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Me and my father talked about the impact the world wide web has on his life and work. He spoke about how he reacted and his thoughts on the internet becoming a large part of he world.

A conversation between Mehran Jalili & Maya Tatiana. This conversation was recorded at the school on July 25th, 2017. Go to www.oldtownschool.org/StoryCorps to hear selected excerpts from interviews collected as part of the StoryCorps-Old Town School partnership.

When a young Reggio "The Hoofer" McLaughlin first started tap dancing in Chicago, venues turned him away at the door, saying "we haven't booked a tap dancer since 1945!" In this conversation with his coworker Mareva Lindo, he talks about...

Friends and co-organizers Nureaka Ross (28) and Lynette Mejia (51) discuss their involvement in advocating for their local library system and obstacles they have faced along the way.

Elizabeth "Liz" Z. Allan (63) and Eileen Neulinger (61) talk about their lifelong interest in libraries and books, their family history, and their plans after retirement.

Musician and historian Stephen Wade talks with his friend Matt Brown about Stephen's musical beginnings, studying banjo with his mentor Fleming Brown in the 1970s, and his reflections on the Old Town School then and now. Since learning to play...

A conversation between Larry Rand & Skip Landt. This conversation was recorded at the school on July 26th, 2017. Go to www.oldtownschool.org/StoryCorps to hear selected excerpts from interviews collected as part of the StoryCorps-Old Town School partnership.

A conversation between friends, longtime musical collaborators, and fellow Old Town School teachers Jonas Friddle and Anna Jacobson. Jonas is a singer, songwriter and old-time banjo player whose songs have received The John Lennon Songwriting Award, First Place in the...

Betty Nudelman speaks with documentarian Mareva Lindo about her memories of the Old Town School community in its early years, when it was housed within the Immigrant State Bank Building at 333 W North Ave--in the Old Town neighborhood from...

Julian Ross has taken classes at the Old Town School for over 10 years. In this conversation with his son Christopher, Julian reflects on why this place has remained such a constant in his life, and Christopher shares some of...

My father, a professional musician, describes how he got into music when he was younger and the people who influenced him along the way.

A conversation between Alex White & Jimmy Tomasello. This conversation was recorded at the school on July 25th, 2017. Go to www.oldtownschool.org/StoryCorps to hear selected excerpts from interviews collected as part of the StoryCorps-Old Town School partnership.

Colleagues Joshua Del Conte (38) and Maile Singson (70) discuss Josh's work supporting United States military veterans and his personal journey reintegrating into civilian life.

Jimmy T., as he is affectionately known by all, is one of the most familiar faces at the Old Town School. Now the head of the Guitar, Bass and Songwriting program, Jimmy's worked here since starting in the music store...

A conversation between Ron Cohen & Bob Riesman. This conversation was recorded at the school on May 8th, 2017. Go to www.oldtownschool.org/StoryCorps to hear selected excerpts from interviews collected as part of the StoryCorps-Old Town School partnership.

Jacqueline Carvey (35) shares a conversation with her former music teacher, Jennifer Hart (60). They discuss their experiences as music educators and issues surrounding diversity and inclusion in their field.

Karen Gasche (75) speaks with her opera teacher Marcia Aubineau (71) about her love of the opera. Together they share memories of their opera class, and reflect on the beauty and power of the art form.

In 1978 Mark Dvorak took a guitar class with Mike Dunbar at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Today, Mike is a bandleader and multi-instrumentalist living in Nashville, Tenn., and Mark has just celebrated 30 years teaching at the...

Saladeen Alamin has been teaching Latin Dance at the Old Town School for over two decades. In this conversation with his wife, Rosita Ragin-Alamin, they talk about his early years as an acrobatic mambo dancer, his reflections on teaching at...

Significant others Alaska Woods (20) and Ashton Haslam (21) discuss how their disabilities impact their experiences in queer spaces. They emphasize the need to better accommodate intersectional identities in queer spaces and reflect upon how, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic,...

Part 1 of 2. Judge Carl Marshall talks to Julissa (17) about his experiences as a juvenile justice judge, the law, justice and a more perfect union.

A conversation between Andrew Sa and Mareva Lindo. Andrew talks about his experiences taking the class Songwriting and the Creative Process with Sue Demel and describes the experience as group therapy and recommends the experience to everyone because it teaches...

In this conversation between Old Town School Latin percussion instructor Carlos Cornier and his coworker Mareva Lindo, Carlos talks about the musical origins that shaped his interest in percussion and Latin music; getting into and out of Scientology to ultimately...

Stephanie Brand (69) tells her local librarian, Jennie Fidler (34), about her life before and after unexpectedly losing her vision to glaucoma in 2016.

Grayce Gadson (71) shares with her colleague Kleopatra Gaiter (32) anecdotes from her time as a student in Florida, Indiana, and California during the desegregation of schools in America. Grayce and Kleopatra compare their varying experience with school institutions, specifically...