A Teacher's Guide to Folklife Resources

Materials Related to African American Culture

There are 26 titles in this list.

[ 179 ]
Arts Work: A Job-Training Program for Youth Through the Arts
by Arlington County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Resources
28 pp., 2002,
Subjects: Community Life; Documentation and Field Research; African American Culture;
Locations: Virginia;

http://www.arlingtonarts.org

Five teenage apprentices worked with Arlington county folklorists to document the history of Nauck, historically an African American neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia, represented in this publication. Their work includes both written and photographic documentation of interactions with the residents of Nauck.

Published by:
Arlington County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Resources
3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive
Arlington, VA 22206-2304
703/228-1844

[ 10 ]
Borders and Identity
by Betty Belanus, Emily Botein, Olivia Cadaval
251 pp. book, video, and cultural map, lesson plans and classroom projects available online, 1996, $35.00
Subjects: Cajun Culture; Native American Culture; Mexican American Culture; African American Culture; Spanish Language Materials; Geography; History; Holidays; Family Celebrations and Traditions; Chinese American Culture;
Locations: Arizona; California; New Mexico; Texas; Mexico;

http://www.folklife.si.edu/explore/Resources/Tools/tools_border.html

This bilingual educational kit in Spanish and English, published by the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, includes a video, cultural map, and book. The complexities of life and identity along the U.S./Mexico border are explored, covering history, arts, beliefs, and occupational traditions. For grades 6-12. To order, go to: www.folkways.si.edu

Published by:
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Mail Order Dept. 0607
Washington, DC 20073-0607
800/410-9815

[ 233 ]
Cultural Heritage for Innovative Community Outreach
by Online presentation, free
Subjects: African American Culture; African Culture; Asian Culture; Native American Culture; Family Celebrations and Traditions; Folk Arts and Material Culture;
Locations: Indonesia; Africa; Puerto Rico; Michigan;

http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/

Website, sponsored by the Univ of Michigan School of Information, containing many resources on various cultural expressions that could be used in a classroom setting. Includes online presentations, teacher's guides, resource lists, and classroom activities. Site contains a great wealth of information - highly recommended.

Published by:
Cultural Heritage Initiative for Community Outreach
,

[ 167 ]
Discovering Our Delta: A Learning Guide for Community Research
by Betty Belanus, Jan Rosenberg
25 pp. teachers' guide, 53 pp. student guide, and audio CD, classroom materials available online, 2000, $30.00 plus shipping and handling, extra teacher's guides $3 plus shipping and handling
Subjects: Documentation and Field Research; African American Culture;
Locations: Mississippi;

http://www.folklife.si.edu/explore/Resources/Tools/tools_delta.html

This educational kit, published by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, teaches students how to conduct interviews, use a tape recorder, transcribe, and put the information into a final form, all within the context of the Mississippi Delta. Teaching materials can be downloaded. Appropriate for middle and high school. To order, go to: www.folkways.si.edu

Published by:
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Mail Order Dept. 0607
Washington, DC 20073-0607
800/410-9815

[ 75 ]
Eight-Hand Sets and Holy Steps: Early Dance Tunes and Songs of Praise from North Carolina's Black Tradition, curriculum guide.
by Glenn Hinson and Patricia M. Gantt
24 pp. book, LP, 1989,
Subjects: Music; African American Culture; Dance; Ritual and Ceremony;
Locations: North Carolina;

http://www.ncarts.org/

Field recordings with historical and biographical notes edited by Glenn Hinson; originally issued in 1979; reissued as a project of the Folklife Section of the North Carolina Arts Council and the North Carolina Museum of History. Curriculum guide by Patricia M. Gantt (24 pp. : ill.) inserted in container. Distributed to all public schools in the state, this guide was designed specifically for eighth grade students. Provides glossary, activities, bibliography, resources.

Published by:
Folklife Section of North Carolina Arts Council
Raleigh, NC 27601-2807
919/733-7897

[ 89 ]
Florida Music Train
by Laurie Kay Sommers
100 pp. book, map, audio CD, 2002, $50.00
Subjects: Music; Native American Culture; African American Culture; Latin American Culture; Jewish American Culture; Immigration and Migration; Native American Culture;
Locations: Florida;

http://dhr.dos.state.fl.us/preservation/folklife/music_train.cfm

Five lesson plans (grades 4-8) for study of language arts and social studies through Florida folk music. Includes a CD with twenty-three selections of Florida music featuring such musicians as bluegrass fiddler, Chubby Wise; Cuban singer, Willie Chirino; klezmer greats, The Epstein Brothers; and others. Published by Florida Folklife Program, it includes a map, bibliographical references and notes to musical selections.

