Mr. John Wheat
6118 Janey Dr.
Austin, TX 78757
(512) 495-4559
e-mail the speaker
Topics of Expertise
European Colonization
Mexican Colonization
Texas Revolution
Texas Arts and Culture
Presentations
1.
Cinco de Mayo: Its Meaning for Mexicans and Texans
Summary:
Traces life and military of career of Battle of Puebla hero Ignacio Zaragoza, who was born in Texas, and the larger implications
of his victory on May 5, 1862.
Length:
30-45 minutes
Appropriate Audience: High School (14-18 yr olds), Adult
This presentation is available in Spanish.
Setup Requirements:
Audiocassette or CD player, overhead projector for transparencies
2.
Los Pastores: Continuity and Change in a Texas Mexican Nativity Drama
Summary:
Traces origins of this Franciscan-inspired Nativity drama and its spread to northern borderlands, and its performance in San
Antonio since the late 19th century. Features pictures and musical recordings from 1893 to the late 1980s.
Length:
30-45 minutes
Appropriate Audience: High School (14-18 yr olds), Adult
This presentation is available in Spanish.
Setup Requirements:
Audiocassette or CD player, slide projector
3.
Janis Joplin: Buried Alive in the Blues
Summary:
The life and music of rock star Janis Joplin, including early musical experiences, social and psychological development, and
symbolic meanings of her career in popular music.
Length:
30-45 minutes
Appropriate Audience: Adult
Setup Requirements:
Slide projector, audiocassette or CD player, videocassette player and monitor
4.
Americo Paredes: His World, His Life, and His Legacy
Summary:
Examines the career of late Texas folklorist and cultural historian Americo Paredes, with emphasis on his broader view of
Mexican American culture and the role of social and political conflict in shaping that culture, especially in Texas. Includes
key field recordings and publications that Paredes left as his legacy.
Length:
30-45 minutes
Appropriate Audience: High School (14-18 yr olds), Adult
This presentation is available in Spanish.
Setup Requirements:
Audiocassette or CD player
5.
Gideon Lincecum: The Herbarium
Summary:
Discusses career of naturalist Gideon Lincecum, his emigration from Mississippi to Texas, and the collection of medicinal
plants and notes that he made in Texas in the mid-19th century.
Length:
30-45 minutes
Appropriate Audience: High School (14-18 yr olds), Adult
Setup Requirements:
Slide projector
Audiocassette or CD player
6.
Texas Roots: The Origins of Modern Music in Texas
Summary:
Examines the main streams of ethnic musical traditions in Texas--Hispanic, Anglo, African, and Czech/German--from which many
forms of contemporary music in Texas have emerged.
Length:
45-60 minutes
Appropriate Audience: Adult
This presentation is available in Spanish.
Setup Requirements:
Audiocassette or CD player, videocassette player and monitor
7.
Sounds Like Texas: Music, Myth, and Media
Summary:
Explores role of the media and myth in the development of various kinds of contemporary music in Texas.
Length:
45-60 minutes
Appropriate Audience: Adult
This presentation is available in Spanish.
Setup Requirements:
Audiocassette or CD player, videocassette player and monitor
8.
The American Cowboy: Myths and Realities
Summary:
Examines the real world of the working cowboy, especially of the trail-drive era, versus the romanticized visions of the cowboy,
both as portrayed through music.
Length:
45-60 minutes
Appropriate Audience: Adult
Setup Requirements:
Audiocassette or CD player
9.
Latin American Music Survey
Summary:
Reviews Indian, African, and European origins of colonial music, development of "mestizo" forms of music for 3-400 years,
musical nationalism, and regional samplings of folk and popular music from around the Americas.
Length:
45-60 minutes
Appropriate Audience: High School (14-18 yr olds), Adult
This presentation is available in Spanish.
Setup Requirements:
Audiocassette or CD player
10.
Mance Lipscomb: Texas Sharecropper and Songster
Summary:
Explores the social and musical worlds of Navasota guitar wizard and bluesman Mance Lipscomb, whose life and music was the
subject of public admiration, films, and books.
Length:
45-60 minutes
Appropriate Audience: High School (14-18 yr olds), Adult
Setup Requirements:
Audiocassette or CD player
Videocassette player and monitor
11.
Natchez-Texas: A Historical Nexus
Summary:
Traces centuries-long historical connections linking the Natchez area with significant developments in Texas, from De Soto
to the end of the 19th century. Includes exploration, trade, filibusters, revolution,
religion, agriculture, even the telegraph.
Length:
45-60 minutes
Appropriate Audience: High School (14-18 yr olds), Adult
Setup Requirements:
Slide projector, audiocassette or CD player
Areas of Service
Within 150 Miles of Dallas/Fort Worth
Within 150 Miles of Houston
Within 150 Miles of San Antonio
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