Letters from schools and libraries

WORCESTER ACADEMY
81 Providence Street
Worcester, Massachusetts 01604
Telephone (508) 754-5302 / Fax (508) 752-2382
http://www.worcesteracademy.org
March 28, 2000

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this letter on behalf of Roger Tincknell who recently visited our middle school and performed for our sixth, seventh and eighth graders. The program for grades 7 and 8 was entitled From Slavery to Civil Rights and explored early African American history through music. The grade 6 program, Across the Americas, was a participatory, multicultural and multilingual folk music concert.

It is always risky when writing a recommendation for a person or a program to overdo the superlatives. I must say, however, in Roger's case, there can only be superlatives to describe the quality of his performances. He combines a warm, low-key manner with a seriousness of purpose that students find thoroughly engaging. Even the most "fidgety" student wants to sit still, listen and learn. Roger's voice and instrumental accompaniments are lovely. In addition, he has a wealth of historical and cultural knowledge that he manages to teach in a way that students "don't even know they're learning." This, to me, is the mark of a truly outstanding educational program.

Roger's program and manner convey wonderful values of tolerance and appreciation for the richness of different cultures. Although these values come through, he is not preachy nor heavy-handed. Anyone who works with children, particularly pre-adolescents and teenagers, knows how quickly they turn off being lectured to. Roger's unique manner enables him to deliver a powerful message that gets heard and is respected by his audience.

Our school is looking forward to having Roger return several times next year. I would encourage any school to arrange for Roger to come and perform for its students.

Sincerely,

Judith K. Evans
Director of the Middle School



West Hartford Public Library
20 SOUTH MAIN STREET,
WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT 06107
Children's Services (203) 523-3280
December 3, 2001

Dear Roger:

What an incredible afternoon of musical excitement you brought to us yesterday! The audience was doubled over in laughter at the comedy in your original songs! You managed to accomplish an impossible task- to gain and hold the attention of all of the children in the audience -from toddlers to older elementary age -and all of the parents and grandparents in attendance. You did this with respect for your audience as well as providing them with a varied repertoire that made an hour concert seem like five minutes!

We are so pleased to have met you and hosted you at the West Hartford Public Library!

Please know that you are welcome back at any time and we will certainly be in touch for another show in the near future.

With best regards,

Carol H. Waxman
Children's Services Librarian



NORTHBOROUGH FREE LIBRARY
34 MAIN STREET
NORTHBOROUGH, MA 01532-1997
Telephone 508-393-5025
August 22,2001

Hi Roger,

Thank you for a wonderful performance! This was the greatest Grand Finale ever! I will tell all my colleagues about your show.

Thanks a million,
Have a great summer,

Doreen Metcalfe
Children's Librarian



Saddlewood Elementary PTA
100 Loralee Dr.
Albany, NY 12205
March 3, 2000

Dear Roger,

Your educational performances for the Saddlewood Family Heritage Celebration on February 16 were simply outstanding! I just spoke with a mom today who said her daughter is still talking about how great you were--both at the daytime assemblies for a K-4 audience and at the evening show for families.

It would be impossible to list all of the wonderful qualities which made your performances so special. I will highlight those which were most important to me.

• Your evident intellectual curiosity, energy and enthusiasm-you are clearly a dedicated learner and educator as well as an entertainer. This combination transfixed our children and all of the adults as well.
• Your ability to sense the temper and mood of your audience and accommodate your performance to it.
• Your wonderful rapport with the children--it was clear that you are used to dealing with children and you love them. (I also sensed :from the enthusiastic reaction of the adults that you could just as easily work with middle-school and high school students.)
• Your tailoring your program to the themes of our event-families and world cultures-without any need for direction from us. I especially appreciated the way you set up the closing song for the evening performance by asking the children sitting on the floor near the stage to rejoin their parents. This was effective both from a logistic (making it easier for families to leave after the performance) and sentimental point of view. In fact, cuddling with my family and singing that beautiful song brought tears to my eyes!

PUTNAM/NORTHERN WESTCHESTER BOCES
2000-2001 ARTS IN EDUCATION SCHOOL EVALUATIONS

ARTIST:                 roger tincknell
TITLE OF PROGRAM:       Earth Rhythms
TYPE OF PROGRAM:        Assembly
DISTRICT SCHOOL:        Garrison School
NUMBER OF TEACHER       15
NUMBER OF STUDENTS      268 
GRADE(S):               K-8
DATE(S) OF PERFORMANCE: 4/26/01

1=POOR 2=FAIR 3=GOOD 4=VERY GOOD 5=EXCELLENT

1. STUDENTS RESPONSE........................5

2. ARTISTIC QUALITY.........................5

3. EDUCA TIONAL QUALITY.....................5

4. ARTISTIC INTERACTION WITH STUDENTS.......5

5. TECHNICAL QUALITY OF PROGRAM.............5

6. QUALITY OF STUDY GUIDE/SUPPORT MATERIALS.5

7. WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS PROGRAM?        Yes
WHY? Roger's show is fast-paced, very informative and geared to different age 
levels. He is a great performer!

8. SUGGESTIONS TO ARTIST FOR IMPROVEMENT:

9. OTHER COMMENTS:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PUTNAM/NORTHERN WESTCHESTER BOCES 1997-98
ARTS IN EDUCATION SCHOOL EVALUATIONS

ARTIST:                 Roger Tincknell 
TITLE OF PROGRAM:       Across The Americas at Taconic Outdoor Ed Ctr &Amp; School
TYPE OF PROGRAM:        Performance
DISTRICT AND SCHOOL:    Haldane Elem.
NUMBER OF TEACHERS:     1 
NUMBER OF STUDENTS:     420 
GRADE(S):               K-3 & 4-6
DATE(S) OF PERFORMANCE: 12/5/97

1 = POOR 2 = FAIR 3 = GOOD 4 = VERY GOOD 5 = EXCELLENT

1. STUDENTS RESPONSE........................5

2. ARTISTIC QUALITY.........................5

3. EDUCATIONAL QUALITY......................5

4. ARTISTIC INTERACTION WITH STUDENTS.......5

5. TECHNICAL QUALITY OF PROGRAM.............5

6. QUALITY OF STUDY GUIDE/SUPPORT MATERIALS.5 

7. WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS PROGRAM?        Yes
WHY? Roger was fantastic. The children were totally engaged by his performance and
are still talking about it. 

8. SUGGESTIONS TO ARTIST FOR IMPROVEMENT:

9. OTHER COMMENTS: The students were active participants 
throughout the entire program.