 |
"Jim Kanas’ warm personality and fine music connects
audiences
of all ages to those who came before us. He draws his audience
into the insides and values of our rich American
tradition." |
| Joan
Ericksen, Executive Director, Sun Foundation |
|
|
|
“Bring
him back! Excellent job, Great ideas. Great activities. Grand amount
of ideas. Marvelous! Great session! Entertaining hands-on activities.”
Participant,
Meeting the Challenge X
2000- Teacher Conference |
"Wonderful
festival--Jim Kanas is a monster clinician. To keep a
group of Middle Schoolers
that into it for hours, w/o condescension--I'm
impressed."
Lee Tomboulian
Instructor of Jazz Piano and Improvisation
Lawrence University
920-993-6216 (office)
www.lawrence.edu
www.circomusic.com
|
“Jim was consistently well-planned.
He worked well with adults, parents AND students, His expertise
in music, combined with his knowledge of history and the social
sciences and his acceptance of all people as learners, provided
an enriching, global experience.”
Kevin
O’Connor, principal
Maplewood School
Cary, IL |
| “Both
the faculty and the students mutually agreed that it was the best
assembly we have had! ....”
Garry
K. Falcone, Principal
Concord Lutheran School, Grades 4-8,
Addison, IL
|
|
"...I
was also amazed at what the kids picked up in a short time."
Gary
Mattin,
music teacher
West Elementary,
Sycamore, IL |
|
"Jim
entertains, educates, and engages all students and staff with his
music. His music became OUR music. Working with Jim was more valuable
tome than attending some workshops or classes because of the opportunity
to learn, perform, and build instruments alongside my students.
My eyes were opened to new ways to involve children in music-making,
but what I appreciated the most was that Jim reinforced the age-appropriate
concepts I was already teaching in my music classes: reading rhythms,
matching pitch, learning about form, texture, tempo, and more. He
does it in a way that is non-threatening and fun so every child
feels success!"
Pamela
Heiser,
General Music,
Liberty School,
Danville, IL |
"As
a trustee of the West Chicago District #33 Foundation for
Educational Excellence who sponsored the Artist-in-Residence
program and the President of the Board of Education, I was highly
impressed with our Artist-in-Residence, Jim Kanas.
Students and teachers alike said this was the best Artist-in-Residence
program we've ever offered. His residency is informative,
interesting
entertaining and just plain fun!"
Barbara
B. Toney
Board of Education, President
Foundation for Educational Excellence, Trustee
West Chicago Elementary District 33
March 6, 1997 |
| “Jim
Kanas is the most effective and proficient artist-in-residence with
whom I have worked in over fifteen years of participating the Artist-in-Residence
program. .......”
Ken
Williamson, Superintendent
Sparland Grade School
Sparland, IL 61565
|
Question:
What was the best feature of the workshop?
Responses:
“The
best feature was Jim Kanas. His expertise on folk music and instruments
was wonderful. You could tell he has worked with children.”
“Everything
could be transferred to the classroom.”
“The constant interaction and the valuable information that
was given to me!”
Participants,
Harlem
Consolidated Schools, District 122
Loves Park, IL
Interdisciplinary Teacher Workshop/ In-service- 2000 |
“All
I expected and more. Jim was an excellent presenter. I learned things
I can share with my students and he got me enthused about doing
it. This presenter has a vast array of experiences with instruments
and folk music and shares them with the participants in the workshop.”
Participant
evaluation
Meeting the Challenge X
2000 |
|
>
American Music Assembly Poster
> click
here
American
Roots Music Programs
Assemblies,
small-groups/ breakout sessions, short and long term residencies
and combination programs are prorated.
Availability: year round, statewide, regular, ESL, and special
needs students.
Nature
of Assembly: Demonstration, very informative, cognitive, performance
on large assortment of conventional and homemade instruments.
Emphasis on cross-cultural connections to American music and
the "Living Oral Tradition".
Small
Group/ Breakout Sessions: Highly interactive. Students play
and sing. Other activities include instrument building, songwriting,
composition and applied audio technology/recording and interdisciplinary
application. |
|
|
Folk
Music in the Classroom
Jim
Kanas activities and songs
he has collected as a folk musician and educator.
His educational programs are interdisciplinary by nature,
multicultural in tone, and always fun!
