Evo Bluestein American Folk Music – Songs and Teacher Activities Related to the Songs

This is a list of songs you might hear in the Evo Bluestein assembly program, with a few suggestions for classroom activities.

Sioux flute song– Locate regions of Sioux tribes. Identify native tribes of the region you live in.

Irish fiddle tune– Locate countries in the British Isles and research circumstances for immigration to North America.

American fiddle tune– Discuss living in an era with no electricity (computers, mp3 players, radio, t.v. etc.) and the neccessity of making your own entertainment including music and dance.

Hambone – Research African countries from which slaves were taken. Research and listen to African music instruments.

Blues – Discuss slavery in this country and the cultural contributions of African American people such as blues, jazz, and rock music. Introduce students to recordings of African American blues singers. Use blues as a discussion of poetry. Write your own blues song.

Mexican – Play folk music recordings from various Mexican states, and locate them on the map. Research and listen to Mexican music instruments.

Cajun – Locate West Lousiana and East Texas (Cajun country). Research the history of Cajun people and how the arrived from France via Nova Scotia (Acadie). Listen to Cajun music recordings.

“This Land Is Your Land” – Introduce students to recordings of Woody Guthrie. Find Okema, Oklahoma (his birthplace). Read biographies. Listen to more songs of this influential American composer.

“Old Molly Hare” – Learn to play spoons and jaw harps (see order form). Learn a clogging step.

More Prep or Follow-up Suggestions – Demonstrate the multi-cultural nature of our society. Use ethnic heritage as a focal point for written reports or history assignments. Ask students: • what country they or their ancestors came from.

• Use world maps to locate countries of origin and the places of settlement in the United States.

•  How many generations have lived in the U.S.?

•  What were the conditions of immigration?

•  Trace the history of a musical instrument.

• Have students describe or demonstrate a folk tradition from their background, such as a traditional song, story, dance, clothing style, recipe, craft or instrument. • Schedule in-service time with Evo for autoharp, dulcimer, traditional songs, dances. Many teachers have learned to play autoharp with Evo’s simple method. Instructional dvd and books are available and make it easy to sing in your own classroom.

• Order the Evo Bluestein recordings which offer a diverse representation of American folk music styles– enjoyable as well as educational! • Go to the store

American Folk Music Instruments

hammered dulcimer

button accordion

guitar

fiddle

banjo

autoharp

dulcimer

jaw harps