Assembly, Residency & Workshop Titles
Specific programs also fulfill additional state goals in language arts, science, PE and health, and fine arts. Click the following links to see individual program descriptions:
- A Pirate’s Life For Me — Concert/Lecture
- A Whale of a Tale — Concert/Lecture
- Big Dog, Little Dog — Workshop
- Chicago From the Water — Concert/Lecture
- Creative Writing And Performance — Residency
- Down Home In Illinois — Concert, Concert/Lecture
- Earthways, Waterways — Concert/Lecture
- Instruments and Their Stories — Residency
- Instruments from Near and Far — Concert/Lecture
- Let’s Write A Shantey — Workshop
- Me for the Inland Lakes — Concert/Lecture
- Recycled Instruments — Workshop
- Rivers — Concert/Lecture
- Songs and Stories for Fun and Movement — Concert/Lecture
- Songs for A Cleaner Environment — Workshop
Click here to see student writing samples.
A Pirate’s Life for Me — Concert/Lecture
Set sail on a tall ship for a pirate adventure across the seven seas. Go in search of treasure, hear the cannons roar and meet bold buccaneers of days gone by. Find out the real stories of Captain Kidd and Blackbeard. The program is a 45 50 minute concert/lecture that includes songs and stories such as "High Barbaree", "Captain Kidd", "The Pirate" and "15 Men on a Dead Man’s Chest" among many others.
Audience: general, special populations and families; groups of up to 250 students-grades 4 12.
A Whale of a Tale — Concert/Lecture
Learn about the world’s whales and of how our attitudes have changed over time. Hear how we chased the mighty whale and find out why we don’t need to any longer. The Kastles originally developed this program for the John G. Shedd Aquarium. Explore the life and times of our cetacean friends through songs and stories such as “Song for the Whales”, “Greenland Whale Fisheries” and “Blow Ye Winds”.
Audience: general audiences, special populations and families; groups of up to 250 students, K 12.
Science:
State Goal 12 - Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of life, physical and earth/space sciences.
State Goal 13 - Understand the relationships among science, technology and society in historical and contemporary contexts.
Big Dog, Little Dog — Workshop
Sing and play with artists Tom and Chris Kastle as they introduce you to big dog and little dog. During the 8-10 week, sequential, 1-hour workshops, each parent and child will create a sock puppet of their own design and use it during a short musical play. At the end of the program, they will be able to take their puppet(s) and sewing kits home to help sew and create stories of their own.
Audience: Approximately 10 parent and child teams (child aged 18 month to 3 years).
Language Arts:
State Goal 1 - Read with understanding and fluency.
State Goal 4 – Listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations.
State Goal 5 – Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information.
Fine Arts:
State Goal 26 – Through creating and performing, understand how works of art are produced.
Chicago from the Water — Concert/Lecture
Celebrate and explore the exciting waterways of Chicago. The songs and stories in this program investigate the dynamic natural and cultural maritime history that is part of our heritage and daily lives here in Chicago. Our waterways have significantly shaped and continue to shape Chicago as one of the main components of this great transportation hub. Meet people and creatures that live on and in our historic rivers and lakes. Discover your own “maritime roots”! The program is a 45-minute participatory concert that includes songs and stories such as "Sally and the Four Knots", "Below the Waves", “The Lighthouse Keeper’s Wish” and "Shallow Brown" among many others. This program was originally developed for the Chicago Public Library Summer Reading Program.
Audience: general, special populations and families; groups of up to 250 students, K-12.
Creative Writing and Performance — Residency
Artist does performance for whole school population and classroom activities with non-core group students. The topical focus depends upon the area of study. Core Group outcomes for this residency 1) write, arrange, rehearse and perform a short work song in a small group setting 2) review the elements of a story and analyze a ballad 3) research and write an original ballad as a solo or in a small group 4) learn and practice the principles of performance 5) incorporate the original ballads into a live performance for the community 6) incorporate instruments and/or puppets into a full-length production (time permitting).
Audience: core group of up to 25, grades 4 through adult.
Language Arts:
State Goal 1 — Read with understanding and fluency.
State Goal 3 — Write to communicate for a variety of purposes.
State Goal 4 – Listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations.
State Goal 5 – Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information.
Fine Arts:
State Goal 26 – Through creating and performing, understand how works of art are produced.
Down Home in Illinois — Concert/Lecture
Investigate Illinois history – the people, the places and the events through song and story. Learn Abe Lincoln’s favorite song, travel to exotic places like Cairo, find our why the grass is always bluer and learn Chris Kastle’s link to the Great Chicago Fire! This program was developed as an accompaniment to the Illinois 4th grade curriculum.
Audience: general, special populations and families; groups of up to 250 students, K 12.
Earthways, Waterways — Concert/Lecture
Learn how to take an active part in the stewardship of the Earth. Visit wetlands and oceans and forests and valleys and mountains and rivers. Meet whales and fish and turtles and bugs and beavers and more. Discover how kids (and adults) can make a difference in their own neighborhoods, the Great Lakes and the world. The program is a 45 50 minute concert/lecture, which includes songs and stories such as "Water", "If You Wanna Build a Boat, You Gotta Plant a Tree", and "Turtle Races Beaver" among many others.