Jim strives to make each student (and teacher)
feel connected to this rich American living oral tradition
we call "folk". By utilizing an assortment of instruments
ranging from fiddle, banjo, and guitar, to dulcimer,
limberjacks, bones and spoons, Jim demonstrates and leads
hands-on activities, call-and-response singing and incorporates
methods by which an artist can collaborate with teachers. |
 |
•
Latin, African and European Roots
• Large assortment of instruments
• Narrated performance
• Historical background
• Intrinsic experience
• Student volunteers
• Interdisciplinary
• Cross-cultural
• Oral tradition
•
The Blues
|
|
"The
Development of American Music through its Ethnical Roots"
This
assembly/presentation/performance traces the development of
American music through its European, African
and Latin roots. Students go on a guided journey through
time from early American to modern jazz music and the origins
of the blues, the thread of which is the "living oral
tradition of folk music" and the process of which is
related to improvisation. Mr. Kanas demonstrates, discusses,
sings and performs on fiddle, spoons, saw, "dobro",
"sweet potato", pocket instruments, flutes, banjo
and others! Typically even the youngest listener is drawn
into this highly acclaimed intellectual program. Audience
participates by clapping in time, enacting motions, and singing
in call-and-response. Some student volunteers are selected
for demonstration assistance.K-12
(geared respectively, standard age grouping suggested)
|
| Breakout
Sessions/ Small Groups |
 |
Jim's small group session,
workshops and residences
engage students in
fun hands-on activities including:
•
Singing in call-and response
•
Playing folk instruments
•
Instrument building
•
Movement and dance
•
Storytelling
•
Songwriting |
"American
Folk Music- Hands On"
Small Groups/ Breakout Sessions
These
highly interactive sessions engage participants in instrument
playing and singing. It is a true intrinsic experience in
the essence of American folk music. Students sing in call-and-response
and play a large assortment of homemade, conventional and
world instruments including: limberjacks, spoons, "gut-bucket",
saw, shakers, cuica and others! Mr. Kanas leads his |
 |
| ensemble
of students by singing and playing fiddle, banjo, guitars, native
American flutes and drums. 30-50 minutes K-12 (geared respectively).
Adaptations for ESL and special populations are typical. |
Activities
hands-on
... fun |
 |
 |
•
Call-and-response singing
• Guided improvisation
• Ensemble performance with artist
•
Playing the spoons, washboard, dulcimer, the saw and many
simple homemade and conventional instruments
•
Sight-reading, rhythm and pitch echo
Emphasis on dynamic variation, timing, triplets, accents,
texture, syncopation and other elements of music
• Limberjacks
"Beat" and "rhythm", up and down beats
Half time, double time and on the beat, "three against
two"
•
Instrument Building; (integration with science and visual
arts),
Shakers, panpipes, dulcimers, and more
•
Songwriting- integration with creative writing and language
arts
• Song analysis or original composition (connotation,
thematic development, symbolism, form, tone, metaphor, etc.)
•
Making a CD recording of your school ensemble/ audio music
production
•
Improvisation sessions for music students; jazz band, orchestra,
band, vocal
• Conducting, patterns, improvisation
•
New music compositions and notation
|
 |
|
•
Creative expressive instrumental improvisations and
original notation applied to live and/or recorded performance
•
Topical Songs
Interdisciplinary; integration with American and world history,
geography, language arts, social studies, math, etc
•
American Music Cross-Cultural Assembly Program- Overview
Cross-cultural examples, "Living oral tradition",
bridge to written tradition
Jazz/ aural/ improvisation/ process
•
Tone Bells/ Hand Chimes
•Applied
technology
Audio Recording Production/ Making
a CD,
Samples of Digital Hard Drive recording, mixing and editing,
Creating audio "soundscapes".
|
| Jim
accompanies on fiddle, banjo, dobro, guitars and other instruments! |
| Participants
sing, playing spoons, limberjacks,
dulcimer, saw, "gut-bucket", bones, washboard, panpipes
and other American folk and world instruments. |
 |
<
"Play Circle"
...everyone
gets a turn! |
"Juba
Rhythms" >
...this is related to drumming, triplets,
dynamic variation, slavery,
swing, oral traditions and more...
|
 |
 |
<
Limberjacks
...an
Appalachian folk instrument |
 |
<
Dulcimers
...these are class-made |
Instrument
building>
...from recyclable
materials |
 |
 |
<Shaker
|
Flashcards>
and spoons |
|
"Omm-a-ladda-wadda"
>
Is a song written by students,
teachers and Jim during a cross-curricular all school second
grade ocean study/music unit. Each
verse in this original song represented a layer of the ocean
and its creatures. The
visual art throughout the entire school was organized into the
layers of the ocean. The students along with Mr.
