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Type of Submission
Podium Presentation
Keywords
Music, folk music Appalachia
Proposal
The Appalachian Mountains of the United States has long been a source of musical and social intrigue. A rich and distinct culture has flourished there, and is closely tied to their own folk music. Appalachian folk music has provided the Appalachian community with a mode of unification and communication. This unification can be seen in a variety of ways: somewhat exclusive communities, a strong sense of heritage, shared values, community gatherings—all expressed through and supported by musical traditions. Music is often the center of social life, a source of comfort and social harmony. This folk music also fosters communication in a more general sense. It has often been a means of communication to other cultures, a way of expressing the Appalachian community’s values and protests. Issues like mountaintop removal mining bring out some prime examples of such music. Research done by musicologists, first-hand accounts of Appalachians, and the folk songs themselves all demonstrate these elements of unification and communication.
Start Date
4-8-2020 1:00 PM
End Date
4-22-2020 6:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Publication Date
April 2020
Music of the Hills: The Role of Folk Music in the Appalachian Culture
The Appalachian Mountains of the United States has long been a source of musical and social intrigue. A rich and distinct culture has flourished there, and is closely tied to their own folk music. Appalachian folk music has provided the Appalachian community with a mode of unification and communication. This unification can be seen in a variety of ways: somewhat exclusive communities, a strong sense of heritage, shared values, community gatherings—all expressed through and supported by musical traditions. Music is often the center of social life, a source of comfort and social harmony. This folk music also fosters communication in a more general sense. It has often been a means of communication to other cultures, a way of expressing the Appalachian community’s values and protests. Issues like mountaintop removal mining bring out some prime examples of such music. Research done by musicologists, first-hand accounts of Appalachians, and the folk songs themselves all demonstrate these elements of unification and communication.
