge Village, Mystic Seaport, and Plimoth Plantation.

Program Titles: Yankee Doodle and His Cousin (colonial songs); A Peddler's Pack (songs of old New England); (Your State) Songster; Thar She Blows! (songs the whalemen sang); A House Divided (songs of the Civil War); The American Saga (American folk songs); From Farm to Factory; Across the Western Ocean (Irish immigration); Freedom Is A Constant Struggle (the Constitution); Thereby Hangs A Tale (tall tales from New England)

Audience Limit: 40/class; 200/assembly

Fee: $350 - 1 assembly; $275for each assembly after; $400/day of classes (up to 4/day)

Funding Sources: Massachusetts Cultural Council


photo of Yankee Notions
   YANKEE  NOTIONS
Jim Douglas
53 Whittemore Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
(508) 347-2065
Fax: (508) 213-2333
E Mail: jim.douglas@nichols.edu
Website: www.timvanegmond.com

Years ago, friends and neighbors gathered at community and family events to share stories, play tunes and sing songs. Times have changed, but those songs, tunes and stories continue to delight, especially when performed by Yankee Notions.

Yankee Notions is Jim Douglas and Tim Van Egmond. Both are accomplished singers, storytellers, and musicians (guitar, hammered dulcimer, English concertina, pennywhistle, Appalachian dulcimer). Performing throughout New England for close to 20 years, Yankee Notions has been featured in hundreds of community concerts and festivals, schools, libraries, senior centers, and heritage museums (including Old Sturbridge Village (MA), Historic Deerfield (MA), Mystic Seaport (CT), Old Bethpage Village Restoration (NY), and Plimoth Plantation (MA)).

Because of their extensive repertoire and experience in working with audiences of all ages in a wide variety of situations, Yankee Notions can provide a concert program tailored to your audience’s interests and needs. (We also provide indoor/outdoor sound system at no extra cost.)

Sample School Programs Include:
  • A Peddler’s Pack: An eclectic mix from New England and beyond. Lively Irish and French Canadian tunes, traditional and contemporary songs sung in two-part harmony.
  • The Sailor’s Trade: Shanties (work songs) and fo’c’sle songs (songs for recreation) from the days of ‘wooden ships and iron men.’
  • The Jolly Farmer: Perfect for agricultural fairs and the like. Songs and tunes from 18th and 19th century New England, when ‘the farmer was the man’
  • Seasonal/Holiday Samplers: Whether it’s a Harvest Festival, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween, First Night, Old Home Day, St. Patrick’s Day or other special day, here’s the entertainment to help celebrate it in style!

Program Titles: A Peddler's Pack; The Sailor's Trade; The Jolly Farmer; Seasonal/Holiday Samplers

Fee: Starts at $650 for 2 assemblies, same day, same school. Block booing discounts available.

Funding Sources: Massachusetts Cultural Council, New England Foundation for the Arts


photo of Diane Kordas
   DIANE  KORDAS  ROMPER  RHYTHM  AND  PUPPETS
Diane Kordas
P.O. Box 181
Chester, NH 03036
603-315-3083
Email: diane@romperrhythm.com
Website: http://www.romperrhythm.com

Diane Kordas brings stories to life with puppets and music, either with a staged puppet show production or with songs and short puppet skits. Lots of humor and audience participation are highlights of each program. Great for preschools and day care centers, schools, libraries, birthday parties, recreation centers and more.

*NH Council on the Arts Touring Artist and New England Foundation for the Arts (link) *Winner of Children's Music Web award for her Dinosaur Stomp CD.

Program Titles: Friendly Forest Folktales; Bremen Town Musicians; Pirates, Ahoy!; Elves and the Shoemaker with the Gingerbread Man; Sir George and the Dragon; Outerspace Adventures!. Shadow Puppet show: Chicken Little and other Tales. Residencies, workshops, Teacher Training workshops. See www.romperrhythm.com for new shows and updates

Grade Level Suitability: pre-K - 3 for most programs, workshops and residencies for K-12

Audience Limits: 250

Special Requirements: I supply my own puppet stage, sound, lighting_and need a grounded 3 prong outlet to plug into.

