ROOTS: A Teacherʼs Guide to Traditional Music

By Amanda HardemanWestern Kentucky University

2011

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Delta blues musician Honeyboy Edwards at the 2008 Master Musicians Festival, Sommerset, Kentucky. Photo by Amanda Hardeman.

CONTENTS

Introduction...................................................................................................3

Kentucky Core Content Standards...............................................................4

Lesson 1: Tradition.......................................................................................7

" Handout 1: Characteristics of Traditional Music..................................9

" Handout 2: Folk Song Collection Project...........................................10

Lesson 2: Place..........................................................................................12

" Handout 3: Discover Bluegrass Questions........................................15

" Handout 4: United States Map..........................................................16

Lesson 3: Function.....................................................................................18

" Handout 5: Pretty Polly......................................................................20

Notes to Musical Selections........................................................................23

Annotated Bibliography...............................................................................30

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INTRODUCTION

" Roots: A Teacherʼs Guide to Traditional Music, is a unit of lesson plans designed to introduce sixth through eighth grade students to traditional music. Students will be exposed to various genres of traditional music and important concepts in the study of traditional music through classroom activities, discussions, writing assignments, videos, and audio examples. This unit consists of three lessons: Lesson 1 Tradition: What is Traditional About Traditional Music?, Lesson 2 Place: Geographic and Economic Factors that Influence Music, and Lesson 3 Function: The Role That Traditional Music Plays in Society. Each lesson has corresponding activities, handouts, and suggested tracks from the CD all provided with this unit. My hope is that Roots: A Teacherʼs Guide to Traditional Music will encourage middle school teachers to incorporate folklore knowledge, process, and concepts in the classroom and promote the learning, preservation, and dissemination of traditional music.

Amanda HardemanWestern Kentucky University2011

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Kentucky Core Content Standards

Each lesson in Roots: A Teacherʼs Guide to Traditional Music includes objectives and activities that are linked to Kentucky Core Content Standards. The following standards are directly correlated to each of the three lessons.

Lesson 1 Tradition: What is Traditional About Traditional Music?

ARTS AND HUMANITIES: AH-06-1.1.1 Students will identify or describe the use of elements in a variety of music.

AH-06-1.1.3 Students will identify or explain various styles of music.

AH-06-2.1.1 Students will analyze or explain how diverse cultures and time periods are reflected in music.

WRITING: WR-M-1.1.0 Purpose/Audience: students will establish and maintain a focused purpose to communicate with an authentic audience.

WR-06-1.1.1 In Reflective Writing: students will evaluate personal progress toward meeting goals in literacy skills, analyze and address needs of the intended audience, and sustain a suitable tone or appropriate voice.

Lesson 2 Place: Geographic and Economic Factors that Influence Music

ARTS AND HUMANITIES: AH-06-1.1.1 Students will identify or describe the use of elements in a variety of music.

AH-06-1.1.3 Students will identify or explain various styles of music.

AH-06-2.1.1 Students will analyze or explain how diverse cultures and time periods are reflected in music.

SOCIAL STUDIES:SS-06-2.1.1 Students will explain how elements of culture (e.g., language, the arts, customs, beliefs, literature) define specific groups in the global world of the present day and may result in unique perspectives.

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SS-06-4.1.1 Students will use a variety of geographic tools (maps, photographs, charts, graphs, databases, satellite images) to interpret patterns and locations on Earthʼs surface in the present day.

SS-06-4.1.2 Students will describe how different factors (e.g., rivers, mountains, plains) affect where human activities are located in the present day.

SS-06-4.2.1 Students will describe how regions in the present day are made distinctive by human characteristics (e.g., dams, roads, urban centers) and physical characteristics (e.g., mountains, bodies of water, valleys) that create advantages and disadvantages for human activities (e.g., exploration, migration, trade, settlement, development).

SS-06-4.2.2 Students will describe and give examples of how places and regions in the present day change over time as technologies, resources and knowledge become available.

SS-06-4.3.1 Students will describe patterns of human settlement in the present day and explain how these patterns are influenced by human needs.

SS-06-4.3.2 Students will explain why and give examples of how human populations may change and/or migrate because of factors such as war, famine, disease, economic opportunity and technology in the present day.

SS-06-4.4.2 Students will describe ways in which the physical environment (e.g., natural resources, physical geography, natural disasters) both promotes and limits human activities (e.g., exploration, migration, trade, settlement, development) in the present day.

SS-06-4.4.3 Students will explain how the natural resources of a place or region impact its political, social and economic development in the present day.

