Assembly Offerings
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A Child With Many Names: True Stories from the Orphan Train
With Susan Kaplan
This living history program brings history alive through story and song. Did you know that 150,000 children rode trains across the United States and were placed into new homes from 1854-1929? Hear true stories of these children and learn about this almost forgotten time in American History. Stories from Orphan Train Survivors, including three from Colorado, are woven with historical information and music to create a living history program. Nice collaborative program to work with School Librarian and classroom teachers to connect Colorado History, Literacy and Social Studies. Follow-up literacy activities and bibliography available. In preparing for History Day projects, this is an excellent example of how to integrate personal story with historical research to bring history alive!
- Ages: Grades 4 – 12
- Max Group: Flexible
- Price: $300 base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$175 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
(Assembly with musician: $400 base + 10 cents per student for 1st assembly
$200 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly
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American Music: The Untold Story
With David Bailey
Art and industry are often joined together; these forces can celebrate, oppress, and liberate entire communities of people. This presentation is a look into the history of American music industry. We will travel through minstrelsy, vaudeville, race records, and into the music of social change in the Civil Rights Movement.
- Ages: Grades 6-12
- Min Group: 25
- Max Group: 100
- Price: $200 base + 10 cents per student (over 50 students)
$150 base + 10 cents per student (under 50 students)
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Bluegrass and Beyond: The Jammy Man Band
With Paul Trunko
In this highly interactive program, The Jammy Man Band performs traditional and original folk music on instruments including the dobro, banjo, mandolin, guitar, and harmonica. It includes lots fun sing-alongs and other participatory activities, as well as historical anecdotes about the music and instruments. Guaranteed to get kids up and moving and involved!
- Ages: Preschool through Elementary
- Max Group: 300
- Price: $385 base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$190 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
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Creative Problem Solving
With Julie Davis
Musician and storyteller Julie Davis shares music and stories about creative conflict resolution, problem solving, and clever answers to life’s problems. Stories reflect different ages from young thinkers to grey heroes, boys and girls, and many ethnic groups.
- Ages: K-8
- Max Group: Flexible
- Price: $300 base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$175 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
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Helping Families Support Literacy Through Storytelling
With Susan Kaplan
Stories stir our imagination, create connections to culture, family history and others, and helps develop literacy skills. School success has pointed to the importance of family involvement within the home and the richness of story sharing in daily family life. Help your parents and extended families learn how to use their own personal and cultural stories to support their child’s school learning. Storytelling and story listening encourages children to become active learners and to develop a positive role for parents. Stories, interactive activities, and story idea handouts are used to engage and encourage parents to become storytellers in the home. This program can also be expanded to include parents and students of any age. Bilingual resources are also available for Spanish Speaking audiences.
- Ages: parent or family program
- Max Group: Flexible
- Price: $300 base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$175 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
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Irish Music and Dance – The Cultural Connection
With Molly Bennett
Showcasing music, dance and clothing from the Irish tradition, this program will touch on the history of the dance and music and how it has influenced the culture and art in our country. The students will get to enjoy the exciting and soulful music from Ireland, including Deb Carstensen’s fiery fiddle. Molly Bennett, the founder of the Bennett School of Irish Dance, will demonstrate Irish dancing, including jigs, reels and hornpipes.
- Ages: K-8
- Max Group: 300
- Price: $385 base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$190 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
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Is THAT music?
With David Bailey
Lets get our ears dirty. We listen to music everyday, how often do we slow down and listen critically and in detail. This presentation compares and contrasts modern rock and hip hop music with classical and country. The audience and presenter work together, using our ears to learn the elements of music: melody, harmony, and rhythm. This promotes a deeper listening of diverse music in a fun and interactive environment.
- Ages: K-6
- Min Group: 25
- Max Group: 100
- Price: $200 base + 10 cents per student (over 50 students)
$150 base + 10 cents per student (under 50 students)
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Liz Masterson: A Real Cowboy Girl
With Liz Masterson
Liz, a nationally recognized “cowgirl historian” and Western singer, presents a highly entertaining and educational program which ties in perfectly with Western and women’s history units. She sings, yodels, plays guitar, and tells stories intermixed with discussing the cattle drives, the development of the cowboy as a popular cultural image, and the introduction of some rodeo vocabulary. The students leave with a deeper appreciation of the rewards and hardships of rural life, and a knowledge of the cowboy’s and cowgirl’s role in taming the West.
