EDUCATIONAL programs
Pauline and Aron are both educators and have created some lecture/performances that they hope please as well as enlighten. They have performed these in libraries, churches, artist spaces and schools, and can tailor them for students of (almost) all ages. They run from 45 to 60 minutes. If you’re interested in any of these programs, please click here to contact us.
Playing in Earnest: A Life in Song of W.H. Auden
W.H. Auden was one of the great poets of the 20 the century. He drew inspiration from Freud, Marx, Christian theology and toilet humor, and wrote libretti, plays, and poetry in a stunning variety of forms and styles. In this lecture/performance Aron and Pauline play original musical settings of several Auden lyrics and discuss the life and thought of this great poet. Perfect for students (high school and college) as well as adults.
Tales and Tunes of Christmastide
This show features original musical settings of Christmas poems and songs as well as some of the stories that inform the traditions of the Christmas season.
Music in Shakespeare
Music is everywhere in the works of Shakespeare, most obviously in the songs which grace so many of his plays, but also in powerful metaphors that drive and give shape to the dramatic action. In this lecture/performance Aron and Pauline play original musical settings of a handful of Shakespeare's songs and talk about what music meant for people in the Renaissance and how Shakespeare challenged and transformed some of those meanings.
Songs of Protest and Political Change
Bob Dylan famously complained that most protest songs were just bad songs. While this is perhaps true (and most likely true of most types of songs) Dylan himself was a prolific writer of protest songs. Because of the songs that Dylan and his fellow songwriters wrote in the early 60s we see that time as the golden age of protest music. But singers and songwriters have been complaining about political issues for a long time before that, and they're still doing it now. In this lecture/performance Aron and Pauline look at a broad range of songs with a political bone to pick, from Froggy Went a Courtin' to tunes by Bruce Springsteen and Steve Earle--with a Good Dust original to boot!
Songs for Kids
This is perhaps more fun than educational, but can you really learn anything if you're not having fun? We play some original tunes as well as a passel of borrowed ones that get kids clapping, dancing and dreaming. Great for birthday parties or farmer's markets or junior fencing competitions. Run for about 45 minutes or until we collapse.
"Aron and Pauline successfully engaged our high school students in W.H. Auden's poetic world, by alternating songs, biography, and fun facts but also by offering the students space and time for discussion. Teachers and students loved it because the poems chosen were either echoing their personal experiences or surprising in some way. They were captivated by the beauty, simplicity and authenticity of the musical arrangements. A great show for all music and poetry lovers!"
Perrine Domaine
Teacher/Librarian at the
Lycée Français de Chicago