SS-06-4.4.4 Students will explain how individual and group perspectives impact the use of natural resources (e.g., urban development, recycling) in the present day.

SS-06-5.1.1 Students will use a variety of tools (e.g., primary and secondary sources) to describe and explain historical events and conditions and to analyze the perspectives of different individuals and groups (e.g., gender, race, region, ethnic group, age, economic status, religion, political group) in present day regions.

Lesson 3 Function: The Role that Traditional Music Plays in Society

ARTS AND HUMANITIES:

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AH-06-3.1.1 Students will identify or explain how music fulfills a variety of purposes.

AH-06-4.1.3 Students will compose and notate short pieces of music demonstrating unity/variety, tension/release and balance.

AH-06-4.1.4 Students will use a variety of sound sources to create and perform music.

READING: RD-O7-1.0.8 Students will interpret the meaning of jargon, dialect or specialized vocabulary used in a passage.

RD-O6-2.0.1 Students will identify or explain the main idea of a passage.

RD-O6-2.0.4 Students will locate key ideas or information in a passage.

RD-O6-2.0.5 Students will summarize information from a paragraph, a section of a passage or the entire passage.

RD-O6-2.0.6 Students will apply the information contained in a passage to accomplish a task/procedure or answer questions about a passage.

RD-O6-2.0.7 Students will make predictions, draw conclusions, make generalizations or make inferences based on what is read.

RD-O6-3.0.1 Students will explain the relationship between events in a story and a characterʼs behavior.

RD-O6-3.0.4 Students will identify details that support the main idea or explain their importance in a passage.

RD-O6-3.0.7 Students will identify an authorʼs opinion about a subject.

RD-O6-3.0.9 Students will identify persuasive techniques (e.g., expert opinion, emotional appeal, logical appeal, repetition) or propaganda techniques (e.g., testimonial, bandwagon).

RD-O6-4.0.1 Students will connect information from a passage to studentsʼ lives (text-to-self), real world issues (text-to-world) and other texts (text-to-text - e.g., novel, short story, song, film, website, etc.).

RD-O7-4.0.2 Students will use evidence from a passage to formulate opinions in response to a reading passage.

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LESSON 1Tradition:

What is Traditional About Traditional Music?

Introduction This lesson is an introduction to American traditional music. It is meant to introduce students to the characteristics of traditional music through class discussion, handouts, and a short writing assignment. This lesson will cover basic folklore concepts and processes including tradition, oral transmission, shared knowledge, anonymity, variation, and fieldwork. This lesson will simultaneously emphasize the importance of interviewing and collecting traditional music in order to gain a greater understanding of it, and to preserve it for future generations.

ObjectivesStudents will:- identify the seven characteristics of traditional music.- use fieldwork to collect and examine the importance of traditional music.

Grade LevelGrades 6-8 with appropriate adjustments for age levels.

DurationAllow one class period to introduce the material, two days for students to conduct research on their own, and one class period to review their findings.

StandardsSee page 2

MaterialsProvided:- Handout 1: Characteristics of Traditional Music- Handout 2: Folk Song Collection Project- CD

Needed:- CD player- Chalk or dry erase board to record student findings

Musical SelectionsTrack 1 “Bonaparteʼs Retreat” - William SteppTrack 2 “Bonaparteʼs Retreat” - Danny RobertsTrack 3 “Lost Indian” - Marion Sumner

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Track 4 “The Girl I Left Behind / Iʼm Going Away to Leave You” - Alan JabbourTrack 5 “Cumberland Gap” - Adam Hurt

Instructions for TeachersActivity 1: Introduction and Class Discussion1. Begin with a class discussion of traditional music. Ask students what they think the

term traditional music means. Ask students what makes a particular type of music traditional and write their ideas on the board.

2. From the CD play tracks 1 and 2 to show variation on the same song “Bonaparteʼs Retreat.” Optional: Track 3 “Lost Indian.”

3. Using Handout 1 discuss the seven characteristics of traditional music and how they apply to these examples.

Activity 2: Interview Techniques and Project1. Explain to students that they will act as researchers conducting fieldwork. Define

fieldwork as the process by which folklorists collect and document aspects of culture including folk music. Explain the importance of this kind of research in order to preserve aspects of daily life.

2. Distribute Handout 2 and review the assignment and questions. Allow students two days to complete the worksheet.

Activity 3: Discussion of findings and Writing Assignment1. Write the following prompt on the board:

Write a paragraph about the song that you collected based on the seven folk music characteristics discussed in class. Do you think it is a traditional song? Why or why not?

