Encoding, Analysing and Modeling I-Folk: A New Database of Iberian Folk Music

Folk music is a fundamental immaterial heritage that promotes cultural identity. However, it lacks a substantial body of open access materials, and its promotion has been disconnected from the education curriculum. In this context, facilitated access to annotated high-quality folk music content can promote better educational tools and enhance cultural heritage literacy. Based on this, we advance and detail three main contributions: 1) a standardized model to musically annotate Iberian folk music; 2) a new database, named I-Folk, with annotated files following the proposed model; and 3) tools for navigating and retrieving folk music contents from the database. A particular emphasis is given to the educational application of the proposed model, contents, and tools in education. Ultimately, we strive for the promotion of Iberian folk music to the educators’ community.