Chicago’s Home of Folk Music

by Katie Fanuko.
August 1, 2008 – It all started with Win Stracke‘s hunch. What began as informal jam sessions in a living room, became the nationally recognized Old Town School of Folk Music. Stracke created the school in 1957 to satisfy Chicago’s growing appetite for folk music.

The school was unique in the sense that classes were held in groups as opposed to individual classes so that students of all levels could learn from one another and develop a sense of community. That sense of community has always held the Old Town School of Folk Music together, even through its darkest days in the late ‘70s when the school was on the verge of bankruptcy. Today, the school is stronger than ever with 6,000 students attending classes each week in music, dance and art.

The Old Town School attracts students from all walks of life, everyone from investment bankers to stay-at-home moms. For the past 50 years, the school has drawn on this diversity to infuse its philosophy that both students and teachers can learn from each other. The students in each class are at various skill levels which allows them to give advice and encourage each other.

“Unlike many other schools, it doesn’t have an elitist attitude,” said Executive Director Bau Graves. “Regardless of your level you can participate. It’s not competitive; people come here because they enjoy being here.”

The Old Town School of Folk Music also holds events such as the annual Chicago Folk and Roots Festival and the weekly series Afrofolk and La Pena which showcases African and Latin folk music. Such events allow those outside of the school to experience and cultivate an interest in folk music.

“We’ve definitely cornered the market on being the hip family thing to do,” said Concerts and Special Events Director Colleen Miller. “The [Chicago Folk and Roots Festival] has something for everyone – really, for all walks of life.”

The school has always had a tradition of holding events for the community. The school’s opening night on Dec.1, 1957 was a sensation and Stracker declared the school to be “America’s first permanent school for the study of folk music and folk instruments,” according to the school’s Web site.

The school’s enrollment grew through the 1960’s and peaked in 1975 with 650 students, but after that, the popularity of folk music diminished – coupled with a recession and oil crisis the school was in financial jeopardy.

When Executive Director Ray Tate resigned in 1982, the board of directors decided to take a risk with a young guitar teacher at the school’s Evanston branch. Jim Hirsh readily admitted that he was an unorthodox choice; he did not have a degree in arts administration or experience in non – profit management. But what he may have lacked in credentials, he made up in ambition.

Under Hirsh’s guidance the school began offering specialized classes in song writing and dance, reconnecting with former instructors, and broadening its scope of the genre to include global traditions.

In 1987 the school was awarded the Beatrice Foundation Award for Excellence.

The school has a children’s outreach program that was created about 25 years ago. It sponsors school assemblies that increase awareness of different types of folk music, said Graves.

The Old Town School of Folk Music has two Chicago locations at 4544 N. Lincoln Ave. and 909 Armitage Ave.