- Ages: K-12
- Max Group: 250
- Price: $300 base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$175 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
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Music as Self Expression
With Julie Davis
A program of music and instruments that instruct the mind, inspire the heart, and delight the ear about the music people have made and continue to make for themselves. Includes instruments from around the world (flutes, panpipes, rain sticks, drums, guitar, autoharp, psaltery and more) and music from the troubadours to modern times. A tried and true popular school assembly for all ages.
- Ages: All Ages
- Max Group: Flexible
- Price: $300 base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$175 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
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Music of the Civil War
With Rex Rideout
Moving chronologically through the four years of the Civil War, this program traces history through rally songs, minstrel show songs, songs of praise, songs of lamentation, songs of the slaves and even humorous songs. The performance contains historical commentary on the songs, a few short yarns, and the use of fiddle, banjo, and guitar. Performed in Civil War Period costumes!
- Ages: Grades 4-8
- Max Group: 250
- Price: $400 base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$200 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
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Old Time American Music and Dance – Ireland to Appalachia
With Deb Carstensen
This presentation starts with Irish music and dance and then demonstrates how it changed and grew to become the traditional music and dance of our American culture. Deb Carstensen, on fiddle, will play Irish tunes and show how they became the “old timey” music we know and love. Ken Horwege, Irish step dancer and leader of the Hoofin High Country Cloggers, will follow suit with the dances. At the end, the students will be encouraged to join in on a dance that fits both the Irish Ceilis and the traditional American barn dances.
- Ages: K-8
- Max Group: 300
- Price: $385 base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$190 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
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Peace Wrestling – Stories of Peace
With Susan Kaplan
Create a more peaceful classroom and a school wide atmosphere with these multicultural folktales and true tales of peacemaking and nonviolence. Sometimes we "wrestle" with doing the right thing and these stories will illustrate how to create greater peace, such as how to reduce anger, develop stronger friendships, get unstuck from conflict, solve problems nonviolently, and help us find our similarities. These wisdom tales reflect ideas, skills, and strategies. Upper grades can add The Third Side of Peace- Finding Common Ground stories into this program. Extensive bibliography and teacher packet of activities is available.
This program supports social skill training, literacy goals and school wide programs such as Second Step Anti Bully, Character Development, Title 1, and Youth at Risk Programs. This performance can also be expanded to include interactive workshops (with students, parents, and teachers), collaborative Literacy program with Librarian, Peace Day Event, or Artist in Residency Program. Consider this performance for a December Holiday Peace On Earth program, and can also be expanded for a family or parent program. (Musicians Julie Davis or Carla Sciaky can be added to this program).- Ages: Preschool-Grade 12
- Max Group: Flexible
- Price: $300 base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$175 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
(Assembly with musician: $400 base + 10 cents per student for 1st assembly
$200 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembl
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Pioneer Music: Colorado and the West
With Julie Davis
A multicultural look at Colorado and its colorful history through songs and stories from the Old West. You’ll see Colorado through the eyes of the homesteaders, miners and early settlers of different cultures who sculpted the history of our region. Stories and music include: Native American, Hispanic, and European (Anglo, Irish, Italian, German, and more). This assembly is especially appropriate for Colorado History units, and supports the following Colorado Model Content Standards:
- Ages: K-12
- Max Group: 300
- Price: $300 base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$175 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
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Rhythm: A Multicultural Music Experience & More!
With Ed Contreras and Chad Johnson
This exciting assembly explores rhythm as it has come out of Africa through the Caribbean, Brazil and up through the Americas. Participants will see how various rhythms have contributed to today’s popular sounds. Through lecture, demonstration and hands on participation, students will not only learn about rhythm, but will hopefully gain an appreciation for other cultures. Instruments include Djembe, Congas, Bongos, Caxixi, Cajon, Cuica, Bells and more!
- Ages: K-12
- Max Group: 300
- Price: $400 base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$200 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
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Sing-Along and Learn
With Julie Gussaroff
In this 30-35 minute assembly children will sing and dance and participate in music. While using a balanced collection of familiar children’s songs and movement activities Julie will engage the children to learn aspects of music like melody and rhythm. They will also learn about American Folk Music and Traditional genres as well as addressing the importance of sharing and working together. Music increases creativity, imagination, and a zest for learning. The more they hear and participate the greater the likelihood they will develop an interest in learning music as they grow into adulthood.
