The Arkansas Highlands Folk Project will bring three programs to the Garland County Library as a way to teach and entertain locals with the culture of "old-time" music.
The programs will be held Jan. 14, Feb. 25 and March 31. There is no cost, but preregistration through the library is encouraged.
"Anyone who has had a desire to play an instrument, but never thought they could, or folks that play a little bit or alone that would like to play with others who are just ordinary players -- not professionals -- and at any level (should attend the program)," program coordinator Charlie Moore said.
He said whether someone plays an instrument or not, anyone should attend the program because those who don't play can enjoy listening and learning about the history of the music.
Moore said there will also be "old-time" dance lessons.
"This is kind of like clogging, and you don't have to have a partner, space or talent because there really isn't a right or wrong way to do it," he said. "If the music is being played right you can't just sit there, you've got to do something and dancing is one thing to do."
Costumes are optional, but there is no dress code to attend the programs.
For the January program, Moore said there will be a duo, Tom and Jenny Sartain of Mountain View, demonstrating an "old-time" performance, as well as local performers Laura Lee Williard and Akayleh Jones singing gospel songs.
"It's not going to be a concert, per-se," he said, "and it's certainly not going to be a lecture, but they're going to tell a little bit about the history of the songs and the songwriters and where they came from and it's hopefully going to be a lot of questions and answer; a lot of interaction with the crowd."
For the second half of the program, Moore said there will be an opportunity for attendees to play music.
"Those folks who already know some chords on their guitar will get with Tom and Jenny and they're going to replicate an old-time jam and do some songs just to give people an idea of how it works," he said. "Those who are a little bit more bashful and didn't bring their instrument or are just too shy to do it, I'm going to be with those and talk about how I got into it."
Moore said he didn't even know what folk music technically was four years ago.
"I was a numbers guy, a banker, and I had never played a musical instrument," he said. "I went to Mountain View because I decided I wanted to play the banjo. Didn't know much about them, but that's what I wanted to do. When I got up there and heard this crowd, there were probably 15 or 20 people playing old-time music ... this is where it all started with this old-time music, and it was just beautiful, and I've just fallen in love with it."
The February program will include more modern folk music and will feature an Arkansas State Banjo Champion and an Arkansas State Fiddle Champion, as well as some local performers.
As for the March program, Moore said it is still "up in the air."
He noted they are encouraging the program to be a "family project" involving grandparents, parents and children.
"The point of this is to get it where some of us can meet on a regular basis and get a set of us who are interested and can enjoy each other's company and make some music together," he said.
Some people have suggested once a month is not enough to learn how to play an instrument, Moore said, and the YMCA has agreed to offer a space to have a "slow learning jam" once a week in the evenings.
He said if there are enough people who are interested in the class they can start it soon.
"It's not some hotshot performers, it's everyone having fun together the way they want to with no pressure," Moore said.
The music of the Ozark Mountains has been well-documented, Moore said, but there was music and tradition and culture in the Ouachita Mountains as well that somehow was overlooked by historians and "song catchers."
"So we've decided to name it the Arkansas Highlands, just referring to the mountain regions of Arkansas as opposed to the delta or other regions because that's kind of where this mountain culture music was dominant," Moore said. "So that's the reason for the name, but the project is to try to introduce this old music to folks in Hot Springs. It's the music that is pretty well presented regularly at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas. It's catching on in northwest Arkansas by a younger crowd, and it's just a really fun way in participating in some old-time music."
Even in Mountain View it's hard to maintain an appreciation for "old-time" music, he said.
"Part of it is there is just so many other options and the old-time music was the music before there was radio and before there were recordings," Moore said. "So in the early 1900s and all of the 1800s, and part of the 1700s, the only way families could find any entertainment was if they provided it themselves."
He said people in rural areas would come together and some would play a guitar, banjo, fiddle or anything they could make music with.
"It was kind of bizarre instruments they came up with," Moore said. "The washboard was used as a percussion instrument, spoons were used, and those who didn't play instruments typically dance, so a family get together."
He said now, in Mountain View, as the older generation who has been perpetuating "old-time" music are beginning to get older, it's important to "spread this out a little bit more" so the Arkansas music can be preserved, and people can have a "really good time" doing it.
Local on 12/30/20192019-12-30 09:12:11Z
https://www.hotsr.com/news/2019/dec/30/old-time-entertainment-education-at-lib/
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