2. Ask students to share the results of their collection project. Discuss the seven characteristics as they pertain to their collection using the following questions as a guide:

- What are the functions of the collected songs?- From whom were the songs learned?- How were the songs learned?- Have students collected any variants of similar songs? - Is authorship known or unknown.

*Adapted from The Florida Music Train.

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Handout 1Characteristics of Traditional Music

1.Traditional music is passed from person to person and often from generation to generation.

A we look back through history, we can see that people have always passed down knowledge and wisdom to others. This could include how and where to hunt, how to make a basket, how to treat a wound, or how to play an instrument or a particular song.

2.Traditional music is usually learned informally, by example.Many people learned to play traditional music from their friends or relatives rather than attending formal classes. 3.Traditional music often appears in many different variations.Because traditional music is passed so freely from one person to another it often takes different forms. Each person that plays a certain tune will perform it in their own special way. The same song may have hundreds of different versions. 4.Traditional songs are often written by anonymous sources. The origins of many traditional songs are often disputed. These songs are often labeled as “traditional” rather than being associated with a specific author, writer, or composer.

5.Playing traditional music is usually not considered a full-time job. Historically, music was a hobby and a form of entertainment rather than a profession as it is today. Many musicians played for their families, friends, or their own satisfaction.

6.Traditional music is performed by and for a specific folk group. A folk group is made up of two or more people who share traditional knowledge. Members of folk groups often share a particular style of music. This music differs from group to group.

7.Traditional music has a function and plays a vital role in the lives of the people that perform and listen to it.

Traditional music served a very important purpose for people. Fiddle tunes were considered dance music and were played at square dances which were rare social gatherings for rural populations, while murder ballads were used as a means for passing information along before the invention of the radio and television.

* Adapted from The Florida Music Train.

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Handout 2Folk Song Collection Project

______________________________________________________________________Name:Date: Person Interviewed:Date Interviewed:

Ask a friend or relative to sing or talk about a folk song that he or she likes. Ask them the following questions and fill in the answers in the blanks provided. ______________________________________________________________________

What is the name of the song?

How did you learn the song?

Where did you learn this song?

When did you learn the song?

Who wrote this song?

How is this song used -- on what occasions or in what settings?

Have you have heard this song performed in a different way? Explain.

What is the first verse (or verses) of the song (if it has words)?

* Adapted from The Florida Music Train.

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REFERENCES:

Brunvand, Jan. 1968. The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction. New York: W. W. " Norton and Company.

Sommers, Laurie Kay. 2002. The Florida Music Train. Florida Folklife Program, Bureau " of Historic Preservation, and the Florida Folklore Society. Tallahasse, Florida.

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LESSON 2Place:

Geographic and Economic Factors that Influence Music

Introduction This lesson is designed to teach students about various genres of traditional music. The lesson focuses primarily on the factors that influence culture and traditional music including geography, natural resources, and economy. Students will learn about this aspect of traditional music through a mapping assignment, discussion and by watching the film Discover Bluegrass: Exploring American Roots Music.

ObjectivesStudents will:- be introduced to various types of traditional music including old time, blues, work

songs, and ballads. - identify geographic features and economic issues that influence culture and shape folk

groups which in turn, create various types of traditional music.

Grade LevelGrades 6-8 with appropriate adjustments for age levels.

DurationOne class period.

StandardsSee pages 2-3

MaterialsProvided:- Handout 3- CD

Needed:- Television- VCR, DVD player, or computer and accompanying AV equipment- Discover Bluegrass: Exploring American Roots Music DVD- CD player- Chalk or dry erase board to record student findings

Musical SelectionsTrack 6 “Chiquipin Hunting” - Dave LandrethTrack 7 “Little Doe Run” - Dave Landreth

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Track 8 “Wife of Usherʼs Well” - Jean RitchieTrack 10 “East Virginia Blues” - Lily May LedfordTrack 11 “Bowling Green” - Cousin EmmyTrack 12 “Eight More Miles to Louisville” - Grandpa JonesTrack 16 “Iʼm Satisfied” - Mississippi John HurtTrack 17 “Mississippi Delta Blues” - Charlie PattonTrack 18 “Death Letter Blues” - Son HouseTrack 19 “Drop Down Mama” - Mississippi Fred McDowellTrack 20 “Shake ʻEm On Down” - Mississippi Fred McDowellTrack 21 “Mannish Boy” - Muddy WatersTrack 22 “Bring Me My Shotgun” - Lightninʼ Hopkins Track 23 “Mule Skinner Blues” - Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass BoysTrack 24 “Iʼm Going Back to Old Kentucky” - Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys

Instructions for TeachersActivity 1: Discover Bluegrass Film and Discussion Questions1. Distribute Handout 3 to students and instruct them to answer the questions as they

watch the history section of the film Discover Bluegrass: Exploring American Roots Music.

