SHE SANG FOR THE MOUNTAINS by Shannon Hitchcock

Mountain Music, Dulcimer, Saving the Mountains and more. . . .

Join Shannon and me as we chat about her book SHE SANG FOR THE MOUNTAINS, the Story of Singer, Songwriter, Activist Jean Ritchie. We talk about what inspired her to write this book -- and three others in this series, how music is an integral part of this book and Jean Ritchie's life. We relate this to how mountain people (and all people) use music to make it through their days -- how important it was for so many things. We discuss the mountain/Appalachian dulcimer, the beautiful artwork by Sophie Page and much more!

SHE SANG FOR THE MOUNTAINS: THE STORY OF SINGER, SONGWRITER, ACTIVIST JEAN RITCHIE

From the cover, you can see that: 1. This is a beautiful book with unique art. 2. It is chock full of music. and 3. It's about someone who loved music and loved the mountains. 4.  Her name was Jean Ritchie and she was a singer, a songwriter, and an activist.  When you open the book, it delivers on every one of those "promises", telling a story of a girl, born in Kentucky who loved living in the Appalachian mountains. It tells of struggles, and how music became the balm for aching souls, but also the battle cry for changes that needed to happen. It tells how she became one of the greatest names in folk music, and how she impacted people and places with her words and her songs.

A Little Jam. . .(The Music Kind)

There are lots of great Jean Ritchie songs in the playlist in the links section. This is one of my favorites. If you watch the video and hear me share the story about the station wagon., this is one of the songs Daddy taught me when I was very young (long before we even had the station wagon), but it was definitely one of the ones we sang on those rides to Grandma and Uncle Jerry's or to Charlotte to see Uncle Billy and Aunt Peggy.  It's a quintessential folk song, and one that I think children will enjoy.  There is another fun one perfect for Halloween on the list called Skin and Bones.  It's loads of fun for the kiddos too!  Check those out and more on the playlists I've linked up below.

From a music teacher perspective, this song is perfect for teaching call and response songs, because this is a fabulous example where literally one singer states something, the other asks a question and then there is a reply.

If you're looking for more of the songs that Jean wrote, several of them are included in the playlist. (and I keep adding to it as I find things that are appropriate.)

Teacher Tips, Tricks and Topics

In the regular classroom, you could also teach any of the content in the music section as well, but here are some additional tips/topics for teaching this book: Also, just a note that this is one of four books about Appalachian storytellers/folk heroes.  You could teach them in conjunction as different forms of storytelling as the author presents them.  Or you can certainly focus on just this one book.

ART
Pay attention to the art!. Sophie Page uses 3D art to create the illustrations for this book and the others in the series.  Compare/find the similarities and differences in her illos for the 4 books.  Guide students to use some of the same media to creat 3D art.

ACTIVISM
What do you do when you don't agree with things that are happening in your community?  What are some actions Jean took?  What are some actions you could take?

(comprehension). What was Jean protesting?  Why? 
What is the significance of the title of the book?  Why did the author use that title?

ELA
Prepositional phrases 
There are lots of prepositional phrases in this book.  You could simply point them out and discuss or you could do a scavenger hunt kind of activity (Find 5 prepositional phrases in the book. Write them and draw a picture to match)  "in the Cumberland Mountains"  "on soft summer evenings" etc.

Onomatopoeia
This book is a great one for pointing out that onomatopeia doesn't always have to be sound effects in big font with exclamation marks. Those words can simply be embedded in the text: 
crackling fire
rumbling cars
roar of radios
strum of strings
etc.

Adjectives
There are many adjectives that could be pointed out, charted, drawn, etc.

Strong verbs
Look for the strong verbs and discuss how that makes the story stronger

Social Studies
Geography
Trace the places Jean traveled/lived on a map
Research Appalachia -- find it on a map


Natural resources -- Discuss the positives and negatives of coal mining
Women's roles in society (ie: she used a man's name to publish her songs -- why?) Has that changed?  How do you know?  Is that positive or negative?


Science
Water pollution -- analyze the lyrics of "Black Waters"
​Study water pollution in your own area

Science of Sound -- vibrations cause sound waves. (dulcimer strings, rain on the roof, etc.)

