The Traditional Music Project has worked with many dedicated folks to form an association of music teachers, musicians and community organizers to develop an old time mountain music educational initiative. On November 11-13, twenty-five of these wonderful people gathered for a retreat at the Hindman Settlement School in Hindman, KY to formally charter the Mountain Music Traditions Association. At this meeting, we voted on the name, approved a mission statment and elected the first round of officers. The steering committee will be working over the next year to establish this association and launch it to the world. Stay tuned to this website for updates on this exciting project!

The mission of the Mountain Music Traditions Association is to create, promote and support educational experiences that teach the art of performing traditional Appalachian music, story and dance as well as the history, culture and community of these arts.

LESSON PLANS (Microsoft Word)

• Tell Me A Story
• Swing Your Partner
  (download mp3) 128kbps 6:18 long version
  (download mp3) 128kbps 2:55 short version
• Old-Time Rock 'n' Roll
• Old-Time Jam Session
• Music Comes to the Mountains
• Learning by ear
• Globe Trotting banjo
  (download mp3) 128kbps 29:08
• Globe Trotting banjo 2
  (download mp3) 128kbps 30:51
• Dramatizing Appalachian Folklore
• Claw Hammer Rhythm
• Performing Artists Available for Schools and Community Programs

RESOURCES

Old-Time on the Web

Here are some sites on the World Wide Web that contain valuable information about old-time music. Teachers can use these additional resources to expand on the information provided in this curriculum document.

Appalshop — A nonprofit media & arts education center in Whitesburg, KY, Appalshop has strong ties to Old Time Mountain music, particularly with WMMT-FM community radio, June Appal Recordings, Appalshop films and the Traditional Music Program.

The Kentucky Folklife Program The mission of the Kentucky Folklife Program is to identify, document, and conserve the state's diverse cultural traditions, generally referred to as folklife. An interagency program of the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Arts Council, the Kentucky Folklife Program strives to increase awareness of the state's folklife through diverse cultural programming.

Teacher's Guide to Kentucky Folklife
This guide includes an introduction to folklore, folklife readings, lesson plans, classroom activities, and a resource guide for teachers. Available online as a PDF file.

The Kentucky Arts Council provides a variety of opportunities for arts education in Kentucky's K-12 schools, including grants for bringing folk artists to schools.

The Kentucky Humanities Council is a great resource for exploring Kentucky culture through the humanities disciplines. The website provides resources for humanities teachers, information about the Chautauqua progam- which includes a portrayal of Lily May Ledford - and funding opportunities.

The Old-Time Music Home Page — Information about old-time music, database of musicians and other helpful things.

The American Music Education Initiative (AMEI) of the National Music Foundation is designed to identify, recognize and support the creative educational accomplishments of teachers who use American music in the classroom. They “make it easier for other teachers to use American music by giving them free lesson plans that have been developed by teachers, proven in the classroom and acknowledged by education professionals." AMEI invites teachers everywhere to send in examples of their lessons that use American music. The lessons can be for any subject, in any grade K-12; they can use any type of American music.

The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance (BCMA), based in Bristol, TN/VA, is dedicated to calling attention to the crucial role played by artists from East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and the southern Appalachian region in country, bluegrass, and other musical avenues which have been nurtured by this region. Attending not only to the past, BCMA has developed programs which address this musical heritage in the present and promote its continuation into the future.

The American Folklife Center — The official home of folk music information at the United States Library of Congress.

Morgan Sexton — A short essay about this Letcher County, Kentucky, banjo picker.

The Old Time Herald — A magazine dedicated to old-time

Hetzler's Fakebook — A web site for beginning through intermediate fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin and dulcimer players who want to learn traditional music.

ezFolk.com — A clawhammer banjo tutorial.

History of the Banjo — A history from the folks at Bluegrassbanjo.org.

Dr. Horsehair — Banjo recordings and instruction in minstrel and clawhammer style playing.

Musical Traditions — The Magazine for Traditional Music throughout the world.

The Mudcat Café — In addition to its connection to The Digital Tradition Database, Mudcat offers a variety of traditional folk music resources, including kids’ activities.

East Tennesee State University —Archives of the university’s music program.

Folklife Resources for K-12 Classrooms
A Teacher's Guide to Folklife Resources is a list of materials recently prepared for the classroom by folklorists and other cultural studies. The Guide also includes a selected list of agencies with established commitments to folklife programming and a brief list of suggested readings.

