The Pressley Girls Bring Appalachian Culture to a Diverse Audience

The Appalachian Region

The Appalachian Mountains are home to a wide variety of cultural traditions, as well as traditional folk music. The Pressley Girls, two sisters from the Appalachian Region, have been showcasing their culture and traditional folk music through platforms such as YouTube. As two successful touring artists and musicians with a social media presence, the Pressley Girls offer valuable tips for student musicians, and reveal the importance of preserving traditional Appalachian folk music.

Corie (left) and Katie (right)

Why do you believe it is so important to continue to preserve historic folk music and Appalachian culture?

We grew up playing Appalachian music and living the culture. As time moves on, it is dying out, not many people play the music or preserve the traditions anymore and we want the culture and music to last as long as possible. I believe all cultures should be preserved. Think about it, wouldn't we all love to know more about Egyptian and Mayan cultures? Therefore, we want to preserve our culture as much as we can.

What instruments do each of you play?

Corie mainly plays guitar and some mandolin, and Katie mainly plays fiddle and some guitar.

How is learning traditional folk music on a string instrument different from learning classical strings instruments or other genres of music?

I think one of the main differences between learning Appalachian Music and Classical music is reading music. I think most Classical Musicians can read music but a lot of Appalachian Musicians do not. A lot of Traditional Musicians learn by another family member or friend just by watching them and listening to them. Katie and I cannot read music and learned to play by ear. I would say most Appalachian Musicians I know cannot read music, and play by ear like we do.

How have your backgrounds led to your interest and careers in music?

We grew up in a musical family where most everyone played an instrument. Our family had a band that we were around constantly, then when we were older we picked up instruments in our young teens and joined the band. We used to have this big stereo in our living room and we all had CDs in our cars and there was just music going constantly. It was always there.

How would a student interested in Appalachian music develop skills in this area if they only have exposure to classical orchestral music from their school music program? Are there any resources or camps that help students become familiar with this genre?

One great way for a student to learn Appalachian music who does not live in the region, is YouTube. There are many Appalachian Musicians on YouTube and teachers as well. I actually give beginning guitar lessons on Appalachian Music. Sometimes there are local places in one's community to learn. Katie and I learned a lot about music at the John C. Campbell Folk School which is close to us.

What are some of the different components of your music careers today, and how have they evolved since you began your YouTube presence?

Today, we play gigs, teach lessons, record music, make videos. When we first started out, we did not do any of this. We just played some tunes with our family and that was it. As we got older our mom actually made a YouTube channel for us but we did not actively decide to pursue it until December of 2020. Now Corie teaches guitar lessons and we made a CD in 2017 and are working on another.

How do you manage all the entrepreneurial aspects of your careers - YouTube, touring, content creation, songwriting, management, etc?

As far as managing all aspects of our career, we try to stay as organized as possible. I have lots of to do lists where I write everything down. I also think it is important to

"Set realistic goals and not try to bite off more than you can chew."

You have to take it one step at a time.

Could you describe one of your most exciting accomplishments in your career?

Making our first CD felt like a huge accomplishment for us. I never thought I would have a CD that people would love!

What places around the world has your music taken you to? Do you have any fun stories from during your touring?

We traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan, Massachusetts and Vermont to play music. There are a lot of good stories there. It was our first time at an airport and on a plane. Our friends tried to explain that we would take the little train to our terminal since the airport was so big. I couldn’t for the life of me understand why I would be riding a train when I was supposed to be flying until I experienced it myself!