Published by:
Florida Heritage Education Program, Museum of Florida History
500 South Bronough Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250
850/487-1902

[ 248 ]
History of Jim Crow
by PBS
free
Subjects: Social Justice; Slavery; History; African American Culture;
Locations: Southern States (U.S.);

http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/home.htm

A four-part television series about issues surrounding segregation and the civil rights movement in the American South. This site has a wide array of teaching materials, including many full lesson plans, narratives from black and white people who came of age during the Jim Crow years, interactive web-based modules designed for student or teacher use, an image gallery, and links to student and teacher evaluated websites about Jim Crow.

Published by:
Public Broadcasting Service
1320 Braddock Place
Alexandria, VA 22314

[ 247 ]
Honky Tonks, Hymns, and the Blues
by Kathie Farnell, Margaret Moos Pick, and Steve Rathe
2003, free
Subjects: Beliefs and Spirituality; African American Culture; Mexican American Culture; Music;
Locations: Southern States (U.S.); Texas;

http://www.honkytonks.org/

NPR Radio series on southern musical traditions in the US. The website provides audio of the original radio presentation, plus interviews and music. Each section deals with a different theme, including music and technology, Jimmie Rodgers, guitars, women and country music, Texas swing, gospel, conjunto music, and the country blues. Also included with each radio program are a list of general themes (including questions for discussion), background information, a list of interview subjects and audio samples used, and a full bibliography. Good for use in the secondary classroom.

Published by:
National Public Radio
635 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
202/513-2000

[ 213 ]
Humanities Council of Washington D.C.
by 2001-2002, $materials available for loan
Subjects: African American Culture; History; Jewish American Culture; Immigration and Migration; Community Life;
Locations: Washington (DC);

http://www.wdchumanities.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=48

Resource center has a long list of videos and printed resources available for loan to local school or community groups. Many materials relating to local culture, particularly to the African American and Hispanic communities in the D.C. area.

Published by:
Humanities Council of Washington, D.C.
925 U St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
202/387-8391

[ 80 ]
Introducing American Folk Music-Ethnic and Grassroots Traditions in the United States, 2nd Edition
by Kip Lornell
320 pp. book, audio CD, maps, 2002, $44.69
Subjects: Native American Culture; Music; African American Culture; Cajun Culture; Latin American Culture;
Locations: United States;

http://catalogs.mhhe.com/mhhe/viewProductDetails.do?isbn=0072536195

A new edition of Lornell's 1993 book, now packaged with a compact disc. He examines folk and closely related grassroots music, such as gospel, western swing, and folk-rock. Contains photos, curriculum ideas, a new chapter on Hispanic American music, and a thorough overview of traditional American music and its influence on pop music. Very useful for K-12 classrooms as well as for music teachers.

Published by:
McGraw Hill Higher Education
1333 Burr Ridge Parkway
Burr Ridge, IL 60521
630/789-4000

[ 46 ]
Journey's End : The Memories and Traditions of Daisy Turner and Her Family
by Jane Beck, Wes Graff, Gregory Sharrow
audiocassette; 28 min. videotape, 32 pp. teacher's guide, 1986, 1990, 1996,
Subjects: History; Geography; Slavery; African American Culture;
Locations: Vermont; New England; Virginia; Africa;

http://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org/

Daisy Turner was born in 1883 at Journey's End, the farm her father, Alec Turner, cleared. Her family settled in Grafton, Vermont after the Civil War. She lived to be 104, dying in 1988. The audiocassette, narrated by Barbara Jordon, relates Turner's family history, detailing her father's path from slavery to freedom. This Peabody Award winning production is now an NPR radio series. The videotape "On My Own : The Traditions of Daisy Turner," produced by Jane Beck and Wes Graff presents her recollections. A teacher's guide to both tapes by Gregory Sharrow and a children's book, Daisy and the Doll, based on this story, are also available from the Vermont Folklife Center.

Published by:
Vermont Folklife Center
PO Box 442
Middlebury, VT 05753
802/388-4964

[ 67 ]
Jubilation! : African American Celebrations in the Southeast
by William H. Wiggins, Jr., Douglas DeNatale
89 pp. book, 1994, $10.00, also available on loan basis.
Subjects: History; Geography; African American Culture; Family Celebrations and Traditions; Holidays;
Locations: South Carolina; Southern States (U.S.);

http://www.digitaltraditions.net/html/J_Resources.cfm

This curriculum notebook explores the special nature of African-American celebrations within the family and community, and encourages students to discover their own cultural heritage. Includes lesson plans, teacher background, and a bibliography of adult and children's literature.

Published by:
McKissick Museum
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208
803/777-7251

[ 246 ]
Learning the Blues
by EdSitement
free
Subjects: African American Culture; Music;
Locations: Southern States (U.S.); Tennessee;

http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=267

A set of four lessons intended to introduce high school students to the structure, history and cultural significance of the blues, with particular emphasis on W.C. Handy and Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Can be used with students regardless of their ability to read music. Also includes many school-appropriate audio and video examples as links in the main page. These lessons are correlated to the standards National Council for Social Studies and National Council of Teachers of English.

