Students will explore Virginia’s musical heritage through discovery of the venues and cultural centers promoting traditional Appalachian, old-time, and Bluegrass music. After researching and exploring the resources along the Virginia’s Crooked Road, students will create a multi-media presentation describing one or more of the venues along the 333-mile Heritage Music trail including people that visited the area, musical styles, groups that performed, and the function of music in the cultural area. Students will create QR codes applied to an interactive map of The Crooked Road describing the over 50 venues that promote the milestones of Appalachian, old time, bluegrass, and country music. 

This presentation provides an overview of the 2020 Music Standards of Learning and is specifically geared toward K-8 general music teachers.

After viewing the video “Anatomy of an Appalachian Tune.” Virginia Roots: A Journey into Appalachian Music, from Blue Ridge PBS, students will learn to sing several verses of the melody of an Appalachian old-time song. Students will then “piggyback” on the melody and form of an old-time song to create their own verse. Then, students will combine their verses to create a class version of the chosen old-time song.