- Ages: Ages 2-6
- Max Group: 50
- Price: $200 base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$75 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
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Sound Ideas From The Pacific Rim
With Michael Stanwood
Lessons in geography, social studies, languages, even clothing – all through the back door of wondrous musical instruments that Michael has collected in his travels. An Asian khaen, an Australian didgeridu, and Indonesian angklungs, nose flutes – he plays them all and wants you to play them too in this unique, interactive, and often hilarious program. Michael is a former musical goodwill ambassador for the U.S. State Department, and five-time winner of Westword’s Best of Denver award for his recordings and his performances, he brings a joy and excitement to this popular presentation that Emerson School in Phoenix called; “A masterful mix of education and entertainment.”
- Ages: K-8
- Max Group: Flexible
- Price: $350 base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$225 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
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Stories of Colorado and the West
With Julie Davis and Susan Kaplan
Stories about men, women, and children who came into Colorado and the West – the Indians, trappers, miners, children who rode the orphan train, famous ghosts, and more. Ranging from true stories to tall tales, the stories illustrate much about Colorado’s early history. Susan and Julie are well-known and gifted storytellers who bring the stories alive in a way that lets you see into what life in the early West was like.
- Ages: K-12
- Max Group: 250
- Price: $400 base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$200 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
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The American Vernacular: The Art of Jazz and Tap
With Jt Nolan and Friends
This assembly explores the art of Jazz music and Tap dancing. Though both forms are a fusion of European and African music and dance, each are considered to be integral and unique to the American experience and are two of the few things we can truly call American. The band “The Lovely and Talented” will perform music, dance and tell the story of how both art forms evolved and eventually came together in the clubs of New York City during the height of improvisation in the 1940’s. Performances will be informative, interactive, multicultural and fun.
- Ages: K-8
- Max Group: 600
- Price: $385 base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$190 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
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The Blues: A True American Art
With Clay Kirkland and Chris Sauthoff
One of the most important gifts our nation has given the world is blues music. From this form came rock and roll, heavy metal, jazz, funk, and hip-hop music. Though greatly honored and appreciated by people of other nations, this great heritage is very seldom discussed and little understood by younger generations of Americans. In this assembly we will attempt to bring a sense of pride for the great art form that America has given the world. We will discuss the important role that black slaves as well as racial and gender issues played in the development of blues and how they combined the folk music of their African homeland with the Western European church music to create a whole new musical form. We will perform music from older artists such as Leadbelly and Muddy Waters and discuss how their music influenced younger generations of musicians. There will be opportunities for students to join us in participatory activities such as hand clapping and singing.
- Ages: K-8
- Max Group: 300
- Price: $385 base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$190 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
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Tickle Your Imagination! The Wonder & Wisdom of Stories
With Susan Kaplan
Stories awaken your imagination, inspire your mind with ideas, tickle your funny bone, and touch your heart. Your children will delight in this collection of fairy tales and folk tales. Storytelling supports early literacy skills, such as picture building, building connections, and sequencing of ideas. Stories can also contribute to character development and community building. Teach your children to be story listeners as they are hear stories they will want to talk about. This program can also be a family program or expanded into an interactive workshop on children becoming storytellers. Stories can reflect school needs.
- Ages: Ages 3-6
- Max Group: Flexible
- Price: $200-$250 (depending on size) base + 10 cents per student for first assembly
$75-$125 base + 10 cents per student for add’l assembly on same day
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Traveling Troupe
With Julie Davis, Ed Contreras, Brian Mullins and Chris Sauthoff
The Swallow Hill Traveling Folk Troupe is a multicultural program designed for elementary schools that uses music to teach subjects including geography and history. The program includes an exciting full school assembly, blending education and entertainment, a packet of classroom activities (with a CD) that support various Colorado Model Content Standards, and activities booklets for each student.
The Troupe performs an inspiring variety of music from America and around the world. Musical styles and traditions include Blues, Irish, Caribbean, Reggae, Indian, Bluegrass, Appalachian, Australian, and much more. Children are given an introduction to a vast array of folk instruments including autoharp, guitar, fiddle, banjo, pennywhistle, dulcimer, steel drum, bodhran, accordian, and percussion from around the world.- Ages: K-6
- Max Group: 9999
- Price: $600-$1200 base + 10¢ per student
*Cost of the program varies if supplemental materials are requested
and also based on the number of artists performing in the presentation (up to 4 performers max).*Financial assistance may be available