7/18/18

ONE Songcatcher Club

Monthly gatherings at 12 Decatur to learn songs from our neighbors in the Old North End

We meet at #12 Decatur St. 11am on the first Saturday of the month.

Burlington has an incredible wealth of songs and tunes. The best are the ones you carefully learn from your neighbors. We will learn songs and the stories behind them by meeting young and old neighbors with great songs to teach.

Traditional songs and stories are passed along from performer to performer. They can be as simple as “Happy Birthday To You” or as complex as Homer’s “Odyssey.” Every culture has them and they play an important role in bringing people together, amusing them, and reminding them of important things. The folksong collector looks for underappreciated songs and tries to learn them, record them and encourage singers and audiences to appreciate them.

Here are some of the values of songcatching:

Linguistic Proficiency:

Our singing repertoire currently encompasses English, Quebecois French, Somali, Yiddish, Swahili and Nepali. In addition to the intellectual skills developed by engaging with these languages we offer building blocks for multicultural engagement. For French students in particular we offer practical support for their academic work.

Historical Research Techniques

We place a strong emphasis on members engaging in research to develop repertoire and to understand the cultural context for our music. Members engage with the staff at Vermont Folklife Center, UVM, Fletcher Free Library and elsewhere in order to learn applied research skills. Since we draw our repertoire from our community we encourage a rich understanding of Burlington history along with the histories of the peoples who immigrated to Vermont.

Sociologic and Cultural Research Skills

Members develop skills and experience engaging with local music and traditions. We try to match members up with tradition bearers from the community in a mutually beneficial relationship. With the guidance of expert researchers, ONE Band members gain a strong understanding of the field of cultural research.

Presentation Skills

As part of our performances members give spoken introductions describing our music and its place in our communities.

brianperkins2002@yahoo.com      brianperkinsmusic.com