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When planning for the second annual First Coast Folklife Exploration, I had decided to spotlight ¤ddle traditions in northern Florida. Even though bluegrass and country music is popular throughout Jacksonville, many Jacksonville residents know little about old-time, bluegrass, and western swing¤ddle traditions. I wanted the audience to appreciate the chance to listen to ¤ddlers who had rich and interesting experiences to share. I was fortunate to have written contracts with three ¤ddlers who had agreed to perform throughout the two-day event. Although they all had played festivals previously, workshop presentations were new to them. Over a series of phone conversations, I presented the idea of holding a workshop, and I explained to each of them that the upcoming workshop would consist of on-stage interviews, informal storytelling about their musical experiences,discussion of musical history and various styles of music, as well as the performance of a few tunes.1 All were cooperative and interested in this event, and they were looking forward to the opportunity to share their knowledge of Florida’s ¤ddle traditions. Unlike the stage performance genre of the ArtsManiafestivalwhereRichard and Jack performed, a workshop stage involves greater mediation by a presenter. Fortunately, I was able to contract the services of a past president of the Florida Fiddlers Association, Bob Stone, a folklorist who was working with the Florida Department of State’s Bureau of Florida Folklife Programs in White Springs. 33 3 Workshop  Late in the evening about sundown High on the hill above the town, Uncle Pen played the ¤ddle, Lord how it would ring, You could hear it talk, you could hear it sing. —Bill Monroe Bob plays old-time and Cajun ¤ddle, and I have also heard him play some ¤ne boogie-woogie piano as well as sacred steel guitar licks. Bob knows about the state’s ¤ddling traditions. He is a skilled presenter, having assisted with the state’s Florida Folk Festival for years. These types of presentations appeal to me because the presenter can help provide a more indepth understanding of the folk musicians’ artistry. His introductions, interviewing ,and commentary set the stage for the three ¤ddlers to present their own artistry, and Bob’s approach to leading the workshop brings out the strengths of the workshop genre. He understood my goal of showing historical continuities between Richard’s old-time ¤ddling tradition and other styles of music such as bluegrass and western swing. He recognized that his role is best played by allowing the musicians to tell their own stories and offer their own re®ections about music. Bob recognized that these ¤ddlers are all ¤ne storytellers and that their narratives would emerge naturally and spontaneously in their performances . Their stories provide opportunities to compare the experiences of individual musicians and suggest wider patterns of history and culture, thereby providing a wider context for understanding Richard’s life experiences as a Florida ¤ddler. This particular workshop session especially appeals to me because of the wonderful interactions among the musicians. They explore common experiences and re®ect on deeply held values associated with their musical life histories, and their collective commentary all supports Richard’s own re®ections .All of the ¤ddlers comment on and af¤rm each other’s stories.Storytelling is vibrant with the ¤ddling tradition, and the stories that are recorded during interviews take on a rich vitality when they are presented within the living context of a festival workshop. It is Saturday, April 3, 1993, and Bob is leading the workshop in Jacksonville ’s Museum of Science and History’s Carpenter Gothic Church. The wood frame building dates from the late nineteenth century, and it was donated as a gift to the museum.It is an icon of an important style of vernacular architecture in Florida, and the church is also used for small programs offered by the museum ’s educational department. It is located on the south bank of the St. Johns River, directly across from the Jacksonville Landing. Stage left, Bob is seated on a metal folding chair that I have positioned at the far side of the church’s chancel. He introduces the guest performers and orients the audience to the workshop format used in a folklife festival. Moving from his immediate right to complete the introductions of the musicians who are seated in a semicircle, Bob cleverly opens the show: “I’d have to use my calculator to add up the total years of ¤ddling we have here, probably about...

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