Appalachian Music
Specializing in live performances and instruction in traditional old time fiddling and stringband music.
Available year round for festivals, concerts, parties, square dances, special events.
Instruction in old time fiddle, clawhammer banjo, guitar and mandolin.
Mark Tamsula – Manager              412-422-2081
Pittsburgh, PA
www.appalachianmusic.net
appalachianmusic@hotmail.com

                                                                                                                             December 23, 2004

Dear School Administrator

I am currently scheduling performances in your area and would like the opportunity to present my musical program American Music Legacy to your school. Please take the time to review my materials and contact me by phone or email for more information and / or booking. For an online description of this program and background articles for students, please visit my website:    http://www.appalachianmusic.net/AmericanMusicLegacy.htm  A compact disc audio recording of the complete assembly program is available upon request.

American Music Legacy  is a concert performance of traditional early American rural and urban music played on guitar, banjo and fiddle. Its purpose is threefold: 1) to enlighten and entertain students with a sampling of regional cultural heritage they may not have encountered through popular media or school curriculum, including demonstrations of Blues, Ragtime, Cajun, French Canadian, Celtic, New England and Old Time Appalachian styles; 2) to show the important role traditional folk music has played in the formation of modern styles such as Rhythm and Blues, Jazz, Swing, Country, Bluegrass, and Rock; 3) to demonstrate that playing music is a fun activity by which millions of people have enriched their lives through active participation.

The concert is approximately 50 to 60 minutes in length. Each performance begins with a demonstration of electric rock guitar, followed by connections to earlier points in the history of the guitar, exploring styles such as Swing, Country, Ragtime, & Blues. I move on to the banjo, a featured instrument in the Old Time and Bluegrass genres today, but historically important due to its introduction to this country by early African Americans. I’ll show how African rhythms can be heard in the southern variants of tunes, while not noticeably present in the northern versions of the same tunes. I then demonstrate the fiddle in Celtic, New England, French Canadian, and Old Time Appalachian styles (with a focus on the styles of southwestern Pennsylvania). I demonstrate a modern Country / Swing format and compare it with the older but very similar Cajun style. Earlier forms of fiddle Blues that existed in Cajun music are demonstrated as well.

            At present, I am performing in the southwestern Pennsylvania region for a fee of $350. I would require additional compensation to travel outside of that area, or to schedule additional workshops. A discount is available for booking two nearby schools on the same day. This concert would be best suited for middle school and high school groups, ages 11 – 18. I’d appreciate very much if you would pass this information along to any other schools that you think might be interested. Feel free to distribute copies of the enclosed articles to students. Thank you.

Sincerely,               

Mark Tamsula       

Appalachian Music