The Folk Song Society of Greater Boston

Upcoming Workshops


Ballads and Sea Songs of Newfoundland

Sunday, March 11, 1-3pm
in Waltham, admission $15
Reservations for workshop, email suzanne at (suzanne at smrozak dot com)

Please also join us for a concert of Ballads and Sea Songs from Newfoundland
on Saturday, March 10 at 8pm.

This workshop is being held in conjunction with a concert on the previous evening, in honor of the publication of the new edition of "Songs and Ballads of Newfoundland" by Elisabeth Bristol Greenleaf and Grace Yarrow Mansfield. The book, published by Harvard University Press in 1932, was the first major collection of Newfoundland song made available to scholars and the general public. It also contained the first ethnography of singing in Newfoundland, making it perhaps even more valuable today than it was three quarters of a century ago to those who study and cherish Newfoundland and Canadian culture. The workshop will be presented by Shelley Posen and Neil Rosenberg.

We hope to play a recording of Elisabeth Greenleaf made available by her granddaughter, who is a local contra dance caller. Our goal is to show why the collection has been through several printings in the 75 years since it was first published, and how it has grown in stature and value as a document of traditional culture.


Introduction to Oral History: Preserving Our Past for the Future

Saturday, March 24, 2007, 2-4pm
Free for FSSGB Members, $15 for non-members
Limited to 20 Attendees
Location TBA
Reservations for workshop, email suzanne at (suzanne at smrozak dot com)

Presented by Millie Rahn,
professional folklorist and oral historian;
coordinator, The Archive Project, Passim Folk Music and Cultural Center

This 2-hour workshop will cover how to conduct oral history interviews, specifically with the forthcoming 50th anniversary of the Folk Song Society of Greater Boston in mind as the project's focus. Topics will include definitions of oral history, practical overview of whole process, finding people to interview, setting up interview, sample questions, background research, paper trail, interviewing and recording guidelines and equipment suggestions, audio vs. video (with emphasis on audio), ethical/legal issues, and archiving. Workshop is suitable for novices as well as experienced interviewers.

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