Today we’d like to introduce you to Bau Graves.
Bau, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Old Town School of Folk Music teaches and celebrates music and cultural expressions rooted in the traditions of American and global communities. Marking its 60th year of service to Chicago in 2017, Old Town School of Folk Music is the largest community school of the arts in the nation, with a 15,000+ student reach that ranges from infants in our trademarked Wiggleworms early-childhood music programs to adolescents and adults building their creative lives through music and dance. Our 300+ annual concert and event schedule entertains and enlightens over 100,000, and highlights the talents of big-name acts and master musicians from more than 50 countries, as well as dozens of community partners.
Has it been a smooth road?
Old Town School was founded just as the great American folk revival was gathering strength, along with the Civil Rights and anti-war movements with which folk music was associated. By the eighties, popular music had turned to disco and big hair dinosaur rock bands, and the School’s student base declined. In response, the School expanded its curriculum to include infants/toddlers and a wide variety of world music genres. It began a growth curve that has made it the largest community school of the arts in the country. Along the way, we renovated or built three substantial facilities, all of which are in very heavy use on a daily basis.
But, while we are proud of our accomplishments, Old Town School is still a nonprofit arts organization that struggles to meet its budget on an annual basis. We fulfill all of the obligations of the nonprofit business, fundraising, governance, workforce development, community engagement, civic participation.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Old Town School is the anti-conservatory. We have no required classes or auditions or tests. Our focus is on vernacular popular music genres: blues, jazz, country, bluegrass, rock, soul, funk, hip-hop. We also have a thriving dance program offering more than 100 weekly classes in ballet, jazz, modern, tap, flamenco, tango, samba, West African, Zumba, ballroom, Cajun, and several other idioms. People keep coming back because they find themselves immersed in a community of enthusiastic participators led by talented teaching artists. The secret sauce is that the institution is infused with an attitude that says everybody can build their own creative life and that nurturing a sense of community is just as important as learning the next song.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Old Town School is a quintessential Chicago institution. This city provides just the right combination of exceptional performing artists and avid amateur learners, of multiple racial and ethnic groups that celebrate their glorious variety of musical styles, of neighborhoods that nurture all that creativity. Old Town School is a place where all of these varied constituencies come together, overlap, intersect and influence each other.
Chicago, also supported the creative and far-sighted individuals that started the School and propelled its extraordinary growth: Win Stracke, Frank Hamilton, Studs Terkel, Big Bill Broonzy, WFMT, Jim Hirsch, Colleen Miller have all left a legacy here that benefits the entire city.
Contact Info:
- Address: Old Town School
4544 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60625 - Website: oldtownschool.org
- Phone: 773-751-3332
- Email: bgraves@oldtownschool.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oldtownschool/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oldtownschool
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/oldtownschool
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/oldtownschool
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