2. Go over the answers to the discussion questions on Handout 3.

Activity 2: Map Exercise and Discussion1. Distribute Handout 4. Instruct students to draw or color significant geographic and

spatial features and natural resources on the map. 2. Allow students to share some of the features they found significant and write these on

the board. Key features include but arenʼt limited to the following: - the Appalachian Mountains- the Mississippi River and the delta- the Ohio River- river cities- the North, the South, the Southwest, the Midwest, the Northwest, New England- the Mason-Dixon line- the Piedmont region- major cities- state capitals- areas where resources like oil, coal, limestone, and gold are found.

3. Describe the demographics of various places around the United States and explain the influence that geography and resources have on the people that live there. Key examples include:

- Appalachia was primarily populated by English and Irish immigrants. The region was isolated by the formidable Appalachian mountains, thus a distinctive and close knit community emerged. In the late 1800s folk song collector Francis James Child discovered that there was a living ballad tradition in the Appalachian region and that many of the ballads being sung in the region were of English or Scotch-Irish origin. A ballad is a popular song especially of a romantic or sentimental nature. Before the

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invention of radio and television, ballads were often used as a means to passing along information. Child began collecting as many variants of as many ballads as possible and published them in an index called The English and Scottish Popular Ballads. Fiddle tunes were also popular in the region as a means of entertainment. Fiddle tunes are structured in such a way that they are perfect dance tunes. Square dances and group sings provided important social gatherings for rural people that were often separated by space and terrain. As instruments became more easily accessible, string bands were formed featuring fiddles, banjos, and a vocalist. This style of playing was called “hillbilly music” or “old time music.”

* Play track 6 “Chiquipin Hunting” and track 8 “Wife of Usherʼs Well.” Optional: track 7 “Little Doe Run,” track 10 “East Virginia Blues,” track 11 “Bowling Green,” track 12 “Eight More Miles to Louisville.”

- Blues music is an African American style of music that is an extension of field hollers,

works songs, and spirituals. It is a music born of hardship and slavery. The blues possesses many African elements carried over with the slaves. The West African griot tradition can be cited as a direct descendant of the blues. Griots were regarded as songsters, historians, and genealogists. Other African characteristics of the blues include: its participatory nature, call and response, a variety of timbres (the quality of a note or sound), syncopation and polyrhythm (in which the rhythm falls on the off beat rather than the on beat / variation in rhythm), and blue notes (notes that fall between the Western musical scale). After the Civil War, freed slaves migrated to the Mississippi delta where the land was fertile to become share croppers. The delta is considered the first home of the blues. During the industrial boom, many more African Americans migrated to larger cities including Memphis, Louisville, and Chicago in search of work and a better way of life. These cities are now considered urban centers for blues music.

* Play track 17 “Mississippi Delta Blues,” track 18 “Death Letter Blues,” and track 21 “Mannish Boy.” Optional: Track 16 “Iʼm Satisfied,” track 19 “Drop Down Mama,” track 20 “Shake ʻEm On Down,” and track 22 “Bring Me My Shotgun.”

- Kentucky born Bill Monroe is considered by many as the father of Bluegrass. He was a mandolin player that was influenced by old time music and the blues. Monroe named his band The Bluegrass Boys after the Bluegrass region of Kentucky. His combination of blues elements, fast paced old time tunes, instrumental breaks, and the “high lonesome” sound of his tenor vocals is what distinguished Bluegrass music as a separate and unique genre.

* Play track 23 “Mule Skinner Blues” and track 24 “Iʼm Going Back to Old Kentucky.”

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Handout 3Discover Bluegrass: Exploring American Roots Music

Questions1. What could the immigrants bring with them to the New World?

2. Where did fiddle tunes and instrumental dance music come from?

3. Where is the banjo from?

4. Why was the Appalachian region a good environment for the development of a distinctive musical style?

5. What is a ballad?

6. Why were ballads common?

7. How were ballads passed down?

8. How old is “The House Carpenter” and where is it from?

9. Why are there so many variants of certain songs?

10. Name three ways that songs spread across the United States.

11. Describe the meaning of the phrase “call and response”?

12. Where was the Grand Ole Opry recorded?

13. Describe the effect that technology had on traditional music.

14. Who is the first super star of the recording industry?

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Handout 4United States Map

*Adapted from Dr. Erika Brady

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REFERENCES:

Brunvand, Jan. 1968. The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction. New York: W. W. " Norton and Company.