Fee: Starts at $300, discount for block bookings

Funding Sources: New England Touring Roster, New England Foundation for the Arts; New Hampshire State Council for the Arts



RHODE ISLAND

photo of Jim Douglas
   JIM   DOUGLAS
53 Whittemore Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
(508) 347-2065
E-Mail: jim.douglas@nichols.edu

Jim Douglas sings history alive! Students love his "In Tune With the Times" programs because they are lively and entertaining. They enjoy hearing and singing great songs, seeing new and interesting folk instruments, and learning about other people and times. Teachers love the programs because they reinforce many classroom lessons. Enrichment providers love the programs because they bring to life a special part of our musical and cultural heritage in a way that is authentic, meaningful, and memorable.

During two decades as a full-time school performer, Jim has shared his love and extensive research of the past and its music with audiences of all ages in well over a thousand schools. Mr. Douglas has a Master's Degree in History (University of Connecticut), has published four books, and released seven recordings of New England songs and stories. His book, Songs of New England: A Sourcebook for Teachers, is being used extensively throughout the region, and his most recent book, Music in Every Classroom : A Resource Guide for Integrating Music Across the Curriculum, Grades K-8 (Libraries Unlimited), is helping teachers across the country enrich their classes. Jim's latest recording, Under A Spell, earned the prestigious American Library Association Notable Award.

Jim's work has been supported by such organizations as the National Foundation for the Arts, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Young Audiences of Maryland and Connecticut, Connecticut Humanities Council, Old Sturbridge Village, Mystic Seaport, and Plimoth Plantation.

Program Titles: Yankee Doodle and His Cousin (colonial songs); A Peddler's Pack (songs of old New England); (Your State) Songster; Thar She Blows! (songs the whalemen sang); A House Divided (songs of the Civil War); The American Saga (American folk songs); From Farm to Factory; Across the Western Ocean (Irish immigration); Freedom Is A Constant Struggle (the Constitution); Thereby Hangs A Tale (tall tales from New England)

Audience Limit: 40/class; 200/assembly

Fee: $350 - 1 assembly; $275for each assembly after; $400/day of classes (up to 4/day)

Funding Sources: Massachusetts Cultural Council


photo of Yankee Notions
   YANKEE  NOTIONS
Jim Douglas
53 Whittemore Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
(508) 347-2065
Fax: (508) 213-2333
E Mail: jim.douglas@nichols.edu
Website: www.timvanegmond.com

Years ago, friends and neighbors gathered at community and family events to share stories, play tunes and sing songs. Times have changed, but those songs, tunes and stories continue to delight, especially when performed by Yankee Notions.

Yankee Notions is Jim Douglas and Tim Van Egmond. Both are accomplished singers, storytellers, and musicians (guitar, hammered dulcimer, English concertina, pennywhistle, Appalachian dulcimer). Performing throughout New England for close to 20 years, Yankee Notions has been featured in hundreds of community concerts and festivals, schools, libraries, senior centers, and heritage museums (including Old Sturbridge Village (MA), Historic Deerfield (MA), Mystic Seaport (CT), Old Bethpage Village Restoration (NY), and Plimoth Plantation (MA)).

Because of their extensive repertoire and experience in working with audiences of all ages in a wide variety of situations, Yankee Notions can provide a concert program tailored to your audience’s interests and needs. (We also provide indoor/outdoor sound system at no extra cost.)

Sample School Programs Include:
  • A Peddler’s Pack: An eclectic mix from New England and beyond. Lively Irish and French Canadian tunes, traditional and contemporary songs sung in two-part harmony.
  • The Sailor’s Trade: Shanties (work songs) and fo’c’sle songs (songs for recreation) from the days of ‘wooden ships and iron men.’
  • The Jolly Farmer: Perfect for agricultural fairs and the like. Songs and tunes from 18th and 19th century New England, when ‘the farmer was the man’
  • Seasonal/Holiday Samplers: Whether it’s a Harvest Festival, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween, First Night, Old Home Day, St. Patrick’s Day or other special day, here’s the entertainment to help celebrate it in style!

Program Titles: A Peddler's Pack; The Sailor's Trade; The Jolly Farmer; Seasonal/Holiday Samplers

Fee: Starts at $650 for 2 assemblies, same day, same school. Block booing discounts available.

