Over the last few weeks, we’ve highlighted the work our High School Summer Interns have undertaken. From exploring the Library’s reading rooms and exhibitions, to speaking with representatives from the Congressional Research Service and Professional Learning and Outreach Initiatives, these teens learned about the work the Library does every day to ensure the collections are safe and accessible to the public.
While learning about the Library, the interns dove into the collections it holds. They explored the digital and physical items, were taught how best to search for primary sources online, and how to request materials in person. They also previewed items that will be on display in the The Source: Creative Research Studio for Kids, the Library’s new education center. Below, these interns shared what they found in the Library’s collections and how it these items that focus on entertainment and leisure spoke to them. Through videos, music, and photos these collections sparked a connection with the Library’s High School interns.
Music as Entertainment
“This is the first recording of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”, from 1924. I first heard “Rhapsody in Blue” on vinyl at my friend’s house. From the first long clarinet trill, to the grand trumpet finale, I was lost in the music. It opened my ears and my eyes not only to the world of jazz but classical music as a whole!
When “Rhapsody in Blue” first debuted in 1924, it made George Gershwin an international sensation. “Rhapsody in Blue” was unprecedented in that it utilized African-American jazz motifs Gershwin encountered in 1920’s New York and masterfully blended it with what he knew about European music.
This first recording of “Rhapsody in Blue” is incredible because George Gershwin himself is the one playing accompaniment on piano! Can you hear him throughout the piece as it is being played? How does the music make you feel?
In works like “Rhapsody in Blue”, “An American in Paris”, and later his opera “Porgy and Bess”, Gershwin was able to create a distinctly American sound and elevate it to audiences worldwide. What types of music do you think embody American sound now?”
– Anthony Zhao
“When I looked at the original sheet music for “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” I was surprised by how much of the song we no longer hear. Today, most fans (including myself), only know the chorus— “Take me out to the ball game, take me out with the crowd” —but the full song from 1908 is much longer and tells a vivid story that’s often forgotten. The verses introduce Katie Casey, a young woman who loves baseball so much that she begs her date to take her to the game instead of the theater. In 1908, this was seen as bizarre because, at the time, sports like baseball were seen as part of the male realm, rather than the female one. In the sheet music version in the Library of Congress collection, she is described as “baseball mad”, someone who “had the fever and had it bad.” That part of the song is rarely heard today, but it adds depth to what has become a ballpark tradition. Even if you have heard of Katie Casey, you might not know this fictional character was based on a real-life baseball fan. Some historians speculate she was based on the song-writer’s girlfriend! As you explore this sheet music further, think about the rest of the song and how you have experienced baseball games. What would your version of a baseball song include?”
– Cacelie Gooden
“I’ve always wanted to attend a music festival—there’s something that seems so magical about gathering to enjoy performances and connect with others over a shared love of music. Browsing through the items featured in the Source gave me an unexpected opportunity to peer into the experiences that music festivals provide.
In “Fan Fair, Nashville,” photographer JD Sloan captures dozens of children at the 1973 Fan Fair, a country music festival held in Nashville, Tennessee. The moment I saw this photo, I immediately wondered whose performance they were watching. Although I was unable to find the full lineup from that year, Fan Fair has hosted countless country music legends. With huge artists like Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn present, it’s notable that Sloan trains his camera on the children in the audience. What do you think makes everyday subjects such as these just as valuable to photograph?
Fan Fair is actually still held today under the name CMA Fest! What would your dream music festival lineup be? To get started, explore the country music performances available on the Library of Congress’ website, including this 2010 recording, which features some country artists I listen to today. It’s a wonderful reminder of how the American tradition of country music has endured, its legacy preserved by photographs like Sloan’s—images that allow kids like me to see themselves in faces captured more than fifty years ago.”
– Jade Liu
Leisure Activities and Food
“Whether it was a trip to the ice cream shop with my grandfather or a fro-yo run with friends, I could never turn down a frozen treat, especially during the summer. With the amount of custard I was eating, I started to have some questions. What was in it? Where did it come from? How was it made? I began to research and came across some older recipes, but I wanted something more recent. I was thrilled to find my answer during my internship, where I learned about it in the Source! “The Story of Ice Cream”, was produced in 1940 by the Breyer Ice Cream Company, a name I recognized from the frozen aisle of the grocery store. This film took me straight through the process, From the science of processing cream to the freezing and packaging of the finished product (5:22). What shocked me the most was how the narrator made it seem so healthy: calling it “nutritious” and highlighting the fresh fruit used for flavor at (2:30). I’d never heard that in a modern ice cream commercial! Although the way we think about ice cream has clearly changed over the years, this film helped me understand my favorite summer treat! Want to see more ice cream throughout history? Check out this collection of ice cream pics throughout the decades.”
– Cameron Jones
“As a DC resident, this odd scene caught my eye when browsing collection items to be included in The Source. The photo is titled The Perilous Ride by the Platt Brothers and the name does an apt job at describing my thoughts when seeing a man ride down steps on an 1880s era “American Star” bicycle. However, these are not any old steps: they are none other than the front steps of the US Capitol Building! This 1884 image was taken to document the rider, Will Robertson, completing a stunt that would have been borderline impossible with the common bike model at the time, the penny-farthing. The penny-farthing looks like a backwards American Star, just with the large wheel in the front and the small wheel in the back which made it considerably harder to control. However the history of the bicycle goes back much further than this photo. The first bicycles were in Germany around the 1820s. As they surged into popularity in the decades following, bikes evolved into all different kinds of sizes and shapes that look nothing like the modern bicycle we see and ride today . This image, and the history behind it, was fascinating to me because I have grown up surrounded by bicycles. My dad’s great-uncle had a bicycle museum full of contraptions that looked like the one in the picture, and my older brother is passionate about cycling, leaving me intrigued by all-things bicycle. So, I urge you to join me and get outside on a bike ride, though preferably not down the steps of any government buildings if you can help it!”
– Maria Joyce-Johnson
These teens found the many ways that fun can be found in the collections materials featured in The Source. Throughout this summer, the High School Interns identified items from the Library that featured literature, poetry, and art as well as personal journeys that inspired them. Take your own look through the Library’s collections and see what you can find. What speaks to you? What can you do with the Library?
Comments
Loved this blog about teens’ perspectives on LOC various collections and how materials housed in the LOC “speak” to the teens on an individual basis. To interact with the teens’ thoughts, amongst other actions, I clicked the link to listen more carefully to Gershwin’s piano in Rhapsody In Blue and attempted to read the full lyric on the sheet music of, “ Take Me Out To The Ballgame.”