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In addition to being a world class music school that reaches out to all ages in all genres, the Old Town School of Folk Music is also a world class music venue that brings in all types of music from around the world. We’re looking forward to Mott the Hoople songwriter Ian Hunter, kids tunes from Dan Zanes, jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, Ivory Coast talent Dobet Gnahore and legendary bluegrass from Del McCoury Band.

The direction staff has distributed the OTSFM fall concert brochure throughout the north side of Chicago.

The Old Town School of Folk Music has concerts most evenings at their Lincoln Square location. Tickets for the fall concerts just went on sale. Please visit oldtownschool.org/concerts for a complete list of shows, tickets and information about the OTSFM.

If you’re interested in learning how to play guitar, please don’t just pick one up, play as loudly as you can for a few hours a night for a week or two and then let it collect dust. It is an insult to your neighbor, the guitar and yourself. Do it right and take a class at the Old Town School of Folk Music. This Chicago institution is currently accepting students for its fall classes. From guitar to accordian, banjo to oud, fiddle to flute, the OTSFM has something for everyone.

The direction team has been distributing Adult Class brochures for the OTSFM throughout the north side neighborhoods of Chicago.

Adult classes begin August 29 and are currently open for enrollment. For a complete list of classes, concerts and other upcoming OTSFM events, please visit oldtownschool.org.

There’s no escaping summer. The weather is awful, the heat is inescapable and the kids are at home. All the time. While these little bundles of joy are wonderful, they’re also little bundles of what to do next? Why not get them started with a lifelong appreciation of the arts. The Old Town School of Folk Music has music classes for the littlest of tikes. Their classes are currently open for enrollment and feature something for everyone, from guitar to accordion with locations in Chicago and the suburbs.

The direction team has been distributing brochures for Wiggleworms on our kids and family specialty route.

Registration for Wiggleworms, Lullabies, Meet the Instruments and Wiggle-N-Strum has begun. For a complete list of classes, please visit oldtownschool.org/classes/wiggleworms.

Old Town School of Folk Music knows how to put on a music festival. Each year they take over Welles Park in the beautiful Lincoln Square neighborhood. They bring in a wide array of musical styles appealing to a wide swath of people. The two-day fest is open to all-ages, is donation based and has been running for over ten years. This year’s fest features sets from Texas blues rocker Delbert McClinton on Saturday night and Cuban salsa sensation Maraca on Sunday night. If neither of them is your style there are over 16 more acts on the main stage and more at the dance tent, kids town and staff stage.

The direction team has been all over the city promoting this festival on our routes and hand to hand. We’ve been at Millennium Park promoting at concerts of Low, Diogo Nigueira and RAM.

The Chicago Folk & Roots Festival is this weekend, July 9 and 10 at Welles Park. Please visit chicagofolkandroots.org for a complete schedule and lineup, transportation information and the history of the fest.

It’s hot outside. Too hot. Stay inside. Learn how to play an instrument, but don’t bother your neighbors too much. Take a class at the Old Town School of Folk Music first. Nothing makes a  neighbor worse than someone deciding to play the accordion on a hot, humid night. Nothing makes a neighbor good like serenading those around you with lovely tunes on a hot, humid night.

The direction staff has been distributing class brochures thoughout Chicago in mostly music friendly neighborhoods.

Adult classes at the Old Town School of Folk Music are currently open for enrollment. Please visit oldtownschool.org for classes, concerts and the upcoming Chicago Folk and Roots Festival.

The summer sessions for Wiggleworms are now open for registration. For children 6 months to 2 years old, Wiggleworms classes are a great introduction to a life of music for your child. With locations in Lincoln Park and Lincoln Square and branches in Hyde Park, Evanston, Glencoe, Western Springs, Naperville and Lawndale, the OTSFM Wiggleworms program reach over 2,000 infants, toddlers and adults each season. For the ambitious musical family, OTSFM offers Lullabies for children up to 5 months old and Wigglegrads for kids ages 3 and 4.

The direction staff has been distributing class brochures for Wiggleworms on our kids routes.

Wiggleworms classes at the Old Town School of Folk Music are now open for registration. Please visit oldtownschool.org for class schedules, registration and more.

In addition to having a wide swath of music classes for all ages, the Old Town School of Folk Music is also one of the best rooms in Chicago to see music. The intimate U-shaped theater is the perfect venue for true music fans. Some of the just announced shows we’re excited to tell you about include Scott Free’s Alt-Q Festival, National Tap Day Festival and Ottmar Liebert + Luna Negra. Three shows covering the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender community, cutting edge tap and nouveau flamenco are just a sample of what the OTSFM has to offer.

The direction team has been distributing supplemental concert listings to OTSFM materials throughout Chicago.

The Old Town School of Folk Music Lincoln Square location has concerts most nights of the week. Please visit oldtownschool.org/concerts for show listings, tickets and more information.

How many people say they’re going to pick up a new instrument as a New Year’s resolution? They buy a guitar, fiddle with it once or twice, find out that it requires time, patience and practice to play it well, put it in the corner and never touch it again. Lucky for me, I have a lot of friends like that and have inherited a plethora of resolution instruments. Now I need to learn how to play them. Enter the Old Town School of Folk Music. Registration for spring classes is currently open and sessions begin April 25. The OTSFM is one of the most well-respected and musically diverse places to learn how to play pretty much any instrument. Whether you’re a beginner or old pro, there’s something for you.

The direction team has been distributing semester brochures throughout
the north side of Chicago.

The Old Town School of Folk Music is currently accepting enrollment for adult classes. Please visit oldtownschool.org for class schedules and more information.

The world renowned Cuban band Septeto Nacional de Ignacio Piñeiro de Cubais coming to the Old Town School of Folk Music next month. The legendary group has been around for more than 80 years. Founded in 1927 by prolific bassist and composer Ignacio Piñeiro Martínez, known as “El Poeta del Son,” the band has been a who’s who of Cuban musical stars. The group is returning to the states after their highly successful 2009 tour, their first in America in 76 years.

In order to fully promote this show, direction built a new Cuban and Latin Music route.

Septeto Nacional is coming to the Old Town School of Folk Music for one night only, Sunday, April 10. Please visit oldtownschool.org for tickets and more information.

The Old Town School of Folk Music begins new classes on February 28. Whether you’re interested in classes for yourself or your children, the OTSFM has you covered. Their Wiggleworms classes are for the little ones, the teen classes will please the hard to please and the adult classes could renew the musical spirit in adults of all ages. The sessions run for eleven weeks, long enough for everyone to learn something and not so long that you’ll end up hating the accordion (I want to take an accordion class. The instrument looks impossibly difficult to me. The OTSFM has accordion classes.).

The direction staff gladly distributed class brochures throughout Chicago.

Enrollment is currently open for the spring OTSFM classes. Please visit oldtownschool.org for a full class list.