Paper Title
SOCIAL INNOVATION IN THE TRANSMISSION OF FOLK SONGS IN PEST COUNTY

Abstract
Abstract: “Let's give back to the villages what belongs to the villages" is the title of a social innovation project for the protection of cultural heritage, which allows the teaching of authentic folk songs having centuries-old history in villages within the mainstream of educational in Pest County, Hungary (especially in one of the county's micro-regions, the communities along River Tapio), which folk songs are now only partially known mostly by only some of the eldest people. The monographs on vocal music in the communities, which can be used as an educational aid, follow the systematisation ideas of Hungarian folk music researchers Bela Bartok and Pal Jardanyi and are well suited for scientific and everyday use, summarising the results of folk music research in the 20th and 21st centuries. The publication of folk games, commemorative songs, as well as old and new folk songs in the form of books made it possible that starting from preschool education, the local primary schools and art schools should include these teaching materials in their grade-by-grade curriculaso that the innovative publications will then provide both old and new knowledge to the settlement, the local communities and our children, who as a result will pass on their own folk songs to 3-4 generations to come, thus strengthening their sense of local identity. In the past 15 years, 15 communities in Pest County have created their own folk songbooks and published their music CDs relying on my scientific work as an editor and an ethnomusicologist/folk music researcher. The original local folk songs published in these publications can now be found in local curricula, and children, in addition to the experience of new knowledge, sometimes find the names of their own relatives and great-grandparents in the scientific data of sheet music or on a DVD-ROM with original archival recordings. These folk songs are then presented at local folk singing competitions and performed at municipal events, thus making Hungarian and ethnic (Slovak, Gypsy, etc.) folk songs a living folk art value once again. Since 2008, I have produced 23 books, 23 folk music and music CDs, 10 DVD-ROMs for the communities of Tapioszele, Tapioszentmarton, Nagykata, Koka, Sulysap, Tapioszecso, Toalmas, Tapiosag, Mende, Abony, Cegled, Zsambok, Nagytarcsa, Hevizgyork and Lajosmizse, which is a unique achievement in the field of Hungarian folk art and public culture alike. The publications have been made possible by the support and contributions of municipalities and NGOs by tenders, and I have been actively involved in the preparation, implementation, and accounting of the tenders. Cultural social innovation in Hungary is sustainable, it serves local communities, strengthens social ties, and improves the spiritual, mental, and cultural well-being of communities; additionally, it creates a strong cultural foundation and national identity for future generations. Keywords:Ethnomusicology, social innovation, sense of identity, education, re-learning, preservation of cultural heritage, folksongs, folkmusic, Pest county - Hungary