LEARNING TRAD
Through our Learning Trad: Traditional Arts Education initiative, Kentucky Old-Time Music, Inc. offers classes and workshops, presentations, apprenticeships, and cultural exchanges in North America and abroad; we’ve assisted in the development of regional folk and traditional arts curriculum for schools and cultivated community engagement through place-based folk and traditional arts programs.
Education Programs
Preservation through Performance
Did you know Aaron Copeland’s Hoedown actually came from a version of Bonaparte’s Retreat played by Salyersville fiddler Bill Stepp? Did you know that “Banjo” Bill Cornett, the former state representative for Knott and Magoffin Counties in the late 1950’s and early 60’s, a Democrat, performed original songs on traditional mountain banjo on the floor of the Kentucky General Assembly advocating for the repeal of old-age “lean laws?” Or that partially blind Monticello, Kentucky fiddler Dick Burnett was the first to publish the song Man of Constant Sorrow in 1913 as Farewell Song?
Kentucky’s rural diaspora has been a major tributary for the river of American music, but too often our rural communities have been overlooked for their significant cultural contributions and even more often are reduced to stereotypes leading to rampant misconceptions of Appalachian communities and culture both inside the region and out. In this concert series, we travel to specific counties or towns in Kentucky and perform tributes to notable traditional artists who once called these places home. Want us to come to your neck of the woods? Be in touch.
“Hillbilly Highway” Reading Series
The “Hillbilly Highway,” also known as the Appalachian migration, holds a significant place in American history. This monumental internal relocation of countless poor and working-class individuals, black and white, has unfortunately received limited attention from historians. However, delving into the depths of this long-overlooked story brings to light its profound impact on various aspects of American society, like the modern industrial labor movement and the postwar urban crisis, but it also becomes evident that the influence of the Appalachian migration extends to the rise and development of a large aspect of today's working-class.
The Hillbilly Highway was a parallel to the better-known Great Migration of African-Americans from the south. Many of these Appalachian migrants went to major industrial centers such as Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Milwaukee, Toledo, and Muncie. Many of the Appalachians lived in concentrated enclaves, an example being Uptown, Chicago, which was nicknamed "Hillbilly Heaven" in the 1960s.
While most often used in this metaphoric sense, the term is sometimes used to refer to specific stretches of roadway, such as U.S. Route 23, or Interstate 75. The migration was not a finite process, as it continues today and migrants commonly move back to their home states in retirement. The Hillbilly Highway Reading Series is a rural/urban exchange of words, music, and ideas where writers, musicians, and community members engage to explore this mass-migratory event and the complex narratives it involves.
Past Events:
2018 - Hamtramck, MI
Venue: Bank Suey
Readers: Ronni Lundy, Imani Mixon, Rebecca Gayle Howell, Anna Clark, Nandi Comer, & Courtney Balestier
Musicians: Norma Jean Haynes & Brett Ratliff
2020 - Lexington, KY
Venues: The Burl & ArtsPlace
Readers: Silas House, Ada Limon, Jason Howard, Rebecca Gayle Howell, Nandi Comer, Imani Mixon, & Ansil Elkins; Musicians: The Codgers, The Winetree, Giant Rooster Sideshow, & The Possum Queens
Community Education Partners
Appalachian Flatfooting Academy by Carla Gover
The Appalachian Flatfooting & Clogging Academy by Carla Gover offers a step-by-step process for beginner and intermediate dancers that teaches tons of steps plus how to combine them to become a smooth and musical dancer.
Whether you’re…
A beginner who’s always wanted to learn more about the style but hasn’t had access to the right teacher or community.
Someone who knows a bunch of steps but needs some extra support and a proven formula for putting it all together to improvise with fluency.
An experienced dancer in another genre who’s always wanted to learn this particular style of dance.
A performer or musician who regularly finds yourself in jam sessions and attending festivals where you want to make real “music with your feet” and even showcase your dancing onstage as part of your set.
If you’re someone who loves Appalachian music, dance, and culture, and you’re ready for an accessible, thorough, and FUN course that contains EVERYTHING you need (yes, everything!) to become a great dancer at your own schedule, pace, and location.
Brett Ratliff Classes & Workshops
Brett teaches traditional Appalachian musical styles and repertoire on various string instruments and organizes opportunities to study and engage in community arts common to these culturally rich regions through a series of workshops and experiences. Drawing from the best of progressive education models that so influenced mountain life at the turn of the twentieth century, these opportunities are designed to be a “school for life” providing accessible course work in skills that naturally engage curiosity and increase quality of life.
Whether you’re a beginner or the best on the creek, there’s a place here for you. Music education is essential for physical, emotional, and mental development, including confidence-building, as well as math and language skills. It’s also just a whole lot of fun! Come to learn, and discover a new community of like-minded people in the process.