“Jack is Yet Alive:” The Ups and Downs of Reviving the Fiddle Music Tradition of the Shetland Islands November 1, 2012

Thursday, November 01, 2012 at 12:30 PM
“Jack is Yet Alive:” The Ups and Downs of Reviving the Fiddle Music Tradition of the Shetland Islands
Pamela Swing

The Shetland Islands of Scotland have a strong tradition of fiddle music that was almost lost until it began to be taught in local schools by fiddler and collector Tom Anderson, MBE. As Tom Anderson’s assistant, I was both witness and participant in developing the program. The program has been astoundingly successful—Shetland musical culture is thriving again, and many students have become internationally known musicians. In this lecture, I will discuss the implications of formalizing an orally transmitted music in the schools. The questions of what was taught, how it was taught, and for what purpose, are examined in order to reveal a picture of a tradition in progress.

After 39 years, educational budget cuts threaten the continuation of the fiddle teaching program. In the second half of the lecture, I will describe the efforts being made to keep the program going.