Are you a Candidate for the Community Folklife Documentation Institute?
The candidate for participation in the Community Folklife Documentation Institute should be a lifelong or long-term resident of the community that is the subject of documentation. If the topic is African American traditional music, then the ideal candidate will be a member of a local African American community that has an active African American musical performance tradition located in churches, homes, schools or in publicly accessible venues such as parks, recreation centers and even on the streets. The community may also have a collective memory of the dynamics of musical traditions in their locale’s history. Candidates display local knowledge about the documented tradition and are eager to develop that knowledge and interest.
Candidates need to have sufficient personal time to devote to attending meetings and workshops, conducting interviews, transcribing tapes and creating media products, up to two to three weekends a month for six to eight months.
Candidates should be prepared to read lengthy interview transcripts and informative articles about their community’s musical traditions.
Candidates should have access to a car, telephone, and ideally, to a computer. CFDI provides documentary digital equipment during the CFDI year. Although candidates will receive a small stipend, they should be willing to view their assignments as necessary coursework for a class in digital documentation.
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The Community Folklife Documentation Institute
September, 2011-May, 2012
Help Create the African American Music Trail
Do you live in Edgecombe, Greene, Jones, Lenoir, Nash, Pitt, Wayne or Wilson County?
Do you know and love the music of your community?
Do you listen to people’s stories?
Do you want the world to take notice of your African American musical heritage?
Then check this out...
CFDI Highlights
- The Community Folklife Documentation Institute (CFDI) will meet one weekend each month from September—May in Greenville, NC and in Goldsboro, NC.
- Residents of Edgecombe, Greene, Jones, Lenoir, Nash, Pitt, Wayne and Wilson counties are eligible to participate.
- Accepted applicants pay no fees and receive a stipend with successful completion of CFDI. CFDI does NOT provide college credit.
- Professional documentarians serve as instructors and mentors.
- Instruction uses digital equipment that is accessible and affordable. CFDI provides equipment for project development.
 The 2011-2012 Community Folklife Documentation Institute (CFDI) focuses on the documentation and presentation of the African American Music Trail, an eight county project designed to stimulate cultural tourism in Eastern North Carolina through the celebration of the region’s rich and unique African American musical heritage.
The Trail connects places and people in order to commemorate African American music in Eastern North Carolina and to inspire residents and visitors to celebrate, sustain and perpetuate the region’s vital musical history and traditions.
Over 100 musicians and sites have been documented so far, but more are waiting! CFDI offers local citizens the opportunity to participate in the making of the trail through the practice of documentary skills and the creation of digital products that will present and promote authentic stories and sites that make musical culture in eastern NC so unique and special.
Learn how to:
- Conduct interviews with audio recorders
- Take excellent digital photographs
- Make sound/slide presentations for websites and exhibits
- Create short videos with affordable editing software
How it works:
 Southern Harmonaires of Nashville, NC
- CFDI provides a monthly series of weekend documentary workshops at the Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge Gallery in Greenville (July—December), and at the Arts Council of Wayne County in Goldsboro (February—May). Workshops meet at 10:00 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.
- Participants work on specific assignments after each monthly workshop, building skills and interview experience.
- Mentors are on hand to discuss strategies and offer technical assistance.
- Participants complete one project each semester and receive a $500 stipend upon completion of each project. The first semester, participants team up to practice interview skills and photography, producing digital sound/slide/text presentations. The second semester, participant teams practice video interviews and edit a short video presentation.
- All qualified completed CFDI projects will become part of the promotional web materials for the African American Music Trail.
- Participants must attend all workshops and complete their projects. CFDI charges no tuition. CFDI will pay for travel costs to the workshops and provide lunch.
About CFDI…
 Blues guitarist and singer George Higgs grew up in Speed, Edgecombe County. (Cedric N. Chatterley, photographer) The Community Folklife Documentation Institute is a joint project of the North Carolina Folklife Institute, the North Carolina Arts Council, the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission and the North Carolina Folklore Society. Now in its fourth cycle, CFDI is partnering with the Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge and with the Wayne County Arts Council this year.
CFDI provides a teaching and learning experience dedicated to the documentation of local culture and community folklife—the traditions of artistic expressions centered in home, church, community and occupation that make life meaningful.
CFDI is funded in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the North Carolina Humanities Council, and the North Carolina Arts Council.
Click here for faculty bios.
Downloads and Links:
    
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