The Songbook Academy® is a national summer music intensive for young singers who have an interest in the American Songbook. more
This program offers music therapy-based experiences for people with Alzheimer's, dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions. more
Includes over 40,000 pieces of sheet music, 500+ arrangements written for Bob and Dolores Hope, Sandler & Young, Dinah Washington, Bing Crosby, and mo ... more
The Archives & Library is free and open to the public. All materials are non-circulating and may be used only within the Archives & Library facility.. ... more
Our current exhibit explores the intersection of entertainment, politics and patriotism on the American Musical Stage... more
Take advantage of an exciting new way to learn about the Songbook through the Meredith Willson Digital Collection... more
Hall of Fame inductees are chosen based on factors including musical influence on other artists, length and depth of career, superiority in style and ... more
From Rita Moreno to Cole Porter... check out the incredible array of artists and songwriters who have been inducted into the Songbook Hall of Fame... more
The “Great American Songbook” is the canon of the most important and influential American popular songs and jazz standards from the early 20th century ... more
The Great American Songbook Foundation is proud to be one of five GRAMMY Museum Cultural Affiliates located globally, including... more
our Current Exhibit
a Traveling Exhibit
Visit The Great American Songbook Foundation
1 Carter Green
Carmel, IN 46032
317.843.3800
Info@TheSongbook.org
Songbook Exhibit Gallery Location & Hours
Enter west entrance of the Palladium on 3rd Ave
Monday-Friday 10am-4pm; also open one hour before Songbook and Jazz Series events in the Palladium
The Great American Songbook Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the
preservation and promotion of the music of the Great American Songbook.
While we are unable to welcome you in person to our current gallery exhibit — Of Thee I Sing: Politics on Stage — we can offer virtual snapshots of American music history in our Online Exhibits!
Online Exhibits
Musical theater in the U.S. has engaged with political topics from its early days. From George and Ira Gershwin’s Of Thee I Sing to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton: An American Musical, the intersection between entertainment, politics, and patriotism presents an emotionally powerful combination for theatergoers. Some shows are overtly political, addressing social and cultural issues with a heavy hand and a strong message. Others have taken a lighter, more humorous approach to the peculiarities of America’s history and government. And some have been co-opted or taken on a significance that their authors never intended, due to contemporary events happening far from the lights of Broadway.
In the exhibit, you will find a few questions that we would like YOU to think about. In true democratic fashion, we hope you will offer your opinion and join the conversation.
An Exploration of Political Musicals:
Political Themes and Topics:
Visit the Politics on Stage exhibit Online
"Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong." - Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Sings the Songbook focuses on a celebrated series of eight albums recorded for Verve Records in the 1950s and '60s, when the respected jazz singer took a new and highly successful direction interpreting works by the most beloved composers of Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, and Hollywood: Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart, Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, and Johnny Mercer.
Visit Ella Sings the Songbook exhibit Online
The Andrews Sisters. The name conjures indelible images: soldiers listening to a jukebox in the canteen; packed theaters with rabid fans jitterbugging in the aisles; and a brass-voiced trio of lanky women in chiffon dresses and bouffant hairdos.
The story of the Andrews sisters (at right: Maxene, Patty and LaVerne) is certainly one of Depression-era grit and optimism. But it took far more than raw talent and pluck to create one of the most popular singing groups the world has ever seen. Years of hard work rehearsing and touring, changes in how Americans bought and heard music, and a cast of devoted family and friends all helped turn three working-class girls from Minnesota into The Queens of the Jukebox.
Visit the Andrews Sisters exhibit Online
While long remembered as the creator of the hugely successful Broadway musical, "The Music Man," Meredith Willson was also a successful musician, conductor, composer, and beloved radio host prior to his Broadway career. The Unsinkable Meredith Willson exhibit showcases his long career in entertainment that began in Mason City, Iowa using materials from the Meredith Willson collection housed in the Songbook Foundation’s archives.
Visit the Unsinkable Meredith Willson exhibit Online
Bring a portable music exhibit into your classroom, library, office or community center with the Great American Songbook Foundation’s traveling exhibits.
What exhibits are offered?
Online Exhibits Coming Soon
Given the current state of the COVID-19 global outbreak, the Songbook Foundation Exhibit Gallery is closed until further notice.
Stay connected: Receive newsletter updates about new #SongbookAtHome online music resources, educational activities, digital exhibits, and more!
Make an impact: Music provides comfort and inspiration in times of need. To sustain our programs and maintain our impact in the coming months, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution at TheSongbook.org/Donate or text "SONGBOOK" to 91999.
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