Black British History and Folk Songs
This Black History resource was written for us in 2023 by Angeline Morrison. Angeline’s The Sorrow Songs (Folk Songs of Black British Experience) was The Guardian’s folk album of the year in 2022: ‘dazzling... a living catalogue of Black British folk song... a startling record of resistance, rebellion and celebration’.
With this resource, Angeline investigates the UK’s hidden histories of people of African origin. The descendants of these people live in Britain today. We explore their ancestors’ relationship to traditional songs that are still sung in Britain.
We have designed this resource:
– to acknowledge and celebrate the contribution of black people to life in Britain
– to expand and develop interpretations of English folk music
– and to encourage learning about and from different perspectives: showing how folk songs, and the stories they tell, can speak to all people regardless of background or heritage. Learners are encouraged to work with traditional songs in creative ways to develop new interpretations and understandings.
This resource is aimed at Upper Key Stage 3, 4 and 5 (age 14 and over). It can be used to support learning in and across a variety of curriculum areas, including music, English, drama, history, performing arts, citizenship, PSHE (Personal, Social & Health Education).
Note: It is common practice to update the words of folk songs as times, communities, and situations change – so do feel free to adapt them to suit the young people and context in which you teach. It is also common practice to change the key in which they are sung to suit voices and accompaniment. The beauty of folk songs is their flexibility and communal ownership – so enjoy making these your own!
Photo: Sara Forbes Bonetta by Camille Silvy, 1862, public domain.
You might also be interested in our resource Black Singers and Folk Ballads, which was written by musician and singer Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne in 2020. And our earlier resource Black Sailors and Sea Shanties from 2015, written by Carla Brown, with song arrangements by artists Adriano Adewale and Hazel Askew.
Supplementary reading: To learn more about the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Folk Music, Pearson interviewed Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne and Rachel Elliott (Education Director) in June 2023.
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