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Music and Dance in Old Deerfield, January 16, 2005

"Music in Early New England," a January 16 Hands-on History family program at Historic Deerfield, will feature contra dance music by high school museum interns and lessons in dancing, wind instruments and creating a simple instrument.

Heather Wick, a member of the Historic Deerfield high school internship program, will play the fiddle with her band, "Legal Contraband," and Eleanor Lincoln, another intern, will assist in helping families learn how to contra dance. Matthew Behnke, an elementary school teacher, will lead workshops on making instruments and Ethan Plunkett, a Vermont man with 15 years of contra dance experience, will serve as the caller for the dance.
Activities will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at Historic Deerfield's Hall Tavern, an 18th century building on Main Street, Deerfield. Historic Deerfield is a museum of early New England history and decorative arts. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for youth, with under six free. Admission includes free tours of Barnard and Frary House and Flynt Center of Early New England Life, all on Main Street, Deerfield.

"This program takes an entertaining approach to learning. Adults and children can learn how music enhanced life in the past and hear and dance to tunes played in the early 1800s," said Philip Zea, president of Historic Deerfield. "Most importantly, the program showcases the talents of our teen interns."

Teen interns working with museum educators planned the program. Since the spring, Historic Deerfield has operated a high school internship program where 10 students from area high schools assist during events and learn about the museum.
Wick is a senior at Amherst Regional High School and plays fiddle, banjo and mandolin. Lincoln is a senior at Northampton High School and plays violin and viola. They are both experienced musicians and contra dancers, a traditional form of New England dancing that is different from country line dancing.

Wick said her band will play some very old tunes, including "Jefferson and Liberty," a song written for Thomas Jefferson's presidential campaign.

Plunkett, who lives in South Strafford, Vermont, will give a dance lesson from 2-2:30 p.m. The band will play in the Hall Tavern Ballroom from 2-4 p.m.

Behnke will lead workshops on instrument making at 1, 1:30 and 3 p.m. in the Hall Tavern Orientation Theater. Behnke will use recycled materials such as PVC tubing and soda bottles to create a membraerophone, a reed like instrument that plays like a flute. "It's impossible not to make a sound from one of these hand-made instruments. Kids find building them very gratifying," Behnke said.
Visitors will also be able to explore musical instruments and learn about a variety of historical instruments and their contemporary counterparts. This activity will take place from 1-4 p.m. in the Hall Tavern North Parlor.

Historic Deerfield, founded in 1952, is a nationally recognized outdoor history museum. The museum focuses on the history and culture of the Connecticut River Valley. Historic Deerfield also offers dining and lodging at the 19th century Deerfield Inn and shopping at the Museum Store.

Page originally posted 01/04/05

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