Cahill, Greg and Nancy Cardwell Erdos. 2005. Discover Bluegrass: Exploring American " Roots Music. DVD. International Bluegrass Music Association.

Palmer, Robert. 1981. Deep Blues. New York: Viking Press.

Titon, Jeff Todd. 1992. Worlds of Music: An Introduction to the Music of the Worldʼs " Peoples. New York: Schirmer Books.

United States Map. http://www.eprintablecalendars.com/maps/blank-map-of-the-united- " states/. (Accessed March 29, 2011)

Unterberger, Richie. 2003. All Music Guide To The Blues: The Definitive Guide to the " Blues. Hal Leonard Corporations.

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LESSON 3Function:

The Role that Traditional Music Plays in Society

Introduction This lesson is intended to teach students that traditional music playes a vital role in society. It is not only a means of entertainment, it also creates, reinforces, and maintains social ties. It provides an outlet for expressing emotions, fears, attitudes and beliefs. It spreads news and addresses social concerns.

ObjectivesStudents will:- read, comprehend, and interpret a song.- identify characters, setting, plot, and morals present in the song. - make connections to current events. - work in groups to write their own story song.

Grade LevelGrades 6-8 with appropriate adjustments for age levels.

DurationOne class period.

StandardsSee pages 3-4

MaterialsProvided:- Handout 5- CD

Needed:- CD player- Chalk or dry erase board to record student findings

Musical SelectionTrack 9 “Pretty Polly” - B.F. Shelton

Instructions for TeachersActivity 1: Pretty Polly1. Distribute Handout 5 to students and instruct them to read along as they listen to

track 9 “Pretty Polly” on the CD. The tale of “Pretty Polly” is a murder ballad which

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appears in many different variations. In some versions a resourceful heroine realizes that her male suitor intends to kill her and either she exposes the murderer or murders him herself. In others, Polly is tricked into following the murderer to a remote place and is killed.

2. Have students analyze the lyrics of the song. Who are the characters? What is the setting? What is the plot? Does the story have a moral? What does the story reveal about the ideas and values of the generations of people who kept it alive?

3. Discuss whether the story has a modern-day counterpart. Consider news stories and the plots of television programs and movies. In what ways are the characters, settings, plots, and themes different from and similar to those of “Pretty Polly”?

4. Ask students to identify contemporary songs that tell stories— love songs, raps, and other popular songs. What kinds of stories do they tell? What do these stories reveal about American culture today?

5. Divide the class into groups and challenge groups to write ballads about a story that is meaningful to them.

*Adapted from A Teacherʼs Guide to Kentucky Folklife

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Handout 5Pretty Polly

Pretty Polly, pretty Polly would you think it unkind?Pretty Polly, pretty Polly would you think it unkind?Gonna set down beside you and tell you my mind.

I courted pretty Polly one live long night,I courted pretty Polly one live long night,And left the next morning before it was light.

I led her over the hill through the valley so deep,I led her over the hill through the valley so deep,At last pretty Polly beginning to weep.

Come on pretty Polly and go along with me,Come on pretty Polly and go along with me,Before we get married some pleasure to see.

Oh Willy, sweet Willy I fear from your ways, Oh Willy, sweet Willy I fear from your ways,The way you around me is leading me astray.

She went off before see what she could find,She went off before see what she could find,A new dug grave and a spade lying by.

Had no time to study, no time there to stand,Had not time study, not time there to stand,He stood with a knife drew in his right hand

Pretty Polly, pretty Polly you guessed it just right,Pretty Polly, pretty Polly you guessed it just right,I dug on your grave six long hours all last night.

She threw her arms ʻround him and suffered no fear,She threw her arms ʻround him and suffered no fear,How can you kill a girl that loves you so dear?

He stabbed her through the heart her heartʼs blood it did flow,He stabbed her through the heart her heartʼs blood it did flow,And into the grave pretty Polly did go.

Oh Willie, sweet Willie turn loose of my hand,Oh Willie, sweet Willie turn loose of my hand,

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You see my heartʼs blood puddling around where you stand.

He through something over her and turned to go home,He through something over her and turned to go home,Leaving nothing behind him but the bird to mourn.

Gentlemen and ladies I bid you farewell,Gentlemen and ladies I bid you farewell,For killing pretty Polly you send my soul to Hell.

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REFERENCES:

Kentucky Historical Society and Kentucky Arts Council. 2004. A Teacherʼs Guide to " Kentucky Folklife. Lexington: Kentucky Commerce Cabinet.

