Lee Murdock's
Folk Songs of the Great Lakes Region

Now! every in-school assembly performance by Lee Murdock includes one free copy of the songbook Lake Rhymes, the study guide for this educational performance!

“Lee Murdock deserves a place with other great singers of folk songs for children such as Pete Seeger, Tom Glazer and Ella Jenkins."

School Library Journal  

Lee Murdock’s Folk Songs of the Great Lakes Region brings history to life in a very entertaining style, as he tells the stories, in song, of the brave pioneering spirit of the people who settled the Great Lakes and the Midwest. 

This 50 minute educational presentation can be adapted for school assembly programs at the elementary or middle school levels. The Program traces the history of the settlement of the Great Lakes region, including both maritime history and songs and stories about the people who settle on the Great Lakes shores. Includes songs from farming, lumber trades, shipping, building of the canals, women’s roles, family life, legends and heroes. 

Some of the songs are well over 100 years old, but Lee’s fresh new arrangements reach across the years to provide a living link with the heritage of the Inland Seas. 

“As a singer, instrumentalist and historian Lee offers a presentation that is one of the best examples of interdisciplinary education I’ve seen.”

Mr. Bernie Looney, Asst Superintendent for Human Resources,Kaneland Community Unit School District 302 Illinois 

Not all of the songs are old songs, of course. Folk music is a living, ongoing process which takes place wherever people sing and write about their most essential human feelings and beliefs. In Lee’s performances, traditional songs are complemented by the works of contemporary folk writers and by Murdock’s own finely-crafted historical ballads. 

Research on thes songs and stories comes from many sources: books and recordings, stories collected from family members and older adults, historical society records and museum archives. Murdock’s outstanding musicianship, combined with his knowledge of and enthusiasm for his subject, will make this a memorable educational experience for children at all grade levels. 

Sea Shanty Workshops
Experience the work songs as they were adapted by sailors who worked on Great Lakes vessels. An opportunity for everyone to join in song, and to feel the work that was facilitated by these call-and-response songs. (These workshops have been especially popular for students studying local history – usually at the third grade or fourth grade level, depending upon your states’ curriculum). School Fees start at $350 for one 50 minute presentation, or $550 for two performances in a half day, travel included. See the booking page for more information.  

“Thank you for coming to Lincoln Junior High School. You have brought a whole new different image of folk music to me. I think that it is pretty catchy music … The day after you came to my school I got that Erie Canal song stuck in my head and all I could think about was traveling sixteen miles on the Erie Canal."

Matt L, 7th grade