Barb Silverman & Jess McIntosh

Old Town School teachers Barb Silverman and Jess McIntosh talk about teaching at the school, experiences as women in a male-dominated music community, and reflections on their friendship over the years. Barb is a clogger and multi-instrumentalist who performs in...

Colby Maddox & John Huber

A conversation between friends, bluegrass musicians and fellow Old Town School coworkers Colby Maddox and John Huber. Colby has been managing the Resource Center and teaching mandolin at the school since 1999. John has been working at the school since...

Rebecca Santalo – High School Dance Team Coach

Lexie Hernandez, seventeen, sat down with her aunt and inspiration, Rebecca Santalo. She is the coach of the Coral Reef Senior High School dance team in Miami, Florida. For the past twenty-five years, Mrs. Santalo has been winning national championships...

A Master of Music

Jim Cunningham, Born 1933 is a man of many professions. When Lucas Grey joined by his Uncle Jim Cunningham sat down at a piano for an interview. Jim Cunningham grew up in the small town of Belpre Ohio, and was...

Raúl Fernández & Camilo Rincón

Raúl Fernández talks with his bandmate and mentee Camilo Rincón about Chicago's Mexican traditional music community, its connections to the Old Town School, and their experiences together as part of the group Jarochicanos. Raúl has been involved at the school...

Performing Arts and Experiences Pt. 1

We talk about our feelings about performing arts, specifically dance and other life experiences and opinions.

Interview about the impact of dance.

This interview was about the impact of dance on my dance teacher.

Extra Credit Interview by Brooke Service

Brooke Service (16) interviews Brooke Holmes (15) on her future life and general interests.

Interview with Ms Donna

Dance studio owner, Ms Donna, discusses her experiences of being a female business owner.

Dear Mama

After interviewing my mom, I’ve learned that her personality has always been consistent from her past to the present.

Shirley, 93, wants everyone to know they might live longer than they expect

Shirley shares stories about aging, about her passions of kids, dance, and reading. She grew up in California as the daughter of a cowboy and has lived in San Francisco for over 40 years. She is 93 and hates the...

Ed Holstein & Rick Weiland

Folksinger and Old Town School teacher Ed Holstein talks with his student Rick Weiland about growing up on Chicago's south side, stories of the city's folk scene over the past 50+ years, and memories of his brother and collaborator Fred...

Her Own Space: Self Care, Sisterhood, and South Korea with Robin

Traveling while black means researching more than ticket prices and exchange rates. There's a savviness to surviving racism in the United States and abroad as colorism, cultural appropriation, and xenophobia abound. Robin's faced it all as a black woman teaching...

Michael O’Toole & Mike Blackburn

Michael O'Toole and Mike Blackburn share memories of how they first got into playing music and how they became involved with Old Town School of Folk Music. This conversation was recorded at the school on October 21st, 2017. Go to...

Clare Arter and Leonel Avilez

Clare (26) interviews her good friend LJ (27) about addiction recovery, family bonds, and shared memories.

Kathleen Ulanday and Nicole Pradas

Kathleen Ulanday talks with mentor and friend, Nicole Pradas about her childhood memories, the different aspects of her life, and what the future may hold.

Dance Teacher

We talked about leadership and what it means to her in her job

english thing

This story is about my old dance team, and how we have struggled but worked hard and had fun.

Learning about grandma part 2

In this interview, conducted in November 2017 in fortuna California. Ryan Gonzalez(15) interviews his grandmother Debbi Kalish(69) about her childhood and moving from the East Coast to the West Coast. Debbi tell stories about trips to Mexico and moving from...