WPR Music asked our hosts what they listen to on their off-time. Stephanie Elkins, host of “Morning Classics,” wrote about her love of listening to and playing folk music.
I lived in Honolulu, Hawaii for a year while my father served in Vietnam. My mother, who was a music teacher, found a job that year at Lanikai Elementary School on the other side of the island, where my siblings and I attended.
I was in the sixth grade, but awfully young — only 9 years old — and very shy. That all changed in the first week of class thanks to the power and community inherent in folk music.
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My teacher, Mr. Corrigan, offered free guitar lessons after school. We learned some old labor songs, Vietnam War protest songs (“Where Have all the Flowers Gone,” “Blowin’ in the Wind,” etc.) and lots of traditional American folk songs. We learned to sing and play simultaneously and do so as part of a larger group.
It was an uplifting and healing undertaking for a scared young girl in a new school, worried about her father. It helped me feel part of something. I belonged, and making music with others felt great.
I didn’t understand the meaning of all the lyrics until I was a little older, and by then I was hooked on folk. Starting that first year, I played and sang folk music nonstop — in the car as we crossed the Pali mountain pass to and from school, in our shared bedroom, and often in harmony with my sister and brother. Folk music became my way of finding community, of connecting with my people.
At WPR, I had the privilege of hosting “Simply Folk” for six years, which gave me the opportunity to catch up with the current folk, Americana and bluegrass scene. A thriving one! I have many new favorites, but when I pick up a guitar at home, I’m more likely to play “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” by Peter, Paul and Mary.
