A sample of my school program:

Performance title: Doug Harvey, “Songs of Revolution”
Grade level: 7-12
Curriculum tie-ins (KS Standards):
Geography: (G8B111) Locate major political features.
U.S. History: (U8B311) U.S. change over time through immigration; (U8B212) Impact of immigration on labor movement.
Cultural: (G8B212, E8B312) Impact of English/Irish/Scottish immigration on American culture.
World History: (W11B511) Impact of Scots on the Enlightment.

Instructional objectives:
• Students will develop a basic understanding of the history and culture of English-speaking peoples in the early modern Atlantic world.
• Students will learn of various uprisings and revolutions in the Atlantic world including the American Revolution.
• Students will develop an understanding of the oral tradition in folk music.
• Students will learn about the events precipitating Scottish and Irish immigration to the U.S. and its impact on American culture.
• Students will learn about impact of these events in Kansas and the central U.S, generally.
• Students will learn about Scottish and Irish contribution to Enlightenment ideology.
• Students will come to understand the distinctiveness of the music of these areas.

Instructional Plan

Introduction: Introduce myself, sing “Tae the Beggin’ I Will Go,” a Scottish song about the livelihood of the “beggarman,” whose numbers were greatly increased by the “enclosures” of the 17th century.

Song: Highland Laddie: Song dedicated to the “rightful king” – according to the Scots – represented in this song by Bonnie Prince Charley. After James II, the last of the Stuart kings of England, was convinced to leave the country for the sin of being a Catholic (his father had been beheaded), the German Hanovers eventually took the throne. The line of the Stuarts, a Scottish family, became leaders in resistance to Hanoverian rule, which was considered by many to be corrupt.  The Stuarts and their followers became known as "Jacobites," and they mounted a serious rebellion against King George II in 1745.

Song: Ye Jacobites by Name: Song from the point of view of the “Tories” and “Whigs,” opponents of the Jacobites.

Song: Betsy the Serving Maid: Song about a young woman who must go to work as a “serving maid” and, when the squire's son falls in love with her, is sold into indentured servitude in “Amerikay.”

Song: Arthur MacBride: Two Irish cousins encounter a small platoon of British soldiers on the beach.  The Sergeant tries to recruit them and a struggle ensues.  It captures the sense of resentment many Irish had toward the British, who relied on an "economic draft" to recruit soldiers -- go hungry or join the army, basically.

Song: Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye: Song with verses from several wars, a different version of “When Johnny Comes Marching Home.”  It's usually associated with the American Civil War, although it's older than that -- it's a testament to what war does to people.

Song: The Jolly Soldier: song about a returning veteran who convinces his reluctant father-in-law to include him in the will, in an unconventional way; includes the Irish jig, “The Blarney Pilgrim.”

Song: Battle of Trenton: The famous painting of “Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Benjamin West has a song – this one.  On Christmas night in 1776, Washington’s army crossed the ice-choked river from Philadelphia and attacked the Hessian mercenaries stationed there and took the town much to everyone's surprise, especially the Hessians.

Song: Thousands Are Sailing to Americay: The Irish adopted the potato, a Native American crop, as their main food source in the 18th century. In the mid- to late-1840s, the potato crop failed in Ireland, causing massive starvation and emigration, usually to America.  The British saw it as an opportunity to depopulate the island and Irish immigrants, along with the Chinese, built the transcontinental railroads in North America.

Song: Closer – Yankee Doodle: Americans in the early republic loved this song.  I play it in a way that attempts to harken back to the days of the early republic when audiences repeatedly demanded theater orchestras to play it and they would sing along.

This program lasts just under an hour.  There are many other songs that can be substituted or incorporated if the presenter wants more emphasis on the early republic, sea shanties and ballads, or the American Revolution.

Outcomes: I send out a set list with suggestions for class discussion so teachers can prepare the students for what they are about to hear.  I find this works the best because I typically don't have a lot of time onstage and the students have a wide variance in their knowledge and interest.

Availability:
Pretty flexible – I just need to have at least two weeks notice.

Doug Harvey: (785) 218-1712
tenstring@sunflower.com, dharvey8@jccc.edu