Published by:
National Endowment for the Humanities
1100 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Room 530
Washington, D.C. 20506

[ 214 ]
Music District
by Susan Levitas
1 hr. video, available for rental or purchase,
Subjects: African American Culture; Music;
Locations: Washington (DC);


Video documentary of four District of Columbia-based traditional musics: rhythm and blues quartet, gospel jubilee, United House of Prayer gospel brass shout band, and Washington DC's own home-grown music, go-go.

Published by:
California Newsreel
149 9th St., # 420
San Fransisco, CA 94103
415/621-6196

[ 81 ]
Musics of Multicultural America: A Study of Twelve Musical Communities
by Kip Lornell, Anne Rasmussen
348 pp., audio CD, 1997, $49.95
Subjects: Music; African American Culture; Caribbean Culture; Mexican Culture;
Locations: United States; Mexico; Latin America; Caribbean; New York (City);


This is an interdisciplinary reader that introduces students to the diverse musical cultures which constitute America's musical landscape. Chapters cover the music of Brooklyn's West Indian steel drum bands, Memphis gospel quartets, Mexican mariachi music, and much more. Includes a compact disc of the same name.

Published by:
Schirmer Books
New York, NY

[ 205 ]
Old Music for New Ears
by Kentucky Educational Television
Video, 2004,
Subjects: Native American Culture; Music; African American Culture; Cajun Culture;
Locations: United States;

http://www.ket.org/explore/

Instructional series in which folk and blues artists introduce traditional musics from a variety of cultures to students. The songs include folk, blues, and bluegrass, as well as songs from the African American and American Indian traditions Downloadable teachers guide with lyric sheets also available.

Published by:
Kentucky Educational Television
600 Cooper Dr.
Lexington, KY 40502
800/945-1967

[ 222 ]
Portable Museum
by Brooklyn Children's Museum
$unknown
Subjects: Native American Culture; African American Culture; Jewish American Culture; African Culture; Music; Folk Arts and Material Culture; Mexican Culture;
Locations: Africa; Mexico; United States; India;

http://www.bchildmus.org/schools/portable.html

Hands-on learning kits organized around various cultures or ideas containing objects, teacher's guides, activities, and supplemental materials. Most for grades 4 and up.

Published by:
Brooklyn Children's Museum
145 Brooklyn Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11213
718/735-4400

[ 191 ]
Singing in the African-American Tradition
by Ysaye Barnwell
Manual and 6 cassettes or 4 CDs, $59.59
Subjects: African American Culture;
Locations: United States; Africa;

http://www.ymbarnwell.com

Resouce for learning 20 songs including African chants and calls, South African songs of resistance, songs of the Civil Rights movement, gospel songs, and spirituals. Includes rhythm, harmony, and countermelody parts, as well.

Published by:
Homespun Tapes, Ltd.
PO Box 694
Woodstock, NY 12498
800/33-TAPES

[ 226 ]
Sound Portraits Education Program
by Sound Portraits Productions and Facing History And Ourselves
208 pp. book, 30 min CD, Photographs, Teacher's Guide, 1997-98, $most materials avl for free download
Subjects: African American Culture; Community Life; Social Justice; Documentation and Field Research;
Locations: Illinois;

http://soundportraits.org/education/

Program that encourages young people to document their lives through the use of audio equipment. This organization produced Youth Portraits, audio documentaries of young people who served time in Rikers Island Correctional Facility. Also produced the Peabody award-winning Ghetto Life 101, audio diaries of two teenagers on Chicago's South Side; this project also spawned a book and second audio documentary. Study guide on Ghetto 101 available for use by teachers and older students. Website also contains tips for those who wish to make their own audio documentaries. Excellent resource.

Published by:
Sound Portraits Productions
176 Grand Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10013
212/941-8517

[ 49 ]
Ties that Bind
by Colorado Council on the Arts, National Endowments for the Arts

Subjects: History; Geography; Music; African American Culture; Asian American Culture; Latin American Culture;
Locations:

http://www.dogstar.org/ties/home
http://www.coloarts.state.co.us/

Online version of a multi-media resource for Colorado classroom teachers designed to help educators address Colorado model content standards in history, geography, and other disciplines. It includes written essays, lessons plans, and lists of additional resources. Audio and video resources can be seen and heard directly on the site.