Tips and Topics for Music Teachers
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There are several topics you could address using this book as a jumping-off point:

1. Appalachian/mountain music -- discuss instrumentation, topics/subject matter, tone, form, etc.
2. Mountain dulcimer (specifically). Use videos, live performances (if applicable), diagrams, and hands-on demonstration (if available). Check the Pinterest board for diagrams, coloring sheets, etc. Check YouTube playlist for mountain dulcimer videos.
3. Folk music -- instrumentation, topics/subject matter, tone, form, etc.  If you decide on this you could point out that Appalachian music/mountain music is a subset of folk music.  (ie. mountain music is folk music, but folk music is not necessarily mountain music).
4. Jean Ritchie -- biographical study of Jean as a musician; listen to her music; timeline, compare her versions of songs to other artists/compare her dulcimer playing to others' playing.
5. Study the other folk music activists pictured in the book: Doc Watson, Woody Guthrie,  Carl Sandburg, and Pete Seeger

Writing Tips from Shannon

​1. Read your work aloud to yourself. When I'm writing my picture book biographies, I read the manuscripts aloud to myself over and over. I'm trying to capture a rhythm and make sure the language sings.  Any words that throw the rhythm off have to be replaced.

2. Keep an idea folder. There is nothing worse than a blank page and nothing to write about. To avoid that scenario, I keep a folder of possible story ideas.

3. I find a little pre-planning goes a long way, so when I'm starting a new project, I ask myself questions that I call the 5 Ws.

• Who is my main character?
• What needs to happen to him/her
• When Does the story take place?
• Where is my setting?
• Why does this story matter to anybody besides me?

Knowing the setting and the time period influences all the details I will use in the story, but probably the most important question is why the story matters.

Writing Prompts from Tonnye
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1. The author says Jean Ritchie heard music everywhere.  Do a music walk. Take a notebook or clipboard with you on a walk and write down all the music you hear. Write it as a poem.
2. Write a letter to your city council, county commissioners or other leaders in your community explaining something you think is not good for the community or the earth. Don't just tell what's wrong. Give them a couple of ideas for how it could be improved.
3. Write a song about how your community has changed.
4. Listen to several of Jean Ritchie's songs and write a letter to her telling her what you think of her songs.
5. Write a letter to the author telling her what you enjoyed about the book.
6. Research coal mining in Kentucky and write about how it affected the water of the area.
7. Read the book and write five comprehension questions  to check your friends' understanding of the book. Switch questions and see if you can answer each others' questions.
8. Listen to several dulcimer songs and write about how it sounds to you. Include onomatopoeia.
9. Research one of the other activist musicians mentioned in the illustration: Carl Sandburg, Woody Guthrie, Doc Watson or Pete Seeger and write the story of their life.
10. Write an acrostic poem using either "Jean Ritchie" or "dulcimer" or "Activist" or "Mountains" or "Music.

​Links, More Fun, Extensions for Families and Everyone!

YouTube playlist of Children's Songs and Games from the Southern Mountains sung by Jean Ritchie

YouTube playlist of videos of Jean Ritchie singing, playing dulcimer, teaching how to play the dulcimer and other videos that will support teaching, learning, and extending the book SHE SANG FOR THE MOUNTAINS by Shannon Hitchcock

Pinterest board full of links, activities, crafts, music lessons, interviews and more related to Jean Ritchie and/or the book SHE SANG FOR THE MOUNTAINS by Shannon Hitchcock

Teachers' Guide for SHE SANG FOR THE MOUNTAINS 

YouTube playlist of Mountain Dulcimer lessons

​YouTube playlist of Carl Sandburg's album Flat Rock Ballads





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Guest Links and Giveaways

 Insta: hitchcock_shannon
Website: https://shannonhitchcock.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/shannon.hitchcock.940


Goodreads link (for purchase options, click on the arrow beside "Buy on Amazon" to view several options)

Shannon has offered a free zoom visit to one lucky winner. If you'd like Shannon to zoom into your classroom to talk about this book (or her others), simply leave a comment below by 11:59 PM EST on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, and I will draw a winner!