By LEIGH C. MERRIFIELD
News & Journal Editor
Not all learning experiences take place in the classroom. And this is something Harrison County students are discovering!
The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame’s Traveling Museum is “on the road again” and visiting schools in all of the state’s 55 counties in addition to making stops at numerous fairs and festivals. A few stopovers have already been made at several Harrison County schools, including Adamston, North View and Simpson Elementary as well as Nutter Fort Intermediate. Today this innovative traveling museum will pull in at Norwood Elementary and Mountaineer Middle School. Other schools in Harrison County are scheduled for visits in the upcoming weeks.
The WV Music Hall of Fame has partnered with the WV Department of Education to create this exhibit, which is both informative and historical. Students are enlightened about the rich history of music in the Mountain State by viewing historical photographs and documents and they become aware of the many styles of music that people from their home state have created … everything from country and traditional music to classical, rock, opera, blues, bluegrass and gospel!
According to Hall of Fame officials, visitors of all ages are intrigued by the overwhelming variety of music that has come from these WV musicians.
The school visits being made by the Traveling Museum have been made possible by a grant from The Sacred Heart Children’s Center.
The WV Music Hall of Fame’s Traveling Museum is a 28-foot, handicapped accessible trailer that houses even instruments and memorabilia from some of WV’s musicians. Some of the items on display include: Senator Robert C. Byrd’s prized fiddle, Kathy Mattea’s hand-embroidered jacket, Red Sovine’s Gibson J-45 acoustic guitar, Little Jimmy Dickens’ sequined “Nudie Suit”, and Harold Hayslett’s handmade demonstration cello.
The presentation also includes a session with the WV Music Hall of Fame’s “interactive map”, a state-of-the-art, county-by-county map of West Virginia that is viewed on a 40-inch touch screen monitor. Students can touch a county, they can access photos, bios and sound/video clip of notable musicians from throughout West Virginia.
Another interactive tool on board the Traveling Museum is the “Make Your Own CD” recording studio. People have the opportunity to record a song, singing a capella or accompanying themselves on guitar or keyboard (supplied by the Hall of Fame). As in an actual recording studio, they are able to take the recording of their performance home.
Other upcoming visits of the Traveling Museum in Harrison County include the following stops:
– Tues., Sept. 30th at Lumberport Elementary from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
– Tues., Oct. 14th at Bridgeport Middle School from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
– Thurs., Oct. 16th at Big Elm Elementary from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. and from 11:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. at Lumberport Middle School
– Tues., Oct. 28th at Johnson Elementary School from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. and from noon until 2 p.m. at Lost Creek Elementary School
– Thurs., Oct. 30th from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Salem Elementary School.
