So, if the banjo is a traditional African American instrument, how did it become associated with the redneck good old boys? The answer to that comes from the rise of two popular styles of music in the 1940’s – Bluegrass and R&B. Remember the poor composer Dvorak, who couldn’t tell Scottish music and Negro music apart? After hearing the Carolina Chocolate Drops, can you blame him? That is what authentic Southern black music sounded like in the 19th century. Some of their songs are old and traditional, while others are modernized into the 21st century. They played authentic string band music as taught to them by one of the last-surviving experts, Joe Thompson. They were not an historical anomaly or anachronism. Therefore, original and traditional black music in America always featured the sound of the banjo.Ĭonsider a modern-day string band called the Carolina Chocolate Drops. African American string bands were numerous and successful throughout the South in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Probably the earliest known depiction of a banjo in American culture is a painting called The Old Plantation by John Rose from about 1790, and it depicts a slave string band (the instrumentation would vary, but a string band usually featured a fiddle, a banjo, and percussion). It was the slaves who taught the banjo to the whites. The concept behind the banjo was brought over in the slave trade in the 17th century, and early slaves constructed them out of hollow gourds, animal skin, and sticks of wood. However, the banjo is actually a West African instrument. Plus, most Americans have a terrible tendency to separate Southern musical culture into unreliable social and political categories, which is a disastrous thing to do, and leads to obviously ridiculous contradictions.įor example, the banjo (and banjo music) is a phenomenon that in contemporary times is associated with poor rural Southern whites. Wait, what? How could a professional musician and composer get those two things mixed up? The answer, of course, is found hiding behind our 21st century misconceptions as to what 19th century music actually sounded like. Although he was fascinated, inspired, and moved by traditional Southern folk music, Dvorak complained that he simply couldn’t tell the difference between Scottish music and Negro music. The Czechoslovakian composer Antonin Dvorak moved to the United States in 1892, and immersed himself in American music while composing his New World Symphony. They need ways to release their energy, and a game of hopscotch is the perfect solution.I need to tell you one story in order to tell you another. Strategic ThinkingĪlthough hopscotch certainly isn’t difficult to learn, it does require a bit of strategic thinking to get better at it.Īs the game progresses, the marker moves around, and kids need to change their strategies accordingly. Balance and ControlĪiming the marker to land on the correct square, jumping on all the right squares, keeping balance, picking up the marker, and so much more.Īll of these activities combined into one exciting game helps kids to improve their balance and coordination, and makes them more agile overall. They learn how to deal with others in a fun and entertaining, yet semi-competitive, environment. This obviously gets kids to learn to be more social. The first person to pick up their marker from every square on the board wins the game.Īlthough you can certainly play hopscotch by yourself, with the same rules, most kids will play this game with a bunch of friends, schoolmates, or neighbors.Once you have completed the playing field, repeat steps 1-3, tossing the marker onto each square in order.You still have to skip the square, even after you get your marker. You must do this while standing in the square next to the one with the marker in it. On the return trip, you have to pick up your marker.You can usually set both feet down and turn around without worrying about stepping out of bounds. The 10th spot is often considered a free space or a rest point. When you reach ten, you have to turn around and hop back to the start the same way.If you miss a square, fall, or touch a line, you lose your turn. For double squares (4,5 and 7,8), use two feet. For single squares (1,2,3,6,9), use one foot.Hop on all the squares that don’t have the marker in them.If you get it in the square, you move on to the next step. If you miss the square, you lose your turn. The marker has to land and stay in the square.
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