5th grade Colonial Period, U.S. History, Music, Language Arts, Geography
Click on the image below to view the "Life at Sea"
brochure.
Acrobat Reader is required to view this
brochure.
Explore the life of a sailor, a
whaler, a fisherman and hear the songs that illustrate the
life they pursued at sea. Sing along on a shanty (work song)
as we "hoist" the sails, "haul" on the lines, and stamp
around the capstan. A salty lot we are as we imagine
ourselves sailing around the horn on a square rigger. And
just what is a press-gang, a belaying pin, a fo´c´sle, a
baggywrinkle, or a shellback? Learn what it takes to cross
the line and double the horn. Hear the songs mariners sang of
home as they drifted in the doldrums off South America.
Accompanied by his concertina, David will get the whole
class, or even the whole school, singing to shake the sails
loose.
We leave from 19th century Nantucket on an imaginary whaling voyage to the Pacific Whaling Grounds. We learn about the hunt, how the whale was "processed", and the many uses of whale oil. This program is appropriate for grades 1-12. The vocabulary and material is tailored to be age appropriate at all times.
"David Coffin is a
musician, performer, and music-educator of remarkable ability
and insight. As a maritime specialist and descendant of some
of America´s greatest seafaring families--the whaling
Coffins of Nantucket-- no one could be better suited to
presenting the traditional songs and yarns of Yankee
seafaring in the Age of Sail."
- Stuart M. Frank, M.A., Ph.D.
Director, Kendall Whaling Museum