Programs
School Assemblies
Songs and Stories for a Singing School
Peter and Mary Alice Amidon bring a festival of music, storytelling and dance into your school with their program Songs and Stories for a Singing School - a participatory concert of folktales from around the world, singing games from and for children, and songs to keep on singing.
About the Songs and Stories Program
The Amidons' Songs and Stories for a Singing School program moves from songs of inspiration, to folktales of transformation, to joyful traditional children's singing games. The Amidons accompany some of their songs and stories with guitar, banjo and accordion. A tape of the concert is left in the school to help insure that children and teachers can take these songs, stories and dances into the classroom and out onto the playground. The Amidons send a CD of songs they could include in the concert, along with printed music for all the songs on the CD. The Amidons expect the music teacher to teach the children the chorus to one song: All I Really Need. If the music teacher wants to teach any more of the songs from the CD, the Amidons will include those songs in the program. This, combined with a pre-concert letter of introduction to the students, and a pre-concert curriculum guide with follow-up activities for teachers, reflect the Amidons' commitment to making a lasting impact on the school community.
Bio
The Amidons have been deeply involved in traditional music for over 20 years as singers, dancers and storytellers; and as teachers of traditional dance, singing and storytelling. They have performed at music festivals, been headliners at national music teacher conferences, and have performed assembly programs and led classroom workshops at hundreds of elementary schools. The Amidons' recordings and books of songs and traditional dance for children are widely respected as primary music resources for classroom and music teachers throughout the United States.
Fees
In addition to travel (and possibly hotel depending on distance and scheduling) their fee is $700 for one duo assembly program, $1,100 for two programs on the same day in the same school, or $1,100 for a day in the school (one concert followed by traditional dance and/or storytelling/singing workshops with classroom size groups of children). The Amidons are listed artists in both the Vermont Council on the Arts and the New England Foundation for the Arts, as well as being eligible for funding from most of the BOCES organizations throughout New York State.
What They're Saying
I was deeply touched by your family's music. For years I've used your songs
and ideas continuously.
-Tony Brzozowski-Northeast Whole Language Conference
It's a rare thing to see a performance that's equally
engaging for 5-year-olds and 11-year-olds (not to mention 47-year-olds).
-Laurie Travers, Bixby School, Boulder, Colorado
The quiet participation of staff and students in "the Silver Rain" will
take it's place in my memory along with the great experiences of my life.
-Willis C. Pracht, Principal, Garfield School, Garden City, Kansas
Your performance was superb as usual.
--Ted Avgerinos, Principal, Woestina School, Rotterdam, NY
For More Information Contact
Peter or Mary Alice Amidon
20 Willow Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301
802-257-1006
info@amidonmusic.com