Shelton, B.F. 1927. “Pretty Polly.” Bristol TN: Bristol Sessions.

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MUSICAL NOTES

1. “Bonaparteʼs Retreat” - William SteppThis is an old time fiddle tune performed by Kentucky fiddler William H. Stepp. Stepp was recorded by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress in 1937. This particular recording of the tune formed the basis for the “Hoe-Down” section of “Rodeo” by Aaron Copland. This tune is significant because it is not a typical fiddle tune used as dance music. Steppʼs version of “Bonaparteʼs Retreat” represents an early concert tradition of fiddling where the performer intended to imitate an event with sound.

References: Kemwer, Horus. March 6, 2008 (1:05 pm). “Bonaparteʼs Retreat.” Against the Modern " World. http://againstthemodernworld.blogspot.com/2008/03/bonapartes-" retreat.html. Accessed March 29, 2011.

Titon, Jeff Todd. 2001. Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes. Lexington: The University " Press of Kentucky.

2. “Bonaparte’s Retreat” - Danny RobertsA Bluegrass version of Bonaparte’s Retreat arranged and recorded by Danny Roberts in 2004 on his first solo record Mandolin Orchard. This cut shows variation on the same traditional tune recorded by William Stepp. It should be noted that there is a full Bluegrass band performing this track including banjo, fiddle, resonator guitar, bass, and mandolin. It is performed at a very fast tempo and highlights particular instruments.

References:Roberts, Danny. 2004. “Bonaparte’s Retreat.” Mandolin Orchard. Butler Music Group.

3. “Lost Indian” - Marion SumnerA dance tune performed by fiddler Marion Sumner. Sumner was coined “The Fiddle King of the South.” He was raised in Perry County, Kentucky and performed on the Grand Ole Opry with many great country music stars like Cousin Emmy, Molly O’Day, Lynn Davis, the Haley Brothers, Don Gibson, and Chet Atkins.

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Reference:Cohen, John. 1996. “Lost Indian.” Mountain Music of Kentucky. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

4. “The Girl I Left Behind Me / I’m Going Away to Leave You” - Alan Jabbour, Bertram Levy & James Reed.

Alan Jabbour is a folklorist, fiddler, and the former director of the Folk Archives for the Library of Congress. He learned these two fiddle tunes from West Virginia fiddler Henry Reed. Jabbour performs this song with former Hollow Rock String Band member Bertram Levy and Henry Reed’s son James Reed.

Reference:Jabbour, Alan, Bertram Levy, and James Reed. 2000. “The Girl I left Behind Me / I’m Going Away to Leave You.” A Henry Reed Reunion.

5. “Cumberland Gap” - Adam HurtA classic fiddle tune played by clawhammer master player Adam Hurt. This song represents variation and innovation on a traditional tune. Hurt draws on diverse musical influences from areas like the Piedmont region of North Carolina, the mountains of central West Virginia, and the Ohio River Valley.

Reference:Hurt, Adam. 2006. “Cumberland Gap.” Insight. Ubiquitone.

6. “Chiquipin Hunting” - Dave LandrethDave Landreth, known for his innovation and extraordinary clawhammer style plays this traditional tune which is named after the Chiquipin nut that is found all over the south eastern United States. This tune is significant in that that A and B parts seem like two totally different songs. It does not follow the normal AABB fiddle tune pattern.

Reference: Landreth, Dave. 2005. “Chiquipin Hunting.” Chairs.

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7. “Little Doe Run” - Dave LandrethAnother Dave Landreth tune exhibiting his fantastic clawhammer style of playing and representing innovation on a traditional tune.

Reference:Landreth, Dave. 2005. “Little Doe Run.” Chairs.

8. “Wife of Usher’s Well” - Jean RitchieAn example of an English ballad found alive and well in the Appalachian mountains. Performer Jean Ritchie is one of the most well-known ballad singers of the twentieth century. She is known for her classic vocal timbre and traditional dulcimer accompaniment.

Reference: Goldstein, Kenneth. 1960. “Wife of Usher’s Well.” British Traditional Ballads in the Southern Mountains, Volume 2. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

9. “Pretty Polly” - B.F. SheltonThis tune is one of the most well-known murder ballads ever recorded. B.F. Shelton was a barber in Corbin, Kentucky. He traveled to Bristol, Tennessee to record some of his banjo tunes at what is now referred to as the famous Bristol Session of July 29, 1927. The Bristol Sessions put many country and old time musicians on the map including Jimmy Rogers and the Carter Family. “Pretty Polly” is one of only four Shelton recordings that exist today. The others include: “Darling Cora,” “Old Molly Dear,” and “Cold Penitentiary Blues.”

