Festival nurtures folk music tradition

Back in the 1960s, folk groups like the Kingston Trio inspired thousands of young people to pick up guitars and learn to strum along to such favorites as "Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley."

Sisters Folk Festival Executive Director and co-founder Dick Sandvik was one of those youths, and he's had a passion for folk music ever since.

"It was the kind of music that made you think, I can do that," he said

Sandvik hopes Sisters High School students will be similarly affected by the Americana Project, a new educational effort created by the Sisters Folk Festival and district teachers that will become part of the curriculum starting this fall.

The Americana Project will incorporate information about folk music into existing high school English and social studies classes.

"Folk music tells the stories of the times," Sandvik said. "It exposes the younger generation to music that has stories that are as old as this country and important to its history and culture."

In addition to giving students an appreciation of folk music's importance in our history and culture, the organizers of the program hope students will be inspired to write and perform their own music and poetry.

Sandvik describes folk music as "front porch music that almost anyone can do." He hopes the project will get students to write contemporary songs about what's important to them and to society today.

Sandvik points out that kids listen to a kind of folk music today when they listen to rap and hip hop.

"Those are their stories of today," he said.

The project hired singer/songwriter Brad Tisdel to work with the students before and after school to create and perform their own songs. Tisdel will also perform in the classrooms and work with teachers to incorporate the curriculum into their classes.

Sandvik and fellow folk festival board member Kathy Deggendorfer originated the idea for the Americana Project. The school district was receptive, and drama teacher Anita Hoffman became the school's liaison.

She sees the project as "a way for kids to get together, play music, and try out new songs. They can practice the craft of songwriting."

She says it's also a way for the Sisters Folk Festival to get involved with the schools and for the students to get involved with the folk festival.

For the past year a committee of faculty and folk festival representatives has been meeting to develop the curriculum. Supporters raised $15,000 in grant money to fund the program, including hiring Tisdel as the program's facilitator. The Marie Lamfrom Foundation donated $10,000 and PGE/Enron and the Samuel Johnson Foundation each donated $2,500.

Local artists will be brought in on a volunteer basis. The money will also help fund video and recording equipment.aSandvik hopes the Americana Project will become a model curriculum that will be used in many schools. He says the project addresses the fact that students have different learning styles, and the audio and visual aspects of the program will help them learn, as well as encourage their creativity and their performing skills.