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How did Aaron Copland use folk-related musical ideas in American compositions?

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folk music American folk-blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist Lead Belly.

Aaron Copland incorporated folk-related musical ideas into his compositions primarily as part of a deliberate effort to simplify his style and make his music more accessible to a broad public. Feeling that composers were at risk of working in a vacuum, he sought to connect with the audience created by new media like radio and film.1

This shift led to his most famous works, which drew heavily upon American folk material. His three iconic ballets are the most prominent examples of this approach:
* Billy the Kid (1938)
* Rodeo (1942)
* Appalachian Spring (1944)

Beyond these ballets, Copland utilized folk-inspired melodies and rhythms in other works, such as El salón México (1936), which was based on Mexican themes. While he initially sought "conscious Americanism" through these folk-related ideas, in his later years he moved away from this practice, believing that mature music would naturally reflect its American origins simply because the composer lived and worked there.1