The English Folk Dance and Song Society’s latest Black History resource – Black Singers and Folk Ballads – is for secondary educators (Key Stage 3 and above) of Music, English, Drama and History.
The freely downloadable resource materials – a video, 14 audio files and a supporting PDF – reflect on music-making among enslaved people in former British colonies in the Southern US and Caribbean.
Creating this resource has been an amazing opportunity to delve into a little-researched and little-discussed area of folk song history and to produce something that will hopefully help to inspire another generation of folk music enthusiasts – Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne
The resource was written in 2020 by musician and singer Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, working with singer Germa Adan and storyteller Alison Solomon. Its materials explore how songs have been adapted and yet remained very similar across the Atlantic.
The resource presents four songs and stories which were sung by black singers, together with the songs’ history and associated creative tasks.
About the English Folk Dance and Song Society’s Resource Bank
The Resource Bank collects together hundreds of practical materials for use in formal and informal teaching and learning contexts, in schools and also in community settings. All of the materials are free and downloadable. They make imaginative use of folk song, music, dance, drama and other arts.
The resources have developed out of innovative projects and initiatives run by the English Dance and Song Society Education team over the past decade or so. You can find resources suitable for your subject or setting by filtering by Topic, Key Stage and/or Audience.
Other recently published resources include
Songs of London Life, a set of three songs for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEN/D) – including those with learning disabilities and complex needs. This resource includes audio, notation and notes, using a range of specially developed creative elements and communication strategies. It was developed as part of the Inclusive Folk project, which was made possible with the generous support of John Lyon’s Charity.
Learning by Ear, a comprehensive online training resource on ensemble musicianship. This large collection of short films and documentation has been produced in partnership with Orchestras for All and in collaboration with experienced educator Emily Askew and the London Youth Folk Ensemble.
The Resource Bank was developed through The Full English project with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