Kanas produced a high quality digital recording, that represented
sounds of the ocean and coming over to America across
the ocean. The
thematic material for the recording was produced on a class-made
instrument with water in it. All
these activities took place during a residency which included
|
|
| an
introductory assembly,
core and non-core group hands-on sessions, a culminating event,
teacher in-service and an assembly on jazz, to expand on the
process of improvisation of which the students had been engaged
in throughout. |
Whistles, flutes, bones, ocarinas>
and pocket instruments that
came from over-seas |
|
| A residency
is a long or short term experience with an artist that utilizes
his or her skill or specialty, usually in an educational setting.
Jim Kanas' residencies mirror his assembly program in that the
structure or content that presented (the development of American
music) is elaborated on throughout . The Illinois Arts Council
has particular guidelines for residencies including core-groups,
non-core groups, community outreach, guest artists, documentation,
and time frames for implementation. These guidelines help to
foster an in depth artistic experience. Mr. Kanas has had numerous
IAC residencies and independently contracted residencies.
Sometimes schools and organizations do not require financial
assistance for short term residencies and wish to implement
a structure unique to their situations. In this case, Jim insures
that the essence of the experience rivals an IAC program. |
 |
<
Community
...students,
parents, administrators, teachers, staff and artist
participate.
|
| Short
Term Residency
Assembly(s)
with small groups/breakout sessions
Guidelines
-All sessions
should take place in one space/ room per day
-Teacher supervision with each class/ group
-Assemblies require 1-2 hours set-up (students may be present)
and 30 minutes tear-down
-Specific schedule/ exact times should be mutually agreed
upon/ approved prior to the start of the residency. The schedule
should reflect the host school's or site's needs and/or typical
scheduling framework unless otherwise agreed upon
-Mr. Kanas will provide his own sound system unless otherwise
arranged
-Two large table are required for the assemblies
-Adequate table space is required for the hand-on break-out
group sessions
-Typical class size is 20 -30 students
-Breakout groups are hands-on in nature (students play and
sing)
-Assemblies are informative in nature and geared appropriately
for the intended audience
-Reasonable breaks and duration for programming is expected |
|
Culminating
event
Short or
long-term residencies can conclude with a culminating event.
Parents, students, teachers and artist get together ! |
| Parent
and student workshop |
| A culminating event
may be a workshop or a performance or narrated performance... |
| Jim’s
school programs are interdisciplinary by nature and the in-services
reflect that. He integrates music with other traditional subjects
areas and shows how he collaborates with educators and other
artists in pursuit of a holistic educational experience for
the student. In-services or workshops are also geared to music
specialists. Topics include: a study of the development of America
Folk Music and its cultural and ethnical influences through
song and tale, song-writing, instrument building, exercises
in movement, dance, visual art and creative dramatics,
rhythm games, one-on-one or group study of the previously mentioned
instruments, applied technology/ recording techniques and multi-media
production, and advanced instrumental improvisation for
music students. All activities and presentations are geared
to grade levels K-12, respectively. |
| Teacher In service-
Liberty School, Danville, IL |
| "Quotations and testimonials
... " |
"Jim Kanas was an absolute delight to have in my high
school drama and American literature classes.
He engaged the kids
with both his music and their participation, so that they
didn't even realize that they were learning history, poetic
devices, performance style,and lots more. Anyone who teaches
an area that touches on cultural literacy could make use
of Jim's tremendous talent."
Kathy
Hopkins
American Literature/Drama, Durand
High School
> > > >
“Both
the faculty and the students mutually agreed that it was
the best assembly we have had! I was especially impressed
at how well you related to the students and how well they
related to you. You did an excellent job in expressing your
love of and appreciation for music, and the students really
picked up on this.”
Garry
K. Falcone, Principal
Concord Lutheran School, Grades 4-8
Addison, IL
>
> > >
“Mr.
Kanas provided my sixth grade class with some valuable hands-on
approaches to learning music.”
Mrs.
Connie Ulrich, Sixth Grade Teacher
Maplewood Elementary
Cary, IL
>
> > >
"Jim's school program was relaxed but professional
in nature. His musical talent and ability to relate to children
kept their attention and conveyed a great deal of information
about American Folk Music in a way that was both controlled
and fun."
Jane
Patton, Director
Centralia Cultural Society
>
> > >
Dear
Mr. Kanas:
"On
behalf of the entire Tyler Elementary Community I would
like to thank you participating in our Family Reading Night.
I took great pleasure in discussing music with you; as well
as watching you interact with the children in such a remarkable
manner. Mr. Kanas, you are certainly are remarkable performer!
We are grateful that you visited our school! Thank you."
