Gather Together

Above: Many different instruments are played at SongFarmers jams such as harmonicas, tambourines, and even ukuleles.

It had been an unusually cold spring in Kentucky, but patrons found plenty of warmth when they entered the Lexington Public Library. Before they reach the inner doors, sounds of music and laughter enticed them towards the community room. Inside, like a hidden treasure, patrons discovered the local chapter of SongFarmers which is dedicated to sharing “front porch roots music” wherever folks decide to gather. There are over 40 SongFarmers chapters across the country where musicians come together to share stories and songs at community jams.

SongFarmers is an offshoot of the wildly popular Wood- Songs Old-Time Radio Hour, a worldwide, multimedia celebration of grassroots music. SongFarmers seeks to bring roots music from the broadcast arena into the classroom. After performers are featured on WoodSongs, teachers create lesson plans that can be downloaded from the website for other teachers to use in their own classrooms. In the archive, there are lessons featuring Bela Fleck and banjo music, as well as the Preservation Jazz Band and New Orleans-style jazz. Attendees at a national gathering for SongFarmers had such a great time that they asked to start local groups.

Michael Johnathon, folksinger and host of the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour, explained why SongFarmers is so meaningful. “Once upon a time, America was built on the real, organic front porch music of families. The front porch was the grand pulpit of hometowns and a gathering place for neighbors,” he said. “The SongFarmers movement is an effort to rebuild that musical spirit apart from what we think is the music business. Music was never intended to sell anything. It’s heart, spirit, passion. It’s friends and families and guitars and banjos. It’s love. It’s what music is really for.”

Tracey Louise Miller started a chapter in Crab Orchard, Kentucky after hearing about them at a WoodSongs taping. “It builds community,” Miller said. “It lets young people have a chance to share their talents in a comfortable setting. They don’t have to worry about peer pressure too much, they just come along and play. They get to know who we are and we share in the history of music.”

“There is a long history of people gathering on front porches and at picnics in the parks to play music,” said Bryan Klausing, a SongFarmers chapter leader. “We have a rich history of that in the Appalachian Mountains with music that came from the region. In this digital age, we are getting inundated with so much media. This is an opportunity to reconnect with one another. There is just something about having a wooden instrument and being in a room full of other musicians that you just can’t get from trying to learn music through a YouTube clip.”

The strategy is working. One chapter that exemplifies the SongFarmer community is Tellico Plains, Tennessee, population 941. It sits on the edge of the Appalachian Mountain Range.

“Tellico Plains is a really small community and they average between 50 and 100 people coming out for SongFarmers,” Klausing said. “We’ve been really pleased with how quickly it has grown and really addresses the need and want for that kind of thing. Music is a great way for everybody to come to the table and find common ground.”

Find out more about SongFarmers on their at songfarmers.org