References:Cohen, John. 1996. “Pretty Polly.” Mountain Music of Kentucky. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

10. “East Virginia Blues” - Lily May Ledford

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Music producer John Lair made Lily May Ledford a star on barn dance radio. Often called “the banjo pickin’ girl,” Lily May led the first all-female string band, The Coon Creek Girls.

References:Ledford, Lily May. “East Virginia Blues.” Gems: Lily May Ledford. Rare Concert and Studio Recordings 1968-1983. June Appal Recordings. McCusker, Kristine. 2008. Lonesome Cowgirls and Honky-Tonk Angels: The Women of Barn Dance Radio. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois.

11. “Bowling Green” - Cousin Emmy and the New Lost City RamblersCousin Emmy was born Cynthia May Carver and she was destined to be a star from the age of 10. She was played banjo and sang for many radio stations all over the South including WHAS Louisville, KMOX St. Louis and Chicago, and WWVA. “Bowling Green” represents the nostalgic place-based tunes that were popular at the time.

Reference:The New Lost City Ramblers. 2009. “Bowling Green.” 50 Years: Where Do You Come From? Where Do You Go?. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

12. “Eight More Miles to Louisville” - Grandpa JonesThis tune also represents the nostalgia for home place. Grandpa Jones is a clawhammer banjo player and old time country music and gospel singer. Jones started out in radio and later moved to television with his personification of an outrageous old timer. He regularly appeared on Hee Haw.

13. “Mealtime Call” - Thomas J. MarshalRecorded by Alan Lomax, “Mealtime Call” represents the African American tradition of field hollers and calls which were the predecessors of the blues and which later influenced Bluegrass.

Reference:

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Lomax, Alan. 1999. “Mealtime Call.” Negro Work Songs and Calls.

14. “Levee Camp Holler” - Recorded by Alan LomaxAn African American field holler recorded live at a penitentiary by Alan Lomax.

Reference:Lomax, Alan. 2007. “Levee Camp Holler.” Negro Prison Blues and Songs: Recorded Live at the Mississippi and Louisianan State Penitentiaries. Legacy International.

15. “Statesboro Blues” - Blind WIllie McTellWilliam Samuel McTell, better known as Blind Willie McTell was an influential American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was a twelve-string finger picking Piedmont blues guitarist, and recorded 149 songs between 1927 and 1956. The Piedmont style of blues is marked by a light, rolling, finger style of playing the guitar.

Reference:McTell, William. 2003. “Statesboro Blues.” Statesboro Blues. RCA Victor Europe.

16. “Iʼm Satisfied” - Mississippi John HurtJohn Hurt was a country blues singer and guitarist from Mississippi. Although Hurt was not from the Piedmont region, he does play in what is regarded as a Piedmont finger style.

Reference:Hurt, John. 2005. “Iʼm Satisfied.” Iʼm Satisfied. Fruit Tree Italy.

17. “Mississippi Delta Blues” - Charlie PattonCharlie Patton is considered the father of the Delta Blues. Pattonʼs mentor was Charlie Sloan which taught him what is considered today one of the earliest versions of the blues. Patton was described as a jack-of-all-trades because he could play delta blues, dance tunes, anglo hillbilly and old time music, and ballads.

Reference:

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Palmer, Robert. 1981. Deep Blues. New York: Viking Press.

18. “Death Letter Blues” - Son HouseSon House is one of the most well-known delta blues players. His distinctive style of playing is marked by strong, repetitive rhythms, often played on the slide guitar. His singing style was influenced by southern gospel and spiritual singing traditions.

Reference:House, Son. 2008. “Death Letter Blues.” Original Delta Blues. Sbme Special Mkts.

19. & 20. “Drop Down Mama” and “Shake ‘Em On Down” - Mississippi Fred McDowellA classic example of the delta blues characterized by heavy, repetitive rhythms and slide guitar.

21. “Mannish Boy” - Muddy WatersMuddy Waters was born in Mississippi and was highly influenced by the delta blues tradition, but he moved to Chicago and led the way for the electric blues movement which took hold in urban centers like Chicago and Memphis.

Reference: Palmer, Robert. 1981. Deep Blues. New York: Viking Press.

22. “Bring Me My Shotgun” - Lightnin’ HopkinsLightnin’ Hopkins was an American country blues singer and guitarist from Houston, Texas. Although Hopkins was influenced by the delta blues tradition, he embraced innovation and led the way for the electric blues movement in Texas influencing many rock and roll musicians including Stevie Ray Vaughan. He is considered one of the 100 greatest guitarists by Rolling Stone Magazine.