Sincerely,
Mr. Kubelka
Principal, Tyler Elementary
DeKalb, IL
>
> > >
“The
whole experience was new to us. The students and I thoroughly
enjoyed ourselves! The music was fun, we were all able to
participate and the time just flew by. His musical talent
was extraordinary (that was the main thing that impressed
the boys). His versatility and quiet manner made the class
run smoothly. I particularly liked having him write a song
with us, using one of the student’s poems. It was
interesting to see how he did it and be part of the process.
Jim was a great person and musician, and we loved having
him. It was a great experience for all of us. I only wish
we could have him longer. He gave all of us an appreciation
and enjoyment of folk music.”
Donna
Winnbigler, Classroom Teacher
>
> > >
“Jim’s
style of teaching and professionalism made learning fun,
easy and enjoyable for my students. Hey were drawn by his
calm manner, wide musical abilities and open-ended sentences.
He related history, geography, musical terminology and songs
into every student class session with lots of student participation,
both active and passive. All student contributions were
handled with respect. Other strong points, outside of the
classroom, include his flexibility, appreciativeness to
faculty and staff, willingness to share his talents, and
make everyone feel at ease with him. He has touched many
people in our school and community. This definitely was
a positive experience for our entire school.”
Sherry
Griffin, Classroom Teacher,
Warren School, Chicago Area
>
> > >
COMMENTS
FROM TEACHERS/ PARTICIPANTS
Harlem Consolidated Schools Teacher
Workshop/ In-service,
Interdisciplinary artist collaboration visual art and music
2000
Question:
What was the best feature of the workshop?
Responses:
“Everything
could be transferred to the classroom.”
“The instruments were very unique”
“The constant interaction and the valuable information
that was given to me!”
“Feeling the enthusiasm of the presenters and the
sense of accomplishment and empowerment they instilled in
us. “
“I loved having the opportunity to experience and
play various instruments. Hearing Jim’s music was
so wonderful. What a wealth of information he has to share
with students.”
“The best feature was Jim Kanas. His expertise on
folk music and instruments was wonderful. You could tell
he has worked with children.”
Harlem
Consolidated Schools, District 122
Loves Park, IL
Interdisciplinary Teacher Workshop/ In-service- 2000
>
> > >...
"We
learned a great deal from our residency with Jim Kanas.
The
song writing, singing, dancing, and folklore enriched our
lives. It was not long before
Jim was an integral part of the teaching staff."
Rose
Gordan, Principal
Thomas A. Edison School
Morton Grove, IL
>
> > >
COMMENTS
FROM TEACHERS/ PARTICIPANTS
Community
Child Care Resource and Referral Training-
Workshop
Davenport,
IA , July
23, 2003,
at the Deere Wiman House, Moline, IL
Responses:
“You were
awesome!”
"The hands-on instruments were extremely helpful. Good
hints on how to make music fun for yourself and the children."
"I
am a K-8 music teacher and also teach music to the disabled.
I can't wait to try these new ideas!"
"I will
be working with the disabled and they enjoy instruments.
We can have the students make the cuica and the rice shaker.
This makes these special people feel as if they can accomplish
tasks. It was obvious that Jim enjoyed what he does, so
his humor added to the presentation."
Participants/
Teachers
Community Child Care Resource and Referral
Deere
Wiman House, Moline, IL
>
> > >...
“Jim
Kanas is the most effective and proficient artist-in-residence
with whom I have worked in over fifteen years of participating
the Artist-in-Residence program. He is a creative, talented,
knowledgeable artist and a stimulating, skillful, perceptive
teacher. He brings a freshness of authentic tradition to
his work and it makes it seems so special. Students enjoyed
his artistry, were stimulated by his creativity and skill,
and responded to his energy and quiet intensity. What a
great teacher he is in the music classroom!”
Ken
Williamson, Superintendent
Sparland Grade School
Sparland, IL
|
Contact Jim Directly Regarding
Residencies and Assemblies -
click
here |
| Jim
Kanas delights children and adults alike with his American Folk
Music programs. |
His
younger audiences are typically bubbling with excitement and
smiles as they join in on Jim’s frivolity of song and story. |
| 
|
Jim is well rooted in the oral traditions of folk music and
even the youngest listener becomes part of his ongoing living
tradition. Adult audiences on up to seniors are often carried
on a journey to sometimes forgotten joy filled feelings. Jim
carries an assortment of instruments: fiddle, guitars, mandolin,
dobro, harmonicas, sweet potato, autoharp, spoons and limberjack,
each of which helps to tell his story of life and times.
|
>
American Music Assembly Poster
> click
here
|
|
