Suggested Methods

1. Have students read the following transcription of an interview on house dances of the 1920s. The interview was conducted in August of 1995.
   
2. Show the link between a music-making tradition and community life by discussing:
   
   • How Nyal Pierce learned his tunes from other fiddlers;
   • How the tunes supported dances in the community;
   • How Nyal Pierce and many other fiddlers continue to play for dances within a range of Iowa communities;
   • How many fiddlers learn their tunes by ear and do not rely on written music.
     
   One trick to learning a tune by ear is to first learn the melody by singing, humming, or whistling the tune and then trying to play it on the instrument.
   
3. Play “Red Wing” from the CD and explain that this is one of the most common tunes played at old-time dances in Iowa. Also explain that the button accordion has been an important instrument used to accompany dancers.

Student Activity

1. “Red Wing’s” lyrics were written by Thurland Chattaway and set to music by Kerry Mills in 1907. Chattaway wrote the song following a trip to Iowa during which he fell in love with an American Indian woman. Read the lyrics and discuss the images of American Indian men and women represented in the song.
   
2. Discuss why house parties might have been so popular in the 1920s given the lack of other forms of entertainment. Ask students to discuss how their house parties of today might differ from those in the 1920s.

HIGH SCHOOL ADDITIONS: Analyze the lyrical and musical pattern of the song. Ask students to write their own lyrics to a song performed in this old-time style, but using a contemporary situation.

Home/Community Connection

Check the Iowa Folk & Traditional Arts Roster and invite an old-time fiddler to the class. Attend a square dance or other old-time dance in your or a neighboring community. Report on your observations and experience.

Student/Senior Citizen Exchange

Have students and seniors interview each other about social dances: how and why they occur now and in the senior’s experience; the type of music people dance to; occasions for dances; venues; etc.

		Photo
		LESSON 3.1
	Every Saturday afternoon there is a jam session for old-time string musicians at the Acorn Feed Store in Council Bluffs. How might these jam sessions differ from formal performances of musicians to paying audiences?
				PHOTO © MICHAEL WHYE