The PTO Cultural Arts and Enrichment Committee brings Alastair Moock to the Greenwood School this Thursday, February 13, made possible in part by a generous grant from WEF.
Alastair Moock is a 2014 GRAMMY Nominee, two-time Parents’ Choice Gold Medal Winner, and recipient of the ASCAP Children’s Music Award. A songwriter and performer for more than 20 years, Moock is committed to celebrating the roots of American music while knocking down the walls between different audiences, genres and musical traditions. He has toured throughout the U.S. and Europe, playing everything from nightclubs to theaters to schoolrooms. Like his boyhood hero Woody Guthrie, Moock believes in the power of music to reach all people – young and old, far and wide, for all occasions.
Playing with Tradition Assembly (Grades K-2)
America folk music, like all folk music, is rooted in tradition. But the form is constantly evolving, with songwriters reworking older songs to tell new stories. In this lively, upbeat performance full of participatory singing and dancing, Alastair introduces young students to a diverse group of American musicians who have used folk music to teach lessons, chronicle history, champion causes, celebrate victories and simply make people happy. Students will meet Woody Guthrie, Mississippi John Hurt, Pete Seeger, and other heroes of American folk, and learn how Dr. King and others used the American song tradition to help inspire change during the Civil Rights movement. Alastair also sings some of his own playful compositions to show how a contemporary folk singer incorporates the folk tradition into his life and work.
Singing Their Way Through Assembly (Grades 3-4)
Using a combination of original and historical material, Alastair demonstrates the ways in which American music has been used to inspire courage and fuel broader social movements. Students will learn how Woody Guthrie grew into a champion for workers’ rights, how Dr. King used music in his fight to end segregation, how Bob Dylan used song craft to protest a war, and how Alastair and his daughter turned a personal journey through cancer into an uplifting album for “the world’s bravest kids.” Students will sing, laugh, and learn important lessons about their nation’s past.