Published by:
Colorado Council on the Arts
Denver, Colorado

[ 90 ]
Troy Demps : African-American Hymn Liner
by Robert L. Stone
6 pp. booklet, 2001,
Subjects: Music; African American Culture;
Locations: Florida;

http://www.flheritage.com/preservation/folklife/apprenticeship/demps_t.cfm

This publication is the result of a Florida apprenticeship program. Deacon Troy Demps is a master hymn liner, a traditional practice which is seldom used now that musical instruments are readily available. Demps will recite a line of a hymn and his congregation will then sing the line, unaccompanied by musical instruments. The publication shows how Demps has carried on this traditional art.

Published by:
Florida Folklife Program, Division of Historical Resources
500 South Bronough Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250
1-800-847-7278

[ 200 ]
Vermont Folklife Center Children's Book Series
by Vermont Folklife Center and others
Books, $14.95, !5.95
Subjects: Storytelling; Community Life; Immigration and Migration; African American Culture; History;
Locations: Vermont;

http://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org/

A series of 32-page full color children's picture books based on tales preserved in the Center's extensive sound archives and adapted by award-winning, contemporary authors into exciting narratives. Titles include "The Two Brothers" by William Jaspersohn about brothers who immigrated from Prussia in the 19th century; "John and Tom" by Willen Lange, a tale of a young logger who is saved by his remarkable Morgan horse after an accident in the woods; "Daisy and the Doll" by Michael Medearis and Angela Shelf Medearis about an African-American girl who demonstrates pluck and resourcefulness in dealing with discrimination in a small Vermont town, and more.

Published by:
Vermont Folklife Center
PO Box 442
Middlebury, VT 05753
802/388-4964

[ 74 ]
What's Your Name? Rhymes and Rhythms from Pennsylvania's Neighborhoods: A Study Guide
by Amy Davis, Jill Rossiter, Kate Modic, Amy Skillman
125 pp. book and audio CD, 1999,
Subjects: Music; African American Culture; Asian American Culture; European Culture; Caribbean Culture;
Locations: Pennsylvania;

http://www.culturalpartnerships.org/ontour/variousartists.asp

Traditional music from Pennsylvania's ethnically diverse communities is used to help students understand and appreciate other cultures, and ultimately their own. Activities and lesson plans are offered which are based on folk songs. A CD entitled "What's Your Name?" is included in the spiral bound Guide, and contains twenty-two widely diverse folksongs which are intended for use with the lesson plans. The CD was produced by Amy Skillman. For use with grades 3-12.

Published by:
Institute for Cultural Partnerships
3211 North Front Street, Suite 104
Harrisburg, PA 17110
717/238-1770

[ 199 ]
Will the Circle Be Unbroken?
by Southern Regional Council
13 CDs or 9 Cassettes, Teachers guide, 1997, $150.00 (CD); $135.00 (cass); $20.00 (teacher's guide)
Subjects: Social Justice; African American Culture; History;
Locations: United States; Georgia; Mississippi; South Carolina; Alabama; Arkansas;


Award-winning documentary series, originally aired on public radio, that provides a history of the civil rights movement, drawing upon interviews, music, and oral histories. Teacher's guide contains curriculum information and guided study questions.

Published by:
Southern Regional Council
133 Carnegie Way, NW., Suite 130
Atlanta, GA 30303
404/552-8764, x41

[ 208 ]
Wisconsin Folks
by Wisconsin Arts Board
available on the internet, 2004,
Subjects: Native American Culture; African American Culture; Asian American Culture; Folk Arts and Material Culture; Music;
Locations: Wisconsin;

http://arts.state.wi.us/static/folkdir/index.htm

Wisconsin Folks is a website for students, educators, and the general public. On Wisconsin Folks, you can: Meet over 70 traditional and ethnic dancers, musicians, cooks, craftspeople, and regional specialists; learn details of how they make their art; Understand how their art is connected to cultural life in Wisconsin; connect this information with Wisconsin Model Academic Standards and Benchmarks; Find out how to hire these artists for public presentations; Discover links with cultural arts in your own community.

Published by:
Wisconsin Arts Board, Folk Arts Education
101 E. Wilson Street
Madison, WI 53702

[ 171 ]
World Music Press Catalog
by Judith Cook Tucker, ed.
catalog,
Subjects: Native American Culture; African American Culture; Asian American Culture; Music;
Locations: Africa; Asia; Latin America; Europe;

http://www.worldmusicpress.com/

A comprehensive listing of books and recordings published by World Music Press featuring African, Asian, Latin American, European, and Native American music. The books, which comprise sheet music, pronunciation guides, maps, photos, glossaries, and bibliographies, also include music on CDs. Study guides are written by well-known ethnomusicologists such as Sam-Ang Sam, Patricia Shehan Campbell, and Judith Cook Tucker. The CD/booklet sets are for classrooms fifth grade and up.

Published by:
World Music Press
PO Box 2565
Danbury, CT 06813-2565
203/748-1131