C.A.R.T.S.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

NATIONAL

Antonio de la Rosa,
Tejano conjunto Accordionist,
Rivera,Texas
1998 NEA National Heritage Fellow

Photo by Alan Govenar

American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress [http://lcweb.loc.gov/folklife] provides copious digitized music, photo, and document collections. Identify your state's Local Legacies [http://lcweb.loc.gov/bicentennial/legacies.html].
Read A Commonwealth of Cultures [http://lcweb.loc.gov/folklife/cwc.html] to learn more about the discipline of folklore. Use the excellent basic guide Folklife and Fieldwork [http://lcweb.loc.gov/folklife/fieldwork] to develop class fieldwork projects. Find listings of state folklorists and universities offering offer coursework in folklore in the Folklife Sourcebook [http://lcweb.loc.gov/folklife/source].

Participate in the American Folklife Center's Veterans History Project [http://www.loc.gov/folklife/vets] by listening to and viewing veterans' stories and collecting local stories using online project kits. The National Network for Folk Arts in Education is among the partners for this national project. Contact the Veterans History Project, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540, 202/707-4916, vohp@loc.gov.

American Folklore Society [http://www.afsnet.org] has an Education Section [http://afsnet.org/sections/education] that annually awards the Dorothy Howard Folklore & Education Prize to work that most effectively encourages the study and use of folklore and folkloristic approaches in school environments and is named for a pioneer community studies educator. The CARTS web site and newsletter won the 1998 prize. Also find links and annual meeting schedules. Contact AFS at 43350 N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington, VA 22203, 703/528-1902.

American Memory Learning Page [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/index.html] features dozens of teacher-designed lessons using the many online collections of images, songs, interviews, sheet music, maps, and documents of the Library of Congress. An online workshop by Paddy Bowman of CARTS introduces folklore with activities teachers can replicate with students, Finding the Invisible: Folklore in Sense of Place [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/educators/workshop/folklore/fiover.html] A newsletter and site redesign help educators and students navigate the vast collections through meaningful, highly useful lessons, technology tips, and activities.

Millennium Trails Initiative invited communities to investigate cultural, historical, and physical trails. School projects around the country include the Boudin Sausage Trail in Louisiana. National Millennium Trails include the Underground Railroad and an ancient Cherokee highway, the Unicoi Trail, as well as the Number 7 subway line in New York City, known as the "International Express." Explore the Millennium Trails and others around the nation through On the American Trail, [http://www.altrec.com/features/ontheamericantrail] a multimedia site, and find local trails for field trips.

Americans for the Arts [http://www.artsusa.org] serves as an information clearinghouse and association of local arts agencies. Contact 1000 Vermont Ave., NW, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20005, 202/371-2830, nozlu@artsusa.org.

Arts Education Partnership [http://aep-arts.org] is a coalition of education, arts, business, philanthropic, and government organizations promoting the essential role of arts education, including folk and traditional arts, in enabling all students to succeed in school, life, and work. Find advocacy tools such as research reports and helpful links. Contact the Partnership c/o Council of Chief State School Officers, One Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20001, 202/326-8693, aep@ccsso.org.

ArtsEdge [http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org] at the Kennedy Center provides many arts education links, lessons, resources, ideas, advocacy tips. National programs include the Alliance for Arts Education [http://kennedy-center.org/education/kcaaen] with 45 state alliances and Partners in Education [http://kennedy-center.org/education/paces/home.html] to assist cultural organizations working with schools.

¡del Corazon! [http://nmaa-ryder.si.edu/issuedos/pages] The Smithsonian Museum of American Art has online two editions of this interactive, educational webzine for teachers and students featuring the Museum's collection of art by Latino traditional and fine artists.

Fund for Folk Culture [http://www.folkculture.org] provides leadership and funding possibilities for folk arts nationally and in California. Site links to many cultural and ethnic organizations. Contact P.O. Box 1566, Santa Fe, NM 87504, 505/984-2534, folkfund@folkculture.org.

