This KET-produced instructional series introduces children to a broad range of music — folk, blues, Cajun, traditional — and cultures — Native American, African-American, and Appalachian, among others. All lyrics are in the teacher’s guide, inviting children to sing along. The series also introduces a variety of traditional instruments, such as the hammer dulcimer, the lap dulcimer, and the jaw harp.
Grade Levels: P-8
Resource Types: 22 Videos, 2 PDFs
Malcolm Dalglish
Dalglish plays the hammer dulcimer and performs “Cooper’s Caper,” “Bushy Tail,” “One Day, One Foot,” “Wide Mouth Frog,” and “Woody Know Nothin’.”
Jean Ritchie
Kentucky native Jean Ritchie plays the dulcimer and banjo and sings such traditional songs as “Shady Grove,” “Bandyrowe,” “Lazy John,” and “Goin’ to Boston.”
John McCutcheon
Banjoist and hammer dulcimer player McCutcheon introduces polyrhythmic songs such as “The Rainstorm” and “No More Pie” and sings the Russian folk song “May There Always Be Sunshine.”
Sparky and Rhonda Rucker
Features “The Gospel Train,” one of the many code-word songs that were used in the Underground Railroad, as well as “Oh Susannah” and “Freight Train.”
Mike Seeger
Using the gourd banjo, jaw harp, banjo, harmonica, fiddle, and guitar, Mike Seeger presents traditional favorites about animals: “Cluck Old Hen,” “I Had a Rooster,” “Foo Boo Woo Boo John,” “Molly Hare,” and “Derby Ram.”
Odetta
The blues and folk legend performs “Give Me Your Hand,” “Keep On Movin’ On,” and “I’m a Child of God.”
Gray Eagle Band
Features string band music as it was heard in the South in the 1930s and clawhammer-style banjo playing that preceded the three-finger (bluegrass) style. Songs include “The Hound Dog Song,” “Rabbit in a Log,” “Breathitt County Hill Farm,” “Oh Groundhog,” and “Christmas Calico/Sally Goodin.”
Jean Ritchie - Part II
Eastern Kentucky folksinger Ritchie sings “Love Somebody, Yes I Do,” “The Blue Bird Song,” “Skin and Bones,” and “What’ll I Do with the Baby-O?”
Tom Bledsoe, Joy D'Elia, and Rich Kirby
Three performers from Appalshop’s Roadside Theater present “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” “Skip to My Lou,” “The Cuckoo,” “The Devil and the Farmer’s Wife,” and “Five Little Ducks Out on a Limb.”
Bob and Susie Hutchison
The husband-and-wife duo play lap dulcimer and sing “She’ll Be Comin’ Around the Mountain,” “Did You Feed My Cow?,” “Taddle-Diddle-Dink-Dink,” “The Old Woman and the Little Pig,” and “Sandy River Belle/Whiskey Before Breakfast.”
Odetta - Part II
Songs: “I’m a Rambler, I’m a Gambler,” “Home on the Range,” “Chilly Winds/Shenandoah.”
The Metro Blues Trio
The Central Kentucky-based blues band performs “Chicken à la Blues,” “Mother the Queen of My Heart,” and “She Caught the Katy.”
The Reel World String Band
Kentucky’s all-female Reel World String Band presents “Last Old Train,” “Go Rabbit,” and “Stay All Night.”
Mike Seeger - Part II
Songs: “Quill Ditty,” “All Around the Kitchen,” “When First to This Country,” “Skip to My Lou,” and “Susan Girl.”
John McCutcheon - Part II
Songs: “John Henry,” “Hambone,” and “The Awful Hilly Daddy-Willie Trip.”
Malcolm Dalglish - Part II
Songs: “Danville Klude,” “Spoons Story,” “Bones Lesson/Fine Lady and the Saxophone Pig,” “I Had a Bird,” and “Throw the Window Open.”
Taj Mahal
Songs: “Fishin’ Blues,” “Shake Sugaree,” and “Light Rain.”
The Doucet Family
Songs from Cajun culture: “Poor Johnnie (Johnny Peux Pas Danser),” “The Fifty Cent Song (La Chanson de Cinquante Sous),” and “P’tit Galop pour Mamou.”
Dennis Banks
Banks presents songs reflecting his Native American heritage: “The Flip Side,” “A Forty Niner Song,” and “An Honor Song.”
Paula Larke
Songs: “Rosebud,” “Chicken and the Rooster,” and “Zudio.”
The Doucet Family - Part II
More Cajun songs: “La Cravate a’ Zig et Zag,” “Le Hoogie Boogie,” “L’Arc en Ciel,” and “Deux Cocodries.”
Taj Mahal - Part II
Songs: “Funky Bluesy ABC,” “African Blues,” “Stagger Lee,” and “You Don’t Have To Go.”
Teacher's Guides
The teachers’ guides include lyrics for the songs, background on music in the Appalachian region, ideas for the classroom, selected bibliographies, and more.
Part A (Teacher’s Guide Intro and Videos 1 – 16) | Download The Part A Teacher’s Guide PDF
Part B (Videos 17 – 22) | Download The Part B Teacher’s Guide PDF