Old Town School of Folk Music

THE NEXT DANCE: A Campaign for Old Town School of Folk Music: Facility Expansion Project | Coming Soon in 2010; A 31,000 sq. foot arts education facility at 4543 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago; Contact the Development Department for more information; Facility features are being designed to address our efforts to further our mission,
expand awareness and access, and improve the quality of arts education for both
teachers and students.

Education: The Heart of the School

The School is first and foremost an educational institution. As a national leader in the field of community arts, we continuously strive to improve the overall learning experience.

Facility features:

Dance studios with sizable dimensions, sprung floors, and changing facilities.
Sound engineered classrooms designed to accommodate percussion and electric instruments.
"Smart" classroom technology for distance learning programs to provide access to even more school students and flourishing artists.

Click below for larger images of the preliminary architectural renderings.
Exterior | Interior 1 | Interior 2 | Interior 3 | Performance Space

Participant Diversity: Breadth & depth of cultures

Old Town School is located in one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Chicago and serves a broad range of constituents. The School continues to forge partnerships with a range of communities that are under-served and under-represented in the arts.

Facility feature:

Flexible performance space that can be converted into a classroom, community gathering area, and social dance hall to meet our partners' wide range of needs.

Old Town School Experience: A Community of Learners

Despite its size and presence in one of the most sophisticated urban capitals of the world, the intensely social, intimate and uncomplicated atmosphere of Old Town School is as accessible and important as it was when it was founded fifty years ago. Old Town School students find lifelong friends, band mates, and even soul mates. Babies take their first steps and speak their first words in our classrooms. These experiences are life-changing moments for so many participants, and continue to blossom here every day.

Facility features:

Accessible, street level entrance and other features that provide a "strollers to wheelchairs"" approach to accommodate diverse populations.
Informal jam spaces throughout so musicians can gather, play and learn from each other.

National Leadership: A Promise to the Future

The School is a significant local economic engine and one of the largest employers of teaching artists in Chicago, generating 85% of its income from earned revenue sources. The School's uniqueness and sustainable business model are often cited as a national model for community arts education, and staff members continuously share their expertise with arts institutions across the country.