New Partnership: Ballad of America
Ballad of America Inc. new partner for the Music Diplomacy Week program.
Ballad of America Inc. is a nonprofit with the mission to preserve and celebrate music from America’s diverse cultural history. What people from Ballad of America Inc. likes to say is that they had experienced how music brings people together, transcending age and ethnicity, to foster understanding and create community. They believed that music connects people to the beauty and good that has arisen from the country’s often troubled history.
Similarly to Voices of the Americas Heritage Institute, Ballad of America Inc. envisions an engaged and informed citizenry that respects people of varying backgrounds and appreciates how different cultures have contributed to America’s musical landscape.
Founded by Matthew Sabatella, in 2023 Ballad of America, Inc. and its founder were honored with a citation from the National Federation of Music Clubs, the largest nonprofit in America promoting and supporting American music, performers, and education. Sabatella, serving as Vice President of the Southeast regional chapter of Folk Alliance International (SERFA) and leading the Roots & Sources committee, ensures that traditional folk music retains a prominent place at the annual conference and within the organization.
Ballad of America Inc. is joining forces with the Voices of the Americas Heritage Institute for the Music Diplomacy Week, a Pan-American exchange program and music boot camp that aims to promote intercultural understanding through music.
Ballad of America Inc. is very active in multiple activities:
- researching, writing, and cataloging new articles, videos, and other resources related to America’s music in their free, ever-expanding, browsable Music Library;
- developing resources to help teachers, both traditional and home school, integrate music and United States history;
- making sing-along recordings, lead sheets, and more to facilitate the singing of American folk songs by people of all ages;
- developing live multimedia programs to entertain, inspire, and inform people of all ages. Delivered both in-person and online.
