No matter the age of your library audience,
Ballad of America has a program that is sure to please!

* * * Now Booking Summer 2012! * * *

The American Dream
a new Ballad of America special program for the summer 2012 reading theme
Dream Big – Read!

Developed for the summer 2012 reading theme Dream Big – Read, The American Dream is the newest Ballad of America special program. America is a patchwork of different cultures and creeds. But despite many differences, Americans are held together by the freedom to honestly pursue their goals. The American Dream will have kids, parents, and grandparents singing along to traditional folk songs that explore the notion of the American Dream through the ages.

Ballad of America is for...

With vocals, guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, bass fiddle, mountain dulcimer, and a wealth of traditional American folk songs, Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band bring the story of the United States vividly to life. Audiences, young and old, sing along to familiar songs as well as virtually forgotten gems that reveal the dreams, hardships, and joys of people who built homes and lives in a fledgling nation.

Matthew tells the stories behind the songs, weaving the performance into an engaging narrative featuring the music and instruments of colonists, pioneers, sailors, lumberjacks, immigrants, '49ers, farmers, mountaineers, slaves, soldiers, cowboys, and railroaders. Along the way, you'll enjoy folk songs, fiddle tunes, Old World ballads, work songs, spirituals, love songs, sea shanties, reels, play parties, breakdowns, blues, and more.

Concerts include a wide variety of songs and themes, and Special Programs are focused on a particular topic or era in the history of the United States (railroads, cowboys, rivers, Abraham Lincoln, etc.). See below for further explanation.

The Rambling String Band features Matthew Sabatella (vocal, guitar, banjo, harmonica, mountain dulcimer), Jack Stamates (fiddle), Lynn Griffith (banjo and vocal), Chris DeAngelis (bass fiddle and vocal), and Sean Edelson (mandolin).

Booking Information
Call 305.753.1850 or email info@balladofamerica.com for pricing and more information.

Concerts include a wide variety of songs and themes, and Special Programs are focused on a particular topic or era in the history of the United States. Both are suitable for audiences of all ages. Through Special Programs, audiences are a given an engaging view of a particular historical topic or era, as told through authentic songs that relate to it. Below is a description of some of the Special Programs that are currently being performed, but additional programs may be developed to suit the needs of the occasion. In fact, several of the programs below were developed to suit specific library-requested themes.

Do you have a theme, an idea for a Special Program, or are you not sure whether
you want a Concert or Special Program? Call or email to discuss your options!
305.753.1850
info@balladofamerica.com

Special Programs

The American Dream
Developed for the summer 2012 reading theme Dream Big – Read, The American Dream is the newest Ballad of America special program. America is a patchwork of different cultures and creeds. But despite many differences, Americans are held together by the freedom to honestly pursue their goals. The American Dream will have kids, parents, and grandparents singing along to traditional folk songs that explore the notion of the American Dream through the ages.

Over a Wide and Fruitful Land
The journey begins in Colonial America and follows the paths of the pioneers, sailors, lumberjacks, immigrants, ‘49ers, farmers, slaves, soldiers, cowboys, homesteaders, and railroaders who moved the country across the continent and into the 20 th century.

Songs of Rivers, Lakes, Canals, and Seas
Set sail for adventure through the music, history, and folklore of America’s experience on the water – voyages across oceans, settlement and travel on rivers and canals, fishing in lakes, and more.

Songs in the Life of Abraham Lincoln
This is the soundtrack to Abraham Lincoln’s life. The 16th president of the United States was a man of remarkable determination, compassion, honesty, humor, and melancholy. To explore the music he cherished is to better understand the man himself and the times in which he lived.

Songs of the Railroads
Get the history of railroads in the United States by singing along to songs of classic railroad lines, work songs, and songs of riding the rails.

Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain and Life on the Mississippi
Matthew Sabatella musically celebrates life on the Mississippi River and childhood in the time of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and Mark Twain. The program was conceived as a celebration of Mark Twain's great American novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Arts' The Big Read initiative.

