Here's what you'll find in this site: "Arts in Education"
David's Recordings Accordion Books Recordings by FootLoose |
The following article appeared in The Independent Weekly Arts in Education, an Independent series (reprinted with permission) Setting American History to Music One day, in the Frank Brown Collection of North Carolina Folk Music, David DiGiuseppe came upon Rednap Howell's broadside ballads from the late 1760s. The songs told the story of the North Carolina Regulators, a group of farmers and landowners who protested against paying taxes to the British colonial government. Later, when DiGiuseppe walked down Hillsborough's Churton Street past the site of Regulator nemesis Edmund Fanning's home and drove to an Alamance County battleground where Royal Gov. William Tryon dispatched the Regulators in 1771, these historic events suddenly came alive for him. And Rednap Howell's music rang in his head. "For me, this connection between American folk songs and our past brought a new life to my appreciation of history, one which rivaled my connection to music," says the Chapel Hill musician. "And it is one which I can bring into the classroom." DiGiuseppe, a leading American-born interpreter of traditional music from the British Isles and former member of the bands Footloose and Big Zucchini Washboard Bandits, uses folk music to bring history to life in public schools throughout the Triangle area. He first taught history using traditional music in his native Massachusetts in 1984. His bluegrass group, the Castle Hill String Band, received a grant (funded by the state lottery) to perform folk music in the Worcester school system. By 1990 he had relocated to North Carolina, where he performed roots music in the public schools as part of an arts council residency program. "To develop and prepare the show, I started digging into the history or folklore of some of the songs I thought I might present," DiGiuseppe recalls. "I started to see a connection between particular folk songs and what was going on in people's lives when the song was written. I also realized that most periods in American history had associated folk music." But the way DiGiuseppe shares his music with students goes beyond teaching them about historic events. By encouraging their participation in the songs, he shows children reared on television what life was like before the advent of corporate controlled mass media. "Before the institutionalization of radio and television, people in America sang. It was part of the American fabric. And often people would sing and give life to songs relevant to their existence," he says. "Now we can look back at those common person's songs--folk songs--of the American Revolutionary period, or of the pioneers settling the Midwest, or the '49ers, or those men who laid rail beds, etc., and get an insight into what was important to their life, what was their view of events, what were their aesthetics." DiGiuseppe finds teaching history through music both deepens students' understanding of folk music and offers a multi-disciplined approach to history. "I perform on instruments students have typically not been exposed to. I discuss folk music--its definition, its relevance and role in America--as well as perform the music and connect it to historical events. This provides students an opportunity to experience music in a new way--'Wow, it's not MTV; he's playing an accordion and I can still enjoy it'-- which can enhance their educational experience." DiGiuseppe feels his school shows fit the current approach by some American educators to use the arts in teaching core courses. He developed his programs for grades three and above--"History of North Carolina Through Music," "American History Through Music," and "Bound for Carolina"--to reinforce curriculum guidelines for the subjects. "Each show covers content from a number of subjects," he explains. "For instance, 'Bound for Carolina' includes material related to history, geography, music and English, through both story-telling and a section on Scottish and Scots-Irish contributions to North Carolina speech patterns." DiGiuseppe tailors the material and presentation of each show to his audiences. "Typically I speak in more general terms with younger students, painting a broad picture. With older students, I assume they have a knowledge of events, and I am filling in details--perhaps with a new slant. The show for K-2--'Sing Along With American Folk Songs'-- is different from the other programs. It is primarily participatory. I perform folk songs with easy to sing and teach choruses or pick material the kiddies already might know the words to. Explanations do not get much further than defining folk music in broad terms. I typically play many instruments-- accordion, mandolin, Irish cittern, lap dulcimer, penny whistle, guitar, jaw harp, harmonica--doing a little show and tell for each instrument." DiGiuseppe finds a number of parallels between his performing career for adults and for schools. He presents his most popular school program, "Bound For Carolina," with Mike Casey, his musical partner on national performance tours for adults. He also sees the marketing of his different performances as basically the same. "Gigs come through arts councils, particularly multiple-day residencies, calling principals and describing the show, or through PTA's cultural enrichment committees." The United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County and the South Carolina Arts Commission offer a couple of the scarce rosters for artists in education. Each provides application and selection processes and annual booking conventions that help connect artists and schools. Cultural enrichment programs, according to DiGiuseppe, remain fragile, subject to budgetary ill winds. "When money gets tight, pressure is often put on the arts, which some unenlightened folks feel has no connection to 'core' curriculum. With the current conservative fiscal agenda in place, it is increasingly difficult to find work. I often hear from educators that schools are bringing in fewer artists per year due to budget cuts." That makes it difficult for even the most sympathetic teachers to use cultural material in core curriculum instruction. "The teachers I come into contact with seem eager to learn more of this connection," says DiGiuseppe, who also presents workshops for American history teachers. "But teachers have limited time and resources. I spend many, many days researching my programs. It is unrealistic to expect a teacher will dig to such depths." The efforts of DiGiuseppe, like many other artists in education, involve far more than simply exposing kids to the artifacts of culture. Ancient songs composed collectively by a community, antique instruments, participation rather than passive entertainment--all these provide the tools DiGiuseppe employs, for 40 to 60 minutes at least, in his attempts to counteract television. He can't help but sound like a missionary: "I believe that the arts are essential to humanity and creating a balanced society. Individual self-expression, independent thinking, critical analysis are necessary ingredients for a healthy and productive human. We are not getting this from television; I hope we can teach it in the schools." |
|
 |
 |
