In July we ran our first ever one-day Folk Summer School, in Broome in Norfolk. We welcomed fifteen children for a day of East Anglian folk activities and we were absolutely blown away by their enthusiasm, energy, and creativity.
During the day they worked together to:
make bread and prepare a fabulous lunch using locally-grown produce
learn songs from Norfolk traditional singers, as well as put their own spin on Windy Old Weather by creating new verses, actions, and even art inspired by the song
learn some social dances
learn some maypole dancing
learn some morris dancing
try out jig dolls
try out playing our mini melodeons, a sturdy and child-friendly version of the instrument
try out a real dulcimer
We were lucky enough to be joined by Poppy Price-Dowhan who taught social dances and Maypole dances, drawing on her own history as a third (possibly fourth!) generation Maypole dancer, and by Adam Clark who played music and led the song session, including sharing archive recordings with the children of Sam Larner talking and singing. Adam will be appearing at FolkEast Festival on 22 August, and at Bungay Folk Festival on 4 September, as part of his band the Adam Clark Trio. Poppy is currently sharing educational resources over on YouTube as part of the Accessible Ceilidh Project, looking at how ceilidhs and social dance events can be more accessible for everyone.
We’ve received some great feedback from children and parents, so we’re hoping to run more events like this – please make sure you’re on our mailing list if you’d like to hear about the next one. A huge thank you to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Love Norfolk Fund (Norfolk Community Foundation) whose support made it possible to keep this incredibly affordable.
“We would have travelled further and paid far more happily for the quality of this wonderful day.”
“What a fantastic celebration of our local culture and heritage, wonderful to see people working with so much joy and enthusiasm to keep these traditions alive in the next generation.”
“My children absolutely loved this event and asked when they could go back! They’ve been singing and dancing what they learned since they got home. It’s been their favourite summer activity so far. Thank you!”
“It was one of the best things she has done this summer – so well organised and such wholesome activities and a wonderful pace. She had a fantastic time and enjoyed every minute.”
If you’re not already on the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust’s mailing list, sign up so we can keep you informed about future events – and our future Folk Schools programme!
