The Language of Folk 2: Vocal Book & CD

These songs carry the character of real singers passing down real stories, with the kind of emotional restraint and rhythmic freedom that distinguishes folk from other vocal traditions. You'll hear the difference between affected "period" singing and authentic folk delivery, partly through the young singers on the CD and partly through the ornamentation work the book teaches.

This collection serves established folk singers who need quality material that respects the genre's traditions alongside singers discovering folk for the first time. Directors building a folk-focused ensemble or threading folk songs into a broader choral program will find both the pedagogical structure and the CD support invaluable.

• Listen to the CD performances multiple times before teaching the melody; folk singing relies on subtle timing and inflection that transcribes poorly to the page.
• Encourage singers to sing along with the backing tracks early in rehearsal to lock the phrasing, then remove the track to build independence.
• Use the contextual notes in the book to discuss regional variation and historical context; folk singers sing with more conviction when they understand the story.
• Have singers practice the ornamentation exercises in the introduction as part of warm-ups so embellishment becomes muscle memory rather than an afterthought.

Build a standalone folk concert using songs from this collection, or weave individual pieces into winter or spring concerts alongside art songs and choral standards to show singers different vocal palettes. The graded progression also works well for a semester-long folk elective or after-school ensemble where students can work at their own pace.

• Ornamentation and embellishment appropriate to folk idiom
• Rhythmic flexibility and lyrical phrasing conventions in folk song
• Chord reading and harmonic accompaniment from figured bass
• Regional and historical context for British Isles vocal traditions
• Listening and imitation skills developed through recorded models
• Unaccompanied singing and control of pure vocal tone