The American tradition of folk music stems from regional sects of the country, where acts like The Carter Family and Jimmy Rodgers trumpeted their old style country (and yoddling Appalachian "cowboy" anthems) to become some of the most popular musicians of their time.
Classical music spans even further in the musical economy. The global music community of classical players are taught the various selections of Bartok (who wandered the folk route, too) and Dvorak, obviously more composers falling around between.
As Ethan Joseph states, and being a folkie myself, the realm of classical music may lend itself to some serious players disciplined and opened to a world of musical language unlike mainstream drek or popular trash, and even folk itself.
However, folk has its merits for classical players. Personally, I had a band featuring a classically trained violinist, taught at Berkeley but rebranded as a skillful fiddle player.
"Bluegrass music changed my life by forcing me to challenge my concept of the folk. Rather than understanding it solely as musical material, I now understand it as living and breathing tradition," says Ethan Joseph at New Music Box.
"Incorporating folk music into the process of teaching notated music could breed a better understanding of other musical traditions," he continues, "as well as an openness to improvisation and composition."
Thus the stylistic and traditional components of folk can intersect the musical traditions of classical, conceiving hybrid players capable of more than just sheet-readers (as youngins are usually directed to the page and away from the creation).
To wit, here is classical-folk wanderer Bela Bartok with the Danubia Orchestra performing some of his thoughtful folk dances.