IBMA Bluegrass in the Schools
Bluegrass in the Schools program with curriculum materials, including Discover Bluegrass: Exploring American Roots Music

The Crooked Road Trail (Virginia) “The Crooked Road” is Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, a driving route through the Appalachian Mountains from the western slopes of the Blue Ridge to the Coalfields region of the state. The trail connects major heritage music venues in the Appalachian region such as the Blue Ridge Music Center, Birthplace of Country Music Alliance, and the Carter Family Fold. This website provides information about the communities and music venues along the trail. A good starting place for getting acquainted with SW Virginia's musical heritage.

The Hutchins Library of Berea College’s Special Collections and Archives has a large archive of Appalachian music and relevant research materials. Knott County, KY fiddler Hiram Stamper is included in the archives, with a significant amount of information available on their website. Berea's Sound Archive is searchable on-line.

The William Leonard Eury Appalachian Collection (Appalachian State University) is a repository with more than 37,000 volumes of books and over 200 periodical subscriptions related to the Southern uplands, with strengths in the social sciences, regional history, folklore, music, religion, genealogy, fiction, and African and Native Appalachia.

Wayne Henderson lives in a town with a population of eight -- two more than the number of strings on the guitars made in his red brick rectangle of a workshop a few feet from his red brick house in Southwest Virginia. I came to know about Wayne a few days ago when I was hired by the Appalshop to take some photographs for their documentary on the world-class luthier and guitar finger-picker.

GUITAR STAR: Henderson Subject of Documentary Film

The Gazette (August 17, 2009)

By BEN BOMBERGER

Wayne C. Henderson has a festival that bears his name each fall in Grayson County, and he is known throughout the musical world as a master musician and instrument maker from the small community of Rugby.

This Thursday, Henderson will be able to add another accomplishment to his career when a documentary film showcasing him premieres at the Rex Theater in Galax.

“From Wood to Singing Guitar” is an Appalshop documentary film showing Henderson, a skilled craftsman and respected musician by his teenage years.

Filmmaker Shawn Lind has been working on the project for about two years. This spring, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded The Arts & Cultural Council of the Twin Counties a grant to finish, distribute and publicize the film in conjunction with Appalshop.

Lind is a graduate of Ohio University and began working with Appalshop in the summer of 2005.

“I worked with many films and projects at Appalshop,” he told The Gazette. “The whole time I had an interest in guitars, played guitar and was thinking about staring a hobby with building instruments.”

One afternoon, Lind was in a bookstore and stumbled upon Allen St. John’s book, “Clapton's Guitar: Watching Wayne Henderson Build the Perfect Instrument.”

Lind said he “immediately saw and heard images, stories, sounds, dust, chisels, saws and all the other pieces for making a documentary.”

Appalshop has many ties to the Appalachian Region, and Lind said the documentary about Henderson fit into the company’s mission.

“To have one of the finest acoustic guitar builders in the world, past or present, living, working and playing music in his hometown in the mountains fit right into the mission of Appalshop,” Lind said. “Also, my own interests with guitars and thinking about the idea of building [a guitar] myself, I was motivated to follow up the idea with a phone call.”

How did Henderson respond to the idea?

“Wayne generously said, ‘sure,’” Lind explained.

Lind began raising funds in late 2006 and visited Henderson at his shop once a month.

“I did some research at the Library of Congress listening to E.C. Ball, Albert Hash and some early recordings of Wayne,” Lind said. “Actually, Wayne performed at Appalshop in the 90s and I had access to those recordings, as well.”

It was May 2008 when Lind and Robert Salyer — cinematographer and Appalshop filmmaker — made the trip to Henderson’s shop and began filming.

“We filmed everything… building, playing, scenics, dust, tools and even some of Wayne’s friends,” Lind said. “We spent two weeks worth of late nights there in Rugby, that was when Wayne gets most of his work done.”

Lind began doing some rough editing after returning from Grayson County, before spending another short week at Wayne’s shop in the fall of 2008.

After continuing to edit all the “great material” down, Lind said there was one last day of filming during March 2009 to finish the actual production shooting.

He completed the editing and had DVDs made in time for the world premiere during Appalshop’s annual Seedtime on the Cumberland Festival in June.

Lind said Henderson and Jeff Little performed, along with Herb Key’s band, Elkville String Band.

