Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Gender representation in traditional Appalachian old time fiddling
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
For generations, traditional Appalachian old time fiddling has been dominated by males. Only a few extremely talented female fiddlers were recognized for their fiddling prior to the 1990’s. Fiddle contest records from Galax, Virginia and Clifftop, West Virginia display an extreme shift in more recent years, with a growing number of female fiddlers being honored for their artistry. This presentation will highlight the women who broke through the gender barriers historically and the women who have inspired the shift in gender representation more recently.
Abstract: Appalachian old time fiddling was once dominated by males but, in more recent years, an extreme shift in the number of females winning fiddle contests suggests a change in gender representation.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Aisha is an award-winning fiddler, teacher and researcher. She started and directs The Old Time Ensemble class at Florida State University, a class that focuses on Appalachian old-time music and dance. Aisha is a past recipient of the Appalachian Digital Archives Fellowship and the Berea College Special Archives maintains the collection of her research on migrations of Appalachian Old Time fiddling styles. She is a current doctoral student in music education at FSU.
Gender representation in traditional Appalachian old time fiddling
For generations, traditional Appalachian old time fiddling has been dominated by males. Only a few extremely talented female fiddlers were recognized for their fiddling prior to the 1990’s. Fiddle contest records from Galax, Virginia and Clifftop, West Virginia display an extreme shift in more recent years, with a growing number of female fiddlers being honored for their artistry. This presentation will highlight the women who broke through the gender barriers historically and the women who have inspired the shift in gender representation more recently.
Abstract: Appalachian old time fiddling was once dominated by males but, in more recent years, an extreme shift in the number of females winning fiddle contests suggests a change in gender representation.