"Rare is the event that engages both me and my young ones in a genuine way."
Ben Crandell - Sun-Sentinel

"Your program on Lincoln this past Sunday was awesome.  Amazing how much you can tell about the man through his connection to music."
Patricia McDougle (V.P. Youth Education) - Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge

"Thank you for another GREAT performance and lesson in history! The music was outstanding!! We NEED so much more of this! I think you were able to see how the audience responded....the children were up dancing and the adults were singing and clapping along the whole time!! BRAVO!!!!"
Linda Gail Sindt - All Kids Love to Sing

"Matthew Sabatella's Ballad of America is an interactive program that incorporates American history, stories, and music into one fun-filled, educational program for all ages."
Michele Dye (Naranja Branch Manager) - Miami-Dade Public Library System

"What a great concert, thank you SO much for such a fun afternoon! Everyone in the audience, young and old alike, enjoyed hearing the stories and songs of our country. All the different instruments your band played, and hearing such beautiful vocal harmonies really made for a thrilling experience we will never forget."
Lisa Mansell (Sunday Matinee Music Series Manager) - Spanish River Library

"...Sabatella's best asset is easily his voice, urgent but unforced, sweetly melancholy in telling personal stories and powerfully evocative in rendering antiquated songs intimate again. It's a great gift, and Sabatella wields it with exceptional talent."
(read article)
"Best Acoustic Performer" - New Times Broward/Palm Beach - Best of 2005

“Through perseverance and hard work, American settlers turned their faces west toward the dream of finding new lives. In their struggle came the music presented by Mr. Sabatella. Matthew is a talented performer and a teacher not only of music, but of music which should be heard by all.”
Pastricia J. Adams-Sallustio (Social Studies Teacher) - Tequesta Trace Middle School

"Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band are totally amazing! I cannot praise them enough! Matthew related all of the songs to the era of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. It was wonderful. The entire band is great! They are personable, relate to the audience and can perform almost anything I’m sure"
Nancy Ansley (Programs and Exhibits Supervisor) - Broward County Library

Booking Information
Call 305.753.1850 or email info@balladofamerica.com for pricing and more information.

No library should be without these important compact disc titles.

Like Special Programs, each CD in the Ballad of America catalog has a different theme. There are currently three volumes available, but many more are planned. They are available through distributors including Follett Library Resources, BWI Book Wholesalers, AEC One Stop Group, Amazon.com and many more. Contact us if you need help ordering.

Over a Wide and Fruitful Land (Volume 1)
The journey on this CD begins in the latter part of the eighteenth century when the United States of America became an independent nation. It follows the paths of the pioneers, sailors, lumberjacks, immigrants, '49ers, farmers, slaves, soldiers, cowboys, and railroaders who moved the country across the continent and into the twentieth century.

America Singing (Volume 2)
The songs in this collection are among the most commonly sung in the history of the United States. They present uniquely American musical blends, with roots in European and African traditions and branches that have sprouted countless regional and personal variants throughout the country. Collectively, these songs of work, fun, and love transcend social and ethnic boundaries, painting a broad picture of America during the 18th and 19th centuries when music making was, for many, an integral part of everyday life.

Songs in the Life of Abraham Lincoln (Volume 3)
Abraham Lincoln was a man of remarkable determination, compassion, honesty, humor, and melancholy. To explore the music he cherished is to better understand the man himself and the times in which he lived. From a childhood on the American frontier to a presidency that changed the course of history, Lincoln's life unfolds through these Old World, play party, minstrel, campaign, slave, Civil War, and sentimental songs.

Accolades for the Compact Discs

"Matthew Sabatella, singer/producer/arranger, sings 18 traditional folk-style songs in a beautiful, slightly raspy baritone... Excellent background instruments include guitar, banjo, piano, tambourine, sandpaper blocks, fiddle, acoustic bass, drums, harmonica, mandolin, English concertina and bodhran... An excellent resource for schools and public libraries."
Beverly Bixler - School Library Journal

"Performer Matthew Sabatella's rich baritone voice perfectly complements stories of common folk... A wonderful resource for units on nineteenth-century American history."
Naomi Leithold - American Library Association's Booklist

"In his second excellent album, Matthew Sabatella sings 16 familiar and mostly traditional American folksongs in a rich baritone. The Rambling String Band joins him, performing beautifully on guitars, dulcimer, harmonica, banjo, bass, mandolin, fiddle, and washboard. The songs bring to mind the culture of America during the 18th and 19th centuries. Fun to sing along and harmonize with, this album belongs in every collection that values folk music."
Beverly Bixler - School Library Journal

“Miraculously, Hollywood-based folkie Matthew Sabatella has packaged a history lesson in the guise of a strikingly good album and a nerdaliciously compelling live show that tell the story of western expansion across the American heartland through song.
Jonathan Zwickel - New Times Broward/Palm Beach