“those terrible songs”: Laura E. Richards’s Ditties and the Education of Boys

Songs—singing and composing—were a staple in Laura Richards’s life. Her mother taught her songs, and she taught them to her own children, who found them “terrible” (Stepping Westward 245) at times, however. I want to pursue the educational and entertaining ideal of teaching songs to children, partic...

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Main Author: Ralph J. Poole
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: European Association for American Studies 2024-12-01
Series:European Journal of American Studies
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Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/22896
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author Ralph J. Poole
author_facet Ralph J. Poole
author_sort Ralph J. Poole
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description Songs—singing and composing—were a staple in Laura Richards’s life. Her mother taught her songs, and she taught them to her own children, who found them “terrible” (Stepping Westward 245) at times, however. I want to pursue the educational and entertaining ideal of teaching songs to children, particularly boys, and speculate about Richards’s pedagogical intentions to enhance gendered notions of behavior and identity through her compositions. My readerly quest is to show that her songs, especially those in her collection The Hottentott and Other Ditties (1939), offer non-hegemonic models and gender-fluid potential for envisioning boyhood.
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spelling doaj-art-85047143463242aa8e383c6ecfdf230b2025-01-06T09:11:19ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362024-12-0119410.4000/12wav“those terrible songs”: Laura E. Richards’s Ditties and the Education of BoysRalph J. PooleSongs—singing and composing—were a staple in Laura Richards’s life. Her mother taught her songs, and she taught them to her own children, who found them “terrible” (Stepping Westward 245) at times, however. I want to pursue the educational and entertaining ideal of teaching songs to children, particularly boys, and speculate about Richards’s pedagogical intentions to enhance gendered notions of behavior and identity through her compositions. My readerly quest is to show that her songs, especially those in her collection The Hottentott and Other Ditties (1939), offer non-hegemonic models and gender-fluid potential for envisioning boyhood.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/22896musicLaura E. Richardssongsboyhood education
spellingShingle Ralph J. Poole
“those terrible songs”: Laura E. Richards’s Ditties and the Education of Boys
European Journal of American Studies
music
Laura E. Richards
songs
boyhood
 education
title “those terrible songs”: Laura E. Richards’s Ditties and the Education of Boys
title_full “those terrible songs”: Laura E. Richards’s Ditties and the Education of Boys
title_fullStr “those terrible songs”: Laura E. Richards’s Ditties and the Education of Boys
title_full_unstemmed “those terrible songs”: Laura E. Richards’s Ditties and the Education of Boys
title_short “those terrible songs”: Laura E. Richards’s Ditties and the Education of Boys
title_sort those terrible songs laura e richards s ditties and the education of boys
topic music
Laura E. Richards
songs
boyhood
 education
url https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/22896
work_keys_str_mv AT ralphjpoole thoseterriblesongslauraerichardssdittiesandtheeducationofboys