Ask students to listen to 2 versions of the song In the Pines.
Compare the two examples aurally, and ask students to identify the differences in the feeling of the music, the text and the rhythm. Ask students to identify musical elements that change from one version to the other that we might see in a written score. These two songs are similar, and were both collected by a folklorist in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky. One of the singers grew up in West Virginia, where a variant - or slightly different version of the song was sung and taught, and therefore, was performed differently.
Folklore includes music, dances, stories and beliefs of people who live in a particular region or share common language and lifestyle. The people who settled Appalachian Kentucky in the 19th century had arrived in their new region with ideas, music and stories from their old countries of England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany and even Africa. Many of the stories and songs come from England, Ireland and Scotland, but we can see the influences from other places, such as the African-American south as well.
Listen to Old Joe Clark played (and sung) in each of the three DLA examples.
As students identify differences in three versions, introduce the term "variant," a folklore term for a variation of another song, or story. Help students to identify the mandolin in "Joe Clark's Dream". In the Barnes Family track, listen for banjo, an African influence into the music of Appalachia and the entire country. The banjo was often seen in early 1800's during minstrel shows, in which white performers would mimic African Americans using banjo accompaniment along with familiar folk songs. Using notated score and DLA recordings, sing and compare the folk songs "Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet" and "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down". Have students identify time signature, number of verses, tonality, instrumentation, and personal response to music. Ask students if they know any songs that have many different variants, and discuss the variations in musical terms with them.
Optional Lessons about Folklore: http://www.louisianavoices.org
More Resources
To learn more about Southern Appalachian folklore, take a field trip!
Arts and craft festivals, museums and many state parks offer inexpensive outings where you and your students can interact with "folks" who are still performing traditional music and creating traditional folk art.