Do you know any children’s songs? Lullabies? Stories?
Or games?
Vermont Folklife is working on a new project focused on the music and songs of childhood. We are looking for people who have knowledge of children's songs, music, stories, or games—especially music that might be shared with very young children or babies such as lullabies or nursery rhymes. You don’t have to be an expert musician or a performer—we are just hoping to speak with anyone who remembers some children’s music from any point in their life. Thanks to a grant from the Vermont Early Childhood Fund, we have funds to pay interviewees for their time, as well as interpreters for the interviews themselves.
Vermont Folklife would like to interview you!
VT Folklife staff are available to record an interview with anyone who is interested in exploring this topic of music and childhood and sharing songs from their childhood. We're interested in understanding the culture of your childhood in school, at home, and in the neighborhood. If you are a parent, what is it like to be raising your children here in Vermont? Some of the questions we might ask during an interview:
What was growing up like for you?
What songs did you sing as a child? What songs were sung to you, or do you remember hearing frequently?
What stories did you hear growing up? Do you remember any stories that shared lessons or advice for children?
If you are a parent:
What songs do you sing to your children? Games or stories that you share?
What songs, stories, or nursery rhymes would you like to see included in early childhood programs your child/ren attend?
Why is Vermont Folklife interested in this topic?
Vermont Folklife’s mission is to deepen Vermonters’ understanding of one another by engaging with communities across the state to document and share everyday expressions of culture, tradition, and innovation. We seek to make people and communities more visible to one another in order to develop mutual understanding and empathy. Through this project we hope to deepen our understanding of how Vermont’s cultural communities connect with children through musical traditions. We will share what we learn in our research with early childhood educators to grow their awareness and understanding of Vermont’s cultural communities past and present and the range of living traditions practiced across the state.
What will the interview be like? What will happen to the recording?
The interview would be audio only (no video). The recording would belong to the person being interviewed. With their permission, Vermont Folklife could also keep a copy of the recording in our Archive. Our collection holds many different recordings of music in Vermont and one of the goals of this project is to grow this collection. Vermont Folklife will never share or distribute the recording without the interviewee’s permission.
If we ever ask a question that you would prefer not to answer, that's always ok.
We can offer a $75 stipend to anyone who is willing to be interviewed for 1 hour, and we can also pay an interpreter, separately, to facilitate the process if that is needed.
Who should I contact if I would like to be interviewed?
Please reach out to Mary Wesley (mwesley@vtfolklife.org) - 802.999.9357