Justin Spainhour-Roth

Everything Old Is New Again

BY JUSTIN SPAINHOUR-ROTH

“I’m old-fashioned,

I love the moonlight.

I love the old-fashioned things:

The sound of rain

Upon a window pane,

The starry song that April sings.”

Apologies in advance for that song being stuck in your head now. I’m a big fan of jazz, but I have a personal love for songs from the Great American Songbook – or standards as they’re more widely known. These are songs that were staples of American pop music from the 1920s through the ’50s, and were often from Broadway or movie musicals. Songwriters such as Irving Berlin, the Gershwins, Duke Ellington, and Cole Porter created musical canvases that singers and bandleaders used for their own auditory artwork (and still do!).

For me, that’s what makes these songs so special. The fact that songs from 100 years ago are still being played and reinterpreted is a testament to the impact they have on us. They still work. I think that idea’s true on a broader scale, too. While we’ve been pretty creative at Elm Street the past few months during these (insert adjective of your choice) times, we've also gone back to our roots and focused on our standards, such as education.

Like a contemporary jazz musician taking an old song and making it fresh, we’re doing that with our educational programming. For us, summer camp is a staple students and parents look forward to, and we were fortunate to still offer that experience this year, slightly modified in order to be safe and fun. When it came time to decide on how we wanted to approach the fall, it made perfect sense to launch a new fall break camp for students who might not have been able to participate during summer.

There’s something invigorating about going back to your roots with a different approach, and my challenge to you is to find something that allows you to do that. Revamp an old family recipe by changing a few ingredients. Create a digital scrapbook with some of your favorite memories. Have a staycation and try something new, like signing up for fall break camp, or spending an evening under the stars with The Black Market Trust, a jazz group who makes those familiar tunes new again.

“I know I'm old-fashioned, But I don't mind it. That's how I want to be As long as you agree To stay old-fashioned with me.”

Justin Spainhour-Roth, education and marketing coordinator for Elm Street Cultural Arts Village, has a bachelor of arts in communication in musical theater from Bowling Green State University.

UPCOMING AT ELM STREET

Landscape of Guitar

Flamenco Folk | Lantern Series SEPT 19, 2020

Returning from our Inaugural Season! The Black Market Trust

Swing Jazz | Lantern Series SEPT 26, 2020

Sammy Rae & The Friends

Indie Funk | Lantern Series OCT 17, 2020 NEW!

Registration OPEN for FALL BREAK CAMPS

Ages 8-13 | 1 week camps available during SEPT 21-25

REGISTER TODAY!

Moving Memories

Justin Page meets with customer Lex Geddings in his Canton home

ALEXIA LOUDERMILK/ALEXIA NICOLE PHOTOGRAPHY A Trusted Choice in Transporting Personal, Commercial and Corporate Treasures

Justin Page has a vision for his new moving company, Page

Relocation, one that goes deeper than what’s outlined in his mission statement, which is impressive on its own. Page promises to “provide high quality, efficient and caring solutions for the transport of your possessions from start to delivery with the reverence it deserves.”

His ultimate desire is to protect the memories that his clients value, even if they come in the form of old, heavy pianos.

“Recently, we did a move that I like to call ‘Tear Stains on the Old Piano.’ Page Relocation had the privilege of relocating a piano from Cumming to Watkinsville. At first glance, it may just look like an old, worn-down upright piano, but the roots of this piano are far deeper than you can ever imagine.

“In 1968, a husband and wife by the name of Wendall and Dot Williams purchased this piano. For over 50 years, this piano has