Mark Lovewell Performs at Oak Bluffs School Library

Mark Lovewell Performs at Oak Bluffs School Library For Young Students

Folksinger and storyteller Mark Lovewell took first-grade students on an exciting, 19th-century whaling expedition through his sea shanties, guitar music, and deep baritone. When Oak Bluffs School invited Lovewell to sing for the class’ curriculum, which studied lighthouses, whaling, and Laura Jernegan’s life, Lovewell brought his ballads and historical knowledge of Martha’s Vineyard.

“You’re out at sea, you have no radio, you have no music, and you have a lot of spare time,” he said. “So you sit around together, and you can’t watch television because they haven’t invented it yet. And you can’t listen to the radio because they hadn’t invented the radio yet. So what did you do? You sat around and told stories, you [made] music. And some of the songs you created yourself. And some of the songs you sang got passed around from ship to ship. These songs traveled with the sailors all around the world.”

After explaining that sailors in the 1800s created their songs to keep rhythm on the open seas, Lovewell used his harmonica, acoustic guitar, and concertina to transport his young audience back to that time.

You can view photos from the performance here.