Audience: general, special populations and families; groups of up to 250 students, pre school 12.
Science:
State Goal 12 — Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of life, physical and earth/space sciences.
State Goal 13 — Understand the relationships among science, technology and society in historical and contemporary contexts.
Instruments and Their Stories — Residency
Topic depends on the area of study. Artists will do a performance for the whole school population and do classroom activities as time permits. Core group outcomes 1) students will learn about the instrument families 2) core group students will each build a percussion instrument out of found materials and tell story of their instruments 3) using the student stories as a basis, the artist and students will transform the story into a musical play featuring songs and, if time permits, puppets created by the students 4) students will perform their work for the community.
Core Group: single student group of approximately 20-25 students grades: 2—adult.
Science:
State Goal 12 — Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of life, physical and earth/space sciences.
State Goal 13 — Understand the relationships among science, technology and society in historical and contemporary contexts.
Language Arts:
State Goal 1 — Read with understanding and fluency.
State Goal 3 — Write to communicate for a variety of purposes.
State Goal 4 — Listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations.
State Goal 5 — Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information.
Fine Arts:
State Goal 26 – Through creating and performing, understand how works of art are produced.
Let’s Write a Shantey — Workshop
Learn how to overcome writer's block, how to improvise, how to improve your performance and public speaking skills. Write, arrange, rehearse and perform a work song of the sea in just 60 minutes! Every participant will get to take home an original song modeled on a traditional sea shantey.
Audience: general, special populations, families; groups of up 20-25 students grades 3-12.
Language Arts:
State Goal 1 — Read with understanding and fluency.
State Goal 3 — Write to communicate for a variety of purposes.
State Goal 4 — Listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations.
State Goal 5 — Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information.
Fine Arts:
State Goal 26 — Through creating and performing, understand how works of art are produced.
Me for the Inland Lakes — Concert/Lecture
Come experience the life of a sailor aboard a 19th century Great Lakes schooner. Haul up the sail, hoist the anchor and learn about our continuing maritime heritage here, in the Great Lakes, through song and story. Take a fast passage to deliver your cargo, weather a storm, and sing a shanty with real‑life schooner sailors Tom and Chris Kastle. The program is a 45‑50 minute concert/lecture that includes songs and stories such as "Me For the Inland Lakes", "Red Iron Ore" "Shine Out Your Light", "Cold Winds" and “Mr. Smith’s Boat”, among many others.
Audience: general, special populations, families; groups of up to 250 students, pre-school—12.
Science:
State Goal 12 — Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of life, physical and earth/ space sciences.
State Goal 13 — Understand the relationships among science, technology and society in historical and contemporary contexts.
Recycled Instruments — Workshop
Build your own instrument out of "found" materials. Learn how to play 3 part African and Polynesian rhythms on your "recycled instrument" along with the rest of the group.
Audience: general, families, special populations; groups of up to 25 students, grades K-5.
Fine Arts:
State Goal 26 — Through creating and performing, understand how works of art are produced.
Science:
State Goal 12 — Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of life, physical and earth/ space sciences.
State Goal 13 — Understand the relationships among science, technology and society in historical and contemporary contexts.
Rivers — Concert/Lecture
Take a trip across the Midwest and around the world discovering that, historically, life on the rivers around the world has common threads. People who live along the rivers have special relationships with the water, the boats and with each other. Families are separated and then reunited through their efforts to earn a living. Goods move along the rivers and eventually to the seas and oceans where people share, not just the goods, but also the music and the stories. The program is a 45‑50 minute concert/lecture which includes songs and stories such as "Down by the Embarrass", "Dance Boatman Dance", "Shenandoah", and “Jimmy and the Biscuits” among many others.
Audience: general, special populations and families; groups of up to 250 students, pre-school—12
Science:
State Goal 12 — Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of life, physical and earth/ space sciences.
State Goal 13 — Understand the relationships among science, technology and society in historical and contemporary contexts.
Songs and Stories for Fun and Movement — Concert/Lecture
Join the fun with world travelers and parent acclaimed performers Tom and Chris Kastle. Sing and move along to musical instruments, songs and stories from exiting places across the planet and around the block. Make some new discoveries and have a great time!
Audience: special populations and families; group of up to 250 students grades pre-school—3.
Language Arts:
State Goal 4 — Listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations.
PE and Health:
State Goal 31 — Acquire movement skills and understand concepts needed to engage in health enhancing physical activities.
Songs for a Cleaner Environment — Workshop
Learn how to overcome writer's block, how to improvise, how to improve your performance and public speaking skills. In a small group format, write, arrange, rehearse and perform an original work song that can help work toward stewardship of our waterways in just 60 minutes! Every participant will get to take home an original song modeled on a traditional sea shanty.
Audience: general, special populations, families; groups of up 20—25 students grades 3—12.
Language Arts:
State Goal 1 — Read with understanding and fluency.
State Goal 3 — Write to communicate for a variety of purposes.
State Goal 4 — Listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations.
State Goal 5 — Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information.
Fine Arts:
State Goal 26 — Through creating and performing, understand how works of art are produced.
Science:
State Goal 12 — Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of life, physical and earth/ space sciences.
State Goal 13 — Understand the relationships among science, technology and society in historical and contemporary contexts.
