Kathleen Morrissey of the West Plains Council on the Arts and Cleo Cockrum of the Harlin Museum recently attended a statewide dulcimer workshop held April 10–11 at the Governor’s Office Building in Jefferson City.
The event brought together dozens of educators from across Missouri to explore the history and cultural significance of the dulcimer. Participants engaged in hands-on instruction with both the mountain dulcimer and the hammered dulcimer, while also learning practical strategies for incorporating these traditional instruments into classroom instruction to meet Missouri state curriculum objectives.
Cockrum and Morrissey have a history of promoting dulcimer education locally. In preparation for the Old-Time Music & Ozark Heritage Festival, held annually each October in West Plains, Morrissey, Cockrum, and Cockrum’s daughter, Naomi, previously constructed 25 cardboard dulcimers for use in a hands-on workshop. Building on that experience, they attended this year’s workshop seeking new ways to expand student engagement with the instrument beyond the annual festival.
“This workshop was not only informative, but also provides us with the inspiration and motivation to reexamine ideas for more ways to utilize the dulcimers,” said Cockrum.
The workshop was co-sponsored by the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Prairie Dulcimer Club. This inaugural “Dulcimer Day” concluded on April 11 with a public concert and community jam session.
The concert featured several championship-winning dulcimer musicians, who then led attendees in a lively jam session. The Capitol rotunda was filled with music throughout the day, creating a vibrant celebration of Missouri’s musical heritage.
As a result of the experience, the Harlin Museum and the West Plains Council on the Arts are exploring opportunities to expand dulcimer programming locally, including additional workshops and a possible summer dulcimer camp for youth.