Reference:Hopkins, Lightnin’. 1960. “Bring Me My Shotgun.” Bring Me My Shotgun. Fire Records.

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23. and 24. “Mule Skinner Blues” and “I’m Going Back to Old Kentucky” - Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys

Bill Monroe is considered the father of Bluegrass music. He grew up in Rosine, Kentucky playing mandolin as a child. He was influenced by African American field hollers which shaped his distinctive “high-lonesome” vocal style.

Rooney, James. 1991. Bossmen: Bill Monroe and Muddy Waters. De Capo Pr.

25. “Blue Smoke” - Merle TravisMerle Travis was a country and western singer, songwriter, and thumbpicker born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His songs often addressed issues surrounding the coal mining industry and the subsequent exploitation of the Kentucky land and people. Travis is best known as the father of Kentucky thumbpicking or Travis style picking which is a syncopated style of finer picking in which the bass part is played with the thumb and the melody part is played with the fingers.

Reference:Travis, Merle. 1993. Folk Songs of the Hills: Back Home / Songs of the Coal Mines. Bear Family.

26. “Over The Rainbow” - Eddie PenningtonEddie Pennington, of Princeton, Kentucky, is considered one of the greatest living thumbstyle guitarists by his peers. Pennington mixes traditional Travis style tunes like “Nine-Pound Hammer” with thumbstyle renditions of songs like “Over the Rainbow.”

Reference: Eddie Pennington Official Website. http://www.eddiepennington.com/. Accessed March 29, 2011.

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ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bartis, Peter. 1979. Folklife and Fieldwork: A Laymanʼs Introduction to Field Techniques. " Washington D.C.: American Folklife Center.

A basic guidebook for developing and executing folklore interview projects. It includes sections on how to conduct an interview and how to assemble and archive the information gathered after the interviews are completed.

Brunvand, Jan. 1968. The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction. New York: W. W. " Norton and Company.

An introduction to the scholarly study of folklore, accessible to beginning students and general readers. Brunvand divides the material into three groups: oral, customary, and material traditions. He also provides many examples of each topic discussed and concludes each chapter with a bibliography.

Cahill, Greg and Nancy Cardwell Erdos. 2005. Discover Bluegrass: Exploring American " Roots Music. DVD. International Bluegrass Music Association.

A DVD produced by the International Bluegrass Music Association which is an educational resource for teachers targeted to 3rd and 4th graders. The DVD discusses the history of traditional music and Bluegrass.

City Lore. 2011. Local Learning Network. http://locallearningnetwork.org/.

A collaborative web site sponsered by City Lore and the National Task Force for Folk Arts in Education that serves as a database for resources related to folklore and traditional arts.

Kentucky Historical Society and Kentucky Arts Council. 2004. A Teacherʼs Guide to " Kentucky Folklife. Lexington: Kentucky Commerce Cabinet.

A collection of lesson plans dealing with Kentucky folklife. The lesson plans are divided by topic. Topics include foodways, traditional music, etc.

Louisiana Folklife Program. Louisiana Voices. http://www.louisianavoices.org

This website includes several lesson plans relating to traditions of Louisiana that can be adapted to other states.

McDowell, Marsha. ed. 1975. Folk Arts in Education: A Resource Handbook. East " Lansing Michigan State University Museum.

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A basic folklore education resource which provides helpful information for incorporating folk arts in the classroom. Can be adapted for a variety of needs in areas all over the United States.

Palmer, Robert. 1981. Deep Blues. New York: Viking Press.

The definitive publication on the Delta blues. This is a great resource for teacher who need more information on blues traditions.

Titon, Jeff Todd. 1992. Worlds of Music: An Introduction to the Music of the Worldʼs " Peoples. New York: Schirmer Books.

An introductory text book which covers aspects of traditional music all over the world. It is wonderful for quick reference. A great resource for busy teachers.

Sommers, Laurie Kay. 2002. The Florida Music Train. Florida Folklife Program, Bureau " of Historic Preservation, and the Florida Folklore Society. Tallahasse, Florida.

A series of lesson plans focusing on Florida traditional music. Lessons can be adapted to any state with minimal adjustments made for relevancy.

Unterberger, Richie. 2003. All Music Guide To The Blues: The Definitive Guide to the " Blues. Hal Leonard Corporations.

A resource which provides information on blues music and traditions.

*Adapted from A Teacherʼs Guide to Kentucky Folklife, with additional sources added.

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