School Programs

Linda Russell has experience working with all grade levels. Her expertise in creating musical portraits of specific eras or individuals in American history allows her to custom design a program to suit a particular curriculum or audience.

Linda performs in period costume and inspires her audiences to absorb the music and the history through her highly entertaining and educational presentations. She introduces students to period instruments such as hammered and mountain dulcimers and the limberjack. She eagerly invites her audience members to investigate the instruments she brings with her. Her hands-on approach and accepting ways leaves many students inspired about music and curious to learn more about American history.

As dominant as music is in today’s culture, students will see that “live music” was central to the daily lives of the citizens of past centuries. From the harmonica on the wagon train, to the violin resting in Thomas Jefferson’s parlor, to the political campaign songs such as Tippecanoe and Tyler Too, to the songs of struggle and war, the music makes the two-dimensional figures in history books become more human for all of us.