Blues In Th e Schools
_Educational Programs For Schools
"When you ask the kids what they remember most about 8th grade, this is it"
- Jeff Moss - English Teacher, Weber Middle School
"Out of the many teaching artists that we have worked with, you are one of the best at striking a nice balance between explaning and teaching music"
- Mark Burford, Weill Institute at Carnegie Hall
"When you ask the kids what they remember most about 8th grade, this is it"
- Jeff Moss - English Teacher, Weber Middle School
"Out of the many teaching artists that we have worked with, you are one of the best at striking a nice balance between explaning and teaching music"
- Mark Burford, Weill Institute at Carnegie Hall
__Press Releases!!!
N.Y. Times Article about Toby's work in the schools!!
Port Washington: local newspaper article about my program at the Weber Middle School
An article about 4000 students in 10 years of Blues in the Schools!!!
What Toby's Program Is All About:
The Great Migration - How the blues reflected this period of African American History.
With the music of the blues and colorful stories, Toby Walker will trace the Great Migration of African Americans as they journeyed from the hardships of the south to the cities in the north.
Using authentic old time instruments, Toby Walker will coax the sound of a locomotive, a Model T Ford and a little boy's voice out of a harmonica. He will demonstrate a primitive one string instrument called the Diddley Bow, break out a 1930 Steel Guitar and electrify the students with a modern Fender electric guitar.
Toby Walker makes learning fun, interactive and educational as he paints wonderful musical pictures of his travels throughout the Southern United States, where he learned his art directly from old time blues musicians.
Toby Walker's Program, The Great Migration With The Blues can be geared for students grades 4 thru college. In some shows students will participate through singing along and acting with Toby right on stage. Toby also offers blues songwriting workshops where students are taught to collaborate with each other as write their own lyrics in the blues literary form.
The Great Migration With The Blues meets the following themes in The National Curriculum Standards for: English Language Arts Social Studies Music Education
"The kids were completely captivated! Out of the many teaching artists we have worked with, you are one of the best at striking a nice balance between explaiining and playing music"
- Mark Burford Carnegie Hall
"Dear Toby, Thanks so much for your presentation to my class on 'The Blues and American Culture'. Your knowledge of the history and meaning of the blues, as much as your singing and guitar-playing, added immensely to the students' understanding of the subject. One student, I believe, spoke for the entire class when she told me she was delighted to have met 'such an amazing and engaging musician.' When I teach the course again, I very much hope you'll be able to return to Cornell to offer another such lecture/demonstration."
- Richard Polenberg Marie Underhill Noll Professor of History Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow Cornell University"
"Thank you for your superb performance for our 5th and 6th graders. You grabbed the attention of the students immediately and held it continuously throughout the hour-long performance. The excitement of the music was enhanced by the depth of your knowledge of early blues musicians and a warm sense of humor in sharing their stories with us. It was truly an inspiring performance!"
- Eileen Gorman, Pulaski Street School Riverhead NY
MORE QUOTES FROM TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
Previous School Performances
Important Teacher's Guidelines and Resources
See For Yourself!!!
Here's a peek at an exciting blues workshop at Weber Middle School!!!
Toby Walker Rocks Rocky Point High School!!!!
N.Y. Times Article about Toby's work in the schools!!
Port Washington: local newspaper article about my program at the Weber Middle School
An article about 4000 students in 10 years of Blues in the Schools!!!
What Toby's Program Is All About:
The Great Migration - How the blues reflected this period of African American History.
With the music of the blues and colorful stories, Toby Walker will trace the Great Migration of African Americans as they journeyed from the hardships of the south to the cities in the north.
Using authentic old time instruments, Toby Walker will coax the sound of a locomotive, a Model T Ford and a little boy's voice out of a harmonica. He will demonstrate a primitive one string instrument called the Diddley Bow, break out a 1930 Steel Guitar and electrify the students with a modern Fender electric guitar.
Toby Walker makes learning fun, interactive and educational as he paints wonderful musical pictures of his travels throughout the Southern United States, where he learned his art directly from old time blues musicians.
Toby Walker's Program, The Great Migration With The Blues can be geared for students grades 4 thru college. In some shows students will participate through singing along and acting with Toby right on stage. Toby also offers blues songwriting workshops where students are taught to collaborate with each other as write their own lyrics in the blues literary form.
The Great Migration With The Blues meets the following themes in The National Curriculum Standards for: English Language Arts Social Studies Music Education
"The kids were completely captivated! Out of the many teaching artists we have worked with, you are one of the best at striking a nice balance between explaiining and playing music"
- Mark Burford Carnegie Hall
"Dear Toby, Thanks so much for your presentation to my class on 'The Blues and American Culture'. Your knowledge of the history and meaning of the blues, as much as your singing and guitar-playing, added immensely to the students' understanding of the subject. One student, I believe, spoke for the entire class when she told me she was delighted to have met 'such an amazing and engaging musician.' When I teach the course again, I very much hope you'll be able to return to Cornell to offer another such lecture/demonstration."
- Richard Polenberg Marie Underhill Noll Professor of History Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow Cornell University"
"Thank you for your superb performance for our 5th and 6th graders. You grabbed the attention of the students immediately and held it continuously throughout the hour-long performance. The excitement of the music was enhanced by the depth of your knowledge of early blues musicians and a warm sense of humor in sharing their stories with us. It was truly an inspiring performance!"
- Eileen Gorman, Pulaski Street School Riverhead NY
MORE QUOTES FROM TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
Previous School Performances
Important Teacher's Guidelines and Resources
See For Yourself!!!
Here's a peek at an exciting blues workshop at Weber Middle School!!!
Toby Walker Rocks Rocky Point High School!!!!