The people living in the Appalachian Mountains are sometimes called hillbillies(乡下人). The first settlers there came from the province of Ulster in Ireland, and they     1     (bring) their folk music with them. This music,     2     (mix) with the blues(布鲁斯音乐), became hillbilly music.

Later,     3     hillbilly music became more popular, it     4     (call) country music. Country songs are often sad stories of love and broken hearts. In the 1920s, people listened to country music on the radio. Not all country people were farmers. Many worked in the factories. They also loved country music, and it became     5     music of the working class.

During the 1930s, America had many economic problems. Workers expressed their troubles     6     (use) the folk music of the time. Folk songs are like country songs but they are     7     (tradition) and more serious.

During the 1950s, folk music gained its     8     (popular) again. Martin Luther King wanted to improve     9     (life) of African Americans. He led several marches to change the laws in the USA. The marchers sang old folk songs like We Shall Overcome.

In the 1960s, many people were     10     the war in Vietnam. Folk singers like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez wrote anti­war songs and other songs about the problems of American society. Folk music continues to be the most political of all music in America.

3 . “There may be no more powerful method of learning than through music, and no more important lessons for children than those that focus on character and social and emotional skills,” according to clinical psychologist (临床心理学家) and author Don MacMannis, Ph.D., who is a music director and songwriter for the hit children’s series Jay Jay the Jet Plane.

MacMannis has developed over 40 songs in a variety of types that help kids with everything from being confident and managing their feelings to respecting others and understanding responsibility.

To test the 40 songs’ effects on school kids, a study involved 320 first­ and second­grade students from 16 classrooms at schools in Santa Barbara and Goleta, California. Kids were given a CD, and then received nine lessons using songs and activities from trained college students. The themes were: Friendship and Reaching Out, Respect and Caring, Celebrating Differences, Expressing and Managing Feelings, Communication and Conflict, Positive Thinking, Dealing with Fears, Best Effort, and Manners and Review.

To test the efficiency of the intervention (介入), teachers completed the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) for each child four times in one year along with other assessments about the classroom. The college students who taught the lessons, the school’s principal and the children’s parents all provided feedback as well.

Both first and second graders showed a variety of improvements, including “approaching peers, understanding and using the Golden Rule, settling conflicts by talking out feelings, staying on tasks and having a positive attitude,” according to MacMannis. Second graders also “showed improvements on concentration and self­control.”

Music is a great way to engage your kids in powerful lessons, such as teaching them social and emotional skills. “Music makes complex concepts more accessible and enjoyable. It assists the progress of language learning. Cheerful or inspirational music also may improve cognitive (认知的) abilities. Music appears to light up various regions of the brain related to language, hearing and motor control,” MacMannis said.

6 . Maestro Martins, from Brazil, fell in love with the piano when he learned to play at the age of eight. He then went on to become a famous classical pianist. His life was devoted to the piano. However, in 1965, this musician suffered an injury that left him with damage in one arm. Martins could play with one hand but suffered from a neurological (神经系统的) problem. This resulted in a lack of good control of his hands.

Determined to recover and play the piano, he went through 24 operations. None of the procedures worked. Yet he pursued his love of music and he became a composer. Martins travelled the world as a composer with some of the best European and American orchestras (管弦乐队).

His life then took a beautiful turn. Industrial designer Ubiratan Bizarro Costa came up with a solution for him, presenting Martins with a pair of bionic (仿生的) gloves. The black gloves Save iron rods made with a 3D printer, so after a finger is lowered onto a piano key, the gloves assist it to spring back.

With tears streaming down his face, Martins felt true gratitude as he started to play his favorite piano. “To be able to use all ten fingers again more than 20 years later is a miracle for me at the age of 80,” Martins said. It gave Martins pause to simply appreciate one’s fingers for all the work, creativity, and skills they could offer. And now Martins’ dream has actually come true; he has been reunited with his beloved piano; his fingers are now flying across the keys merrily.

As for Bizarro, he plans to produce and export his bionic gloves. His discovery may renew hope for many people around the world. Some people will be able to use their fingers once again. His invention will show how emotional, creative, and inspiring one’s fingers can actually be.

7 . The Core

You’ll learn where your favorite singers and musicians grew up and discover how their famous songs were written and how their videos were produced. Find out about their journey to fame (名气), and get some advice on what makes a good concert! There’s all you ever wanted to know about famous musicians!

Rhythm­Studio

Get your body moving in the studio and learn to move to rhythms (节奏) and sounds from the past to now, including soul and disco. Learn your steps from our professional onscreen dance instructor, then watch your performance and become the star in your own video recording which you can take away!

Rave­on

If you want to learn new skills on the guitar, drums and keyboard, it’s the best place for you! Follow the touch­screen instructions to find lessons for each instrument, or search for a song to practice playing along to. Try our Professional Selection, with videos of band members who will explain the skills that make their recordings so individual (独特的).

Show­in­a­day

Be a star singer or dancer for the day in a one­time­only special performance! Experts in international music and dance styles will train you, and costumes (服装) provided for the performance help create a really special, individual show. Get your friends and family to come and see you perform, as no videoing or photography is allowed.

10 . A recent story on TikTok showed how two neighbors found companionship (陪伴) and a new spirit in life during COVID-19, thanks to a shared love of the piano.

The heartbreaking story started when Giorgio Lo Porto heard his neighbor playing the piano through their dividing wall. Lo Porto is an Italian living in London. He reached out to his neighbor and left a note, saying if he or she could play My Heart Will Go On. The mystery neighbor agreed, suggesting they play together. Over time the music between two complete strangers became a regular weekend engagement(约会).

A week later, the pair finally met and “it was better than expected,” shared Lo Porto. The mystery pianist happened to be a78-year-old Polish man named Emil. “He lost his wife in December due to COVID-19 and all he has been left is the piano. And he plays at 2 p.m. every weekend because his wife loved it,” shared Lo Porto.

While Emil didn’t want to appear on any of the videos, he did share his thankfulness to Lo Porto for keeping him motivated during a most emotional and lonely time.When the pair offered each other company, Emil also inspired Lo Porto to continue writing his own song. And Emil reported being happier after playing music with Lo Porto and was thankful to those who watched their performance.

The bittersweet story shows the unbelievable influence two complete strangers can have on each other. Emil moved out at the end of February. Lo Porto wrote, “Dear Emil, you changed my life. You gave me back my passion (激情)，and we shared that with the world. You’ll be in my heart. I’ll keep playing, thinking of how powerful music can be. You said I was your light, but you’ve been mine too. Bye, Emil.”