History of Jim Crow [http://www.jimcrowhistory.org] supports the PBS special The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow with an amazing array of teaching tools, from South Carolina folk artist Johnnie Lee Gray's online exhibit to student-collected narratives of school desegregation. The many lesson plans include literature, geography, culture, media, and photography.

Honky Tonks, Hymns, and the Blues [http://www.honkytonks.org] public radio series provides teaching background on many southern musical traditions. Students may listen to the radio shows and study guides on topics such as technology and music, guitars, women and country music, gospel, music of the US-Mexican border.

MarcoPolo [http://marcopolo.worldcom.com] is a partnership between MCI WorldCom and seven renowned educational organizations. These partnerships were created to produce six discipline-specific educational web sites. The web sites are geared primarily toward K-12 teachers, although some of the sites' resources are also appropriate for college-level work and for family activities. Partners include: National Council on Economic Education, National Geographic Society, National Endowment for the Humanities/Council of the Great City Schools, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, American Association for the Advancement of Science and The Kennedy Center.

Millennium Trails Initiative [http://www.millenniumtrails.org/MT_active_pages/Home/main.asp] invited communities to investigate cultural, historical, and physical trails. School projects around the country include the Boudin Sausage Trail in Louisiana. National Millennium Trails include the Underground Railroad and an ancient Cherokee highway, the Unicoi Trail, as well as the Number 7 subway line in New York City, known as the "International Express." Explore the Millennium Trails and others around the nation through On The American Trail, [http://www.altrec.com/features/ontheamericantrail] a multimedia site, and find local trails for field trips.

Music Educators National Conference [http://www.menc.org] MENC distributes lists of resources that contain references for titles relating to multicultural music education. 1806 Robert Fulton Drive, Reston, VA 22091, 703/860-4000.

National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) [http://www.nasaa-arts.org] is the membership organization of the nation's state and jurisdictional arts agencies. Identify state folk arts coordinators through an online directory.Contact 1029 Vermont Ave. NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20005, 202/347-6352, nasaa@nasaa-arts.org.

National Council for the Traditional Arts [http://www.ncta.net] presents folk arts performances from around the nation, including the National Folk Festival. Find links to festivals and tours.

National Endowment for the Arts [http://www.arts.endow.gov] Folk and Traditional Arts Program [http://www.arts.endow.gov/resources/disciplines/folk/resources.html] supports folklorists around the nation, often through state arts agencies, the National Network for Folk Arts Education and our CARTS newsletter and web site, and other folk arts education initiatives. Arts Learning [http://www.arts.endow.gov/resources/disciplines/Artsed/resources.html] also funds folk arts education. Find folklorists in your state agency or National Heritage Fellows [http://www.arts.endow.gov/honors/heritage/index.html] from your region.

National Endowment for the Humanities [http://neh.gov] folklife education resources include My History Is America’s History, [http://www.myhistory.org/] which gives tips on collecting and preserving family histories, and lists exemplary sites on Edsitement. [http://edsitement.neh.gov] NEH has funded City Lore's Local Learning Project to develop model training and materials for K-12 educators.

National Park Service [http://www.nps.gov] ParkNet offers many online teaching resources, including Links to the Past and Teaching With Historic Places [http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp].

Oral History Association [http://omega.dickinson.edu/organizations/oha] home page offers annual meeting schedule, links, and more.

Public Broadcasting System [http://www.pbs.org] resources include online lessons such as River of Song [http://www.pbs.org/riverofsong] and archived projects: The New Americans [http://www.pbs.org/kcet/newamericans/] on immigration, Vietnam: Stories Since the War, [http://www.pbs.org/pov/stories] and Africans in America [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia].

Quilt Index [http://www.quiltindex.org] is a research tool combining images and contextual information on hundreds of quilts from several major collections developed by the American Quilt Alliance in partnership with the Michigan State University Museum. Students can use the site's documentation form to research local quilts and quilters, study quilt patterns, compare regional quilt traditions as well as changes over time.

