My Travels with Cecil -- A Guide for Teachers

THE PLAY: MY TRAVELS WITH CECIL by R. Rex Stephenson. Folk songs are the backbone of American music. And since our people came from all over the world, so did our folk songs. "My Travels With Cecil" dramatizes the true story of Cecil Sharp's journey to discover English ballads still surviving in America. In 1916, Sharp and his secretary Maud Karpeles traveled throughout the Appalachian Mountains in search of folk songs that had originally been sung in Britain, but had since disappeared from their oral tradition. This play recounts Sharp's desperate search for a song that has haunted him since his youth, "Soldier Boy." The play is ideal for touring. It features numerous songs Sharp collected along with several dances. It might be good to mention that without Mr. Sharp's work these songs would now be lost to the world. Great for groups who tour to schools. THE STUDY GUIDE -- Has been prepared by Dr. Jody D. Brown to compliment any production of the play MY TRAVELS WITH CECIL, and to provide expert scholarship on the subject of Cecil Sharp's travels in America.