We have a detailed history of Tin Pan Alley thanks to invaluable information from the Historic Districts Council in their “Brief-ish History of Tin Pan Alley” written in 2008, and Michael Minn in his piece “Tin Pan Alley”, part of his “New York City” photography collection project. As both accounts cover both overlapping and different information, we present them both below. Many thanks to them both for their thorough and dogged research and insightful presentation.
Education and Resources
The Tin Pan Alley American Popular Music Project
is proud to announce our production of two new Tin Pan Alley videos sponsored by the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) as part of its New York Music Month Extended Play, a program offering free, online events to support the music community and enthusiasts during the pandemic.
The Hands on History/Tin Pan Alley Page
A second through fifth-grade curriculum designed by educator Lesley Doyel to introduce both the iconic,
street, the voluminous output of songwriting, song plugging, music publishing, and the unique
symbiosis forged between commerce and music from the later 19th Century onward.
The Tin Pan Alley Mapping Project
This unique interactive map explores both the entertainment boom and its migration through Manhattan from 1880 to 1940 using songs from the Lester Levy Sheet Music Collection.
Map and exhibit created by Sam Bessen
with thanks to JHU Libraries Data Services team for their assistance with this project.
CLICK HERE
Experiencing Tin Pan Alley: A Virtual Walking Tour: 1895 – 1915 and Beyond
with Miriam Berman
"Harlem's Black & Jewish Music Culture: From Tin Pan Alley to America's Songbook"
Drawing from his research and extensive collection of sheet music and theater memorabilia, John Reddick's talk weaves together the stories of Black and Jewish composers, publishers and performers of Tin Pan Alley that created the “Great American Songbook” and American popular music.
NYMM YOUTH PROGRAM
"Teaching Tin Pan Alley – Then & Now" with The Tin Pan Alley American Popular Music Project
Numerous songs including the iconic "Give my Regards to Broadway," "God Bless America" and "Alexander's Rag Time Band" were composed and published in Tin Pan Alley on West 28th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue during the boom of the sheet-music business at the turn of the 20th century. This talk is a multimedia presentation by educator Lesley Doyel for children in grades 2-5 that focuses on two enduring Tin Pan Alley songs children began learning more than a century ago, and that people still sing today: Take Me out to the Ball Game and The Sidewalks of New York.
"Tin Pan Alley – Uptown & Down" produced by
Lesley Doyel and PN Fritsch for the Bloomingdale Group’s “Tin Pan Alley - Uptown and Downtown” (held on held on September 24th 2019) and the American Popular Music Project.
Sporting a lively soundtrack of Tin Pan Alley tunes played by incomparable pianist Richard Dowling, and produced in the communication style of the silent movie era, "Tin Pan Alley Uptown and Down", is a seven and a half minute history of the street on which American popular music was born. (7 1/2 mins - 2019)
Author and Historian
John T. Reddick
EDUCATOR
Lesley Doyel
with members of her "Hands On History" class.
The entire history of
Tin Pan Alley in
under 8 minutes!
In this virtual walking tour, author and guide Miriam Berman recreates the way in which the Tin Pan Alley sensation of sheet music publishing came about and how it functioned on West 28th Street in New York City. Berman focuses on several of the very first sheet music publishers who created Tin Pan Alley in the late 19th and early 20th century and illustrates their growth, interactions, and successes. These industry pioneers moved their businesses to 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue, and their work within such close proximity to one another created American Popular Music and the modern music industry. This dynamic illustrated talk with music showcases the global phenomenon of Tin Pan Alley that emerged from one short New York City block!
The careers and prodigious song output of such Tin Pan Alley hit makers as Harry and Albert Von Tilzer, Charles K. Harris, Scott Joplin, Edward J. Abram, and many others are explored, including recorded samples of many of their most well-known tunes. Ms. Berman also chronicles the exact location and history of the dozens of hugely successful music publishers whose offices lined the legendary street. "Experiencing Tin Pan Alley: A Virtual Walking Tour" is a master’s tour of the history of this iconic single-block street throughout its heyday!
Miriam Berman is a historian, tour guide, and the author of "Madison Square: The Park And Its Celebrated Landmarks" (RT 50:27)