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage [http://www.folklife.si.edu] Web site includes links to online guides [http://www.folklife.si.edu/CFCH/edmaterials.htm] such Masters of the Building Arts, Borders & Identity, and the 2002 American Folklore Society Dorothy Howard Prize recipient Discovering Our Delta. Also link to Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, [http://www.folkways.si.edu] which offers hundreds of useful sounds of history. Contact 750 9th St., NW, Suite 4100, Washington, DC 20560, 202/275-1150, info@folklife.si.edu.

Rock & Roll Library [http://www.rocklibrary.com] is dedicated to recognizing the historical and cultural significance of popular music and weaving poplar music and culture into the fabric of educational curriculum. Find lesson plans, lyrics, student work. Folklorist Jon Lohman wrote a lesson for making murals and writing poetry inspired by John Lennon's "Imagine" [http://www.rocklibrary.com/Education/_ImagineIndex.cfm].

Rural School and Community Trust [http://www.ruraledu.org] strengthens relationships between rural schools and communities through engaging students in community-based work. Find a new online place-based learning portfolio as well as the August 2003 issue of Rural Roots focusing on folklore and education [http://www.ruraledu.org/roots/rrtext/rr4.4.html]. Subscribe to free publications or read them online. Contact 1825 K St. NW, Suite 703, Washington DC 20006, 202/955-7177.

Society for Ethnomusicology [http://www.indiana.edu/~ethmusic] promotes the research, study, and performance of music in all historical periods and cultural contexts. At present, SEM has over 2,000 members from six continents. The site offers abstracts, discographies, bibliographies, and videographies from issues of the journal Ethnomusicology. Contact SEM Office, Morrison Hall 005, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, 812/855-6672, sem@indiana.edu.

TAPNET, [http://www.afsnet.org/tapnet] sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Council for the Traditional Arts, provides links to State and Regional Folk and Traditional Arts Programs, which allows users to find folklorists and folk arts organizations in their state or region.

What Kids Can Do [http://www.whatkidscando.org] is a national nonprofit connecting school reform, youth development, community development, service learning, and school-to-work. Find model projects and compelling community-based student work.

INTERNATIONAL

Africa Focus 2000 [http://africafocus.library.wisc.edu] of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries contains digitized visual images and sounds of Africa contributed over the years to the African Studies Program of the university.

Airs, Ditties, Folksongs, and Hymns [http://www.acronet.net/~robokopp/folkindx.htm] A site with over 4,000 entries of lyrics and some tunes for songs of Germany, England, France, Ireland, Scotland, and the US plus some "topical" categories such as Christmas, Religious Music, and Sea Chanties.

Canadian Museum of Civilization [http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/cmce.asp] hosts a virtual museum with numerous folklore-related exhibits including Résonance: Musical Heritage of la Francophonie [http://www.civilization.ca/arts/resonance/resinte.html], which introduces students to traditional music and instruments.

Encyclopedia Mythica [http://www.pantheon.org] Find over 4,300 definitions of gods and goddesses, supernatural beings and legendary creatures and monsters from all over the world.

FRoots Magazine Online [http://www.frootsmag.com] The website of FRoots, England-based roots, folk and world music monthly magazine. Folk Roots is also the media sponsor for Womad world-music festival, Sidmouth Interantional Festival of Folk Arts and WOMAX, the world music expo.

450 Years of Making Fish in Newfoundland [http://collections.ic.gc.ca/fisheries/main.asp?frame=on] is described in images, texts, audio and video clips, and education section.

International Music Archives [http://www.eyeneer.com/World/index.html] offers students information and sound bites of music and instruments from around the globe.

International Society for Contemporary Legend Research [http://www.panam.edu/faculty/mglazer/isclr/isclr.htm] is dedicated to the growing field of folklore research on the legends, rumors, and beliefs that circulate through modern media and the networks of modern communications.

International String Figure Association [http://www.isfa.org] offers directions for making a myriad of string figures from various cultures around the world.