“It turned into a great night,” Lind explained. “It was a long road from the very beginning, but everything seemed to fall right into place. I can’t thank Wayne enough for his generosity, openness and jokes through the whole process.”

Henderson was taught and encouraged by those around him, including the folk hero E.C. Ball and the kind and generous fiddle maker, Albert Hash. Learning much more than just guitar building and playing, Henderson continues to do the same for the younger generations.

Henderson made and sold his first guitar at age 17. Now 62, he has produced around 450 guitars. He has been awarded the National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship for his hard work both as a luthier and musician.

Henderson has put instruments in the hands of friend and old-time picker Doc Watson and superstar rocker Eric Clapton. He made and auctioned off a guitar identical to Clapton’s to support his scholarship fund for young, local traditional musicians.

That instrument fetched $31,200 – the highest price ever paid for a guitar made by a living American luthier. The wait list for a Henderson guitar is — famously — 10 years.

“To people around the Twin Counties, Wayne Henderson is a regular guy that everyone knows and loves,” says Ellen Holland of The Arts Council. “To the music world, Henderson is a respected and talented icon. The film documents the rich culture of our area and highlights one of our best-known living legends. We are delighted to be part of this project that promotes local tourism and preserves our heritage.”

After the local premier Thursday, the film will be released to public television stations.

The premier will take place at 7 p.m. and those in attendance will be among the first to see “From Wood to Singing Guitar,” and have an opportunity to buy an autographed copy of the DVD.

This music experience is sponsored, in part, by The Arts & Cultural Council of the Twin Counties, Appalshop Inc., the National Endowment for the Arts and the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

Appalshop is a non-profit arts and education center producing original films, video, theater, music and spoken-word recordings, radio, photography, multimedia and books since 1969. The Arts Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the arts of the Twin Counties since 1987.

WANT TO GO?

What: “From Wood to Singing Guitar” film premiere

Where: Rex Theatre in downtown Galax

When: Thursday, 7 p.m.

Cost: $5

Bonus: Autographed DVDs will be available for purchase

Information: (276) 238-1217

Special Invitation

2010 Tucson Film & Music Festival

Official Selection

3rd Place - Short Documentary

2010 Athens International Film & Video Festival

2010 Ozark Foothills Film Festival

Official Selection

WMMT’s Community Correspondents Corps (CCC) is a project that brings listeners and community members into the process of radio production.  As corporate consolidation and control of the media continues, the need for locally produced independent broadcasting is greater than ever.  The CCC is founded upon a principle at the heart of Appalshop and WMMT’s work: that people have the right to control the development of their own communities through active participation in public dialogue.  Enacting the model of participatory community journalism, the CCC trains and supports people of all ages and backgrounds from throughout the region to produce their own radio pieces for the WMMT airways and the internet. 

The CCC aims to create radio content that is particularly relevant to our communities in Central Appalachia, and that covers many topics from many perspectives.  Community Correspondents are encouraged to produce work on the issues, ideas and events that matter the most to them.  In this way the experiences and expertise of the correspondents informs the content that is produced.  The CCC also encourages many different styles of radio production, and pieces can range from 3 to 30 minutes in length.  CCC projects include (but are not limited to):

• Time sensitive reports on local and national news (covering community meetings, permit hearings, cultural events, changes in federal legislation, etc.)
• Investigative journalism on the issues impacting Appalachian communities (healthcare, environmental issues, elderly services, etc.)
•  Explorations of regional history and cultural heritage
• Features showcasing the creative talents of the region (people reading aloud their written work, recording their music for the air, sharing their storytelling skills, creating sound art pieces, etc.)

WMMT staff work with correspondents to construct stories, plan and carry out the production, and get the story to air.  After being trained on our recording and editing equipment, CCC members have access to WMMT digital recorders and the WMMT production studio.

By relying on the wealth of local knowledge in our region, the CCC brings a real people perspective to what is broadcast-worthy in our communities.  If you would like to be a part of the Community Correspondents Corps, contact Sylvia Ryerson at sylviar@appalshop.org or call 606-633-0108 during regular business hours.  

At the heart of Appalshop and WMMT’s work is the principle that people have the right to control the development of their own communities through active participation in public dialog. 

CMI provides training and technical assistance to a variety of organizations through Digital Storytelling Workshops, and works with grassroots groups and public interest advocates to develop and implement communication strategies in support of civic discourse, local problem solving, and social and economic justice organizing.