Funding Sources: Massachusetts Cultural Council, New England Foundation for the Arts


VERMONT

photo of Jim Douglas
   JIM   DOUGLAS
53 Whittemore Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
(508) 347-2065
E-Mail: jim.douglas@nichols.edu

Jim Douglas sings history alive! Students love his "In Tune With the Times" programs because they are lively and entertaining. They enjoy hearing and singing great songs, seeing new and interesting folk instruments, and learning about other people and times. Teachers love the programs because they reinforce many classroom lessons. Enrichment providers love the programs because they bring to life a special part of our musical and cultural heritage in a way that is authentic, meaningful, and memorable.

During two decades as a full-time school performer, Jim has shared his love and extensive research of the past and its music with audiences of all ages in well over a thousand schools. Mr. Douglas has a Master's Degree in History (University of Connecticut), has published four books, and released seven recordings of New England songs and stories. His book, Songs of New England: A Sourcebook for Teachers, is being used extensively throughout the region, and his most recent book, Music in Every Classroom : A Resource Guide for Integrating Music Across the Curriculum, Grades K-8 (Libraries Unlimited), is helping teachers across the country enrich their classes. Jim's latest recording, Under A Spell, earned the prestigious American Library Association Notable Award.

Jim's work has been supported by such organizations as the National Foundation for the Arts, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Young Audiences of Maryland and Connecticut, Connecticut Humanities Council, Old Sturbridge Village, Mystic Seaport, and Plimoth Plantation.

Program Titles: Yankee Doodle and His Cousin (colonial songs); A Peddler's Pack (songs of old New England); (Your State) Songster; Thar She Blows! (songs the whalemen sang); A House Divided (songs of the Civil War); The American Saga (American folk songs); From Farm to Factory; Across the Western Ocean (Irish immigration); Freedom Is A Constant Struggle (the Constitution); Thereby Hangs A Tale (tall tales from New England)

Audience Limit: 40/class; 200/assembly

Fee: $350 - 1 assembly; $275for each assembly after; $400/day of classes (up to 4/day)

Funding Sources: Massachusetts Cultural Council


photo of Yankee Notions
   YANKEE  NOTIONS
Jim Douglas
53 Whittemore Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
(508) 347-2065
Fax: (508) 213-2333
E Mail: jim.douglas@nichols.edu
Website: www.timvanegmond.com

Years ago, friends and neighbors gathered at community and family events to share stories, play tunes and sing songs. Times have changed, but those songs, tunes and stories continue to delight, especially when performed by Yankee Notions.

Yankee Notions is Jim Douglas and Tim Van Egmond. Both are accomplished singers, storytellers, and musicians (guitar, hammered dulcimer, English concertina, pennywhistle, Appalachian dulcimer). Performing throughout New England for close to 20 years, Yankee Notions has been featured in hundreds of community concerts and festivals, schools, libraries, senior centers, and heritage museums (including Old Sturbridge Village (MA), Historic Deerfield (MA), Mystic Seaport (CT), Old Bethpage Village Restoration (NY), and Plimoth Plantation (MA)).

Because of their extensive repertoire and experience in working with audiences of all ages in a wide variety of situations, Yankee Notions can provide a concert program tailored to your audience’s interests and needs. (We also provide indoor/outdoor sound system at no extra cost.)

Sample School Programs Include:
  • A Peddler’s Pack: An eclectic mix from New England and beyond. Lively Irish and French Canadian tunes, traditional and contemporary songs sung in two-part harmony.
  • The Sailor’s Trade: Shanties (work songs) and fo’c’sle songs (songs for recreation) from the days of ‘wooden ships and iron men.’
  • The Jolly Farmer: Perfect for agricultural fairs and the like. Songs and tunes from 18th and 19th century New England, when ‘the farmer was the man’
  • Seasonal/Holiday Samplers: Whether it’s a Harvest Festival, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween, First Night, Old Home Day, St. Patrick’s Day or other special day, here’s the entertainment to help celebrate it in style!

Program Titles: A Peddler's Pack; The Sailor's Trade; The Jolly Farmer; Seasonal/Holiday Samplers

Fee: Starts at $650 for 2 assemblies, same day, same school. Block booing discounts available.

Funding Sources: Massachusetts Cultural Council, New England Foundation for the Arts

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