For more information on the Community Media Initiative contact:

Mimi Pickering   mpickering  @  appalshop.org

At the heart of Appalshop and WMMT’s work is the principle that people have the right to control the development of their own communities through active participation in public dialog. As corporate consolidation and control of media outlets continues, and access to quality news and information is increasingly limited, the need for informed coverage of issues local and global is greater than ever. The problem is magnified in the region served by WMMT where available broadcast media is prone to covering only the sensational or simply bad news about our communities. The content of the programming produced will be informed by the experiences and concerns of the correspondents. Through the diverse lives they lead, these individuals will bring a fresh, citizen based perspective to what is newsworthy in their communities.

Reporting on the challenges these communities face every day, such as poverty, drug addiction, or environmental degradation, will be important aspects of the content produced, however content that explores the life and culture of the mountains is also expected to be the focus of some correspondents. Community development is of vital interest to mountain communities, as they work to find ways to grow their economies, reduce poverty, and retain population. Coverage of community meetings, events, and conversations through this work will provide content and offer a valuable look at the ways our communities are adapting to changes, and addressing new challenges. The mountains are rich with cultural heritage and these are stories that also deserve to be told, correspondents with an interest in producing stories about cultural events or practices will not be discouraged.

Community Correspondents Corps team:

Sylvia Ryerson, sylviar@appalshop.org

The Marantz PMD660 is a 2-channel, portable audio recording device that utilizes compact flash memory cards and operates on 4 AA batteries. The recorder features dual XLR microphone inputs with 48V phantom power capability and will record in WAV file format or MP3 using an MPEG1 compression.

Electro Voice RE50N/D-B - Omni-Directional Microphone

Audio-Technica AT897 - Short Condenser Shotgun Microphone

WE ARE TRAINING NEW CORRESPONDENTS NOW!

To schedule a time to meet email Sylvia Ryerson at sylviar@appalshop.org

Or call 606-633-0108 during regular business hours and ask for Sylvia 

The Community Correspondents Corps aims to support public participation in the process of radio production in a variety of ways.  The project is designed to give people the technical and professional skills, and access to the tools used in the field of radio journalism.  CCC training teaches the fundamentals of field recording, interviewing, story construction and editing with Adobe Audition. 

In our effort to broaden the spectrum of voices that are telling the world what is happening here in the mountains of Central Appalachia, we encourage people to contribute to the project in whatever capacity works best for them.  We welcome correspondents who are interested in working on some or all of the steps involved in the process of making a radio piece.  For example, the role of a CCC member can include any or all of the following steps:

•  Conceptualizing a piece and pitching an idea
• Giving expertise on an issue
• Finding contacts for interviews
• Conducting interviews
• Recording sound content
• Creating an outline for a piece
• Reading and writing narration for a piece
• Completing in-studio production

All stories produced by the CCC are broadcast on WMMT, and posted and archived on the CCC website.

Many of us have witnessed consolidation of traditional media during the last twenty years, which obliterates local newspapers and radio stations that have provided important venues of civic dialogue in the past. This guide is designed to help you learn, and in turn be able to teach, how developing a communication strategy can help organizations of all sizes make use of low-cost media tools. Effective communication helps accomplish your organization's work and build movements for change whether working at a local, regional, or national level.

Community development and organizing groups ask, "Who will speak out about our communities' collective problems?" And "How can we work together to define and address the barriers that prevent rural communities from enjoying access to health care, a safe environment, new technology, and economic development?"

An important step in addressing these questions is to develop and use effective communication strategies. We hope this guide will help you bring greater and more effective communication capacity to your work by taking full advantage of low-cost technology.

Nick Szuberla and Mark Kidd, Appalshop

Using and adapting this guide

Stories and worksheets included in this guide were developed with contributions from community organizations and volunteers working for change in rural communities. We believe they illustrate the power and potential for storytelling to improve the way our organizations and communities work. We have licensed this guide under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported [CC BY-NC-SA 3.0] license, which means you are free to share (copy, distribute, and transmit the work) and remix (adapt the work) under the following conditions:

• Attribution. Please attribute this work as the Appalshop Innovation Lab Guide, but not in any way that suggests that Appalshop endorses you or your use of the work.
• Noncommercial. You may not use this work for commercial purposes.
• Share Alike. If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.

• Spitfire Strategies “Just Enough Planning”

Storybanking

• "If you're serious about storytelling, get serious about building your own storybank." - Andy Goodman