Discuss with the board the traditional and cultural music in your home community.

There are many genres that make up the musical culture of my suburban home community.  People who have interests in certain genres often go to the same places for entertainment.  For example, those who like country music in my town enjoy going to the local country bar to participate in line dancing.  People in my community generally travel to Chicago be involved in music performances/experiences.
One community that I share music with is the choir of the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonatus in Joliet, IL.  We sing chant, polyphonic music from the Renaissance, as well as contemporary choral pieces.  It is such a joy to regularly sing traditional music that has been practiced in the Catholic faith for thousands of years.

I live in an extremely diverse area of Northern California. We have all types of ethnicities, socio-economic levels, and religions. One of the songs that persists among all of my little guys is “Call Me Maybe.” It cracks me up. I like to try different styles and modes in sessions- like for movement, the kids have taken to an exciting motif in a Spanish style (with just a touch of dissonance). I use natural minors for more lullaby-like experiences when needed. I am constantly surprised by the types of music that the children respond to. I like what Emily wrote about using more modes and different chord progressions. It reminded me that exposure to all different styles of music is important and that rich musical experiences are key. And – you never know what might work for someone until you try it.  

The community I live in has a large population of Portuguese people in it and has during the summer there are popular portuguese festivals that people can attend. Some of these festivals are put on by churches and more “progressive” clubs. Naturally there is a lot of Portuguese music there. However, this is also a decent amount of community summer wind ensembles and portuguese marching bands. I play in a summer wind ensemble where we play a range of concert music from the 1812 Overture to songs from movies. The 4th of the July is usually very celebrated in this area as well especially being close to Bristol, RI and their 4th of July parade. So the ensemble I am in plays a lot of patriotic songs as well.

I live in the DC metro area and this area is rich in culture with people from all over the world. There is so much diversity in my daily contact with people. I am constantly amazed to learn where people are from and how they came to the United States. I use music from different cultures in my classroom and I love to see a parent or nanny or grandparent light up when they recognize a song from their culture. It is very important to expose ourselves and families to music from other cultures.

In my previous job I worked with a very culturally diverse population. For this position, I traveled to 7 different schools and saw thirty different groups a week. Unfortunately with the younger students it was difficult to find out what music was from their cultures due to lack of time in their building, little to no contact with parents, and students could not verbally communicate. However, my older students were very vocal in sharing their music with me. In the high school autistic program the students would always amaze me with music from much older generations. I got many requests for music from the 60’s and 70’s. Many of the students would bring in music from television shows and video games that they enjoyed. I had one student in particular, whose family origin was Jamaica. She had never had the opportunity to travel to Jamaica, but it was really important that it was part of her identity. So her group spent some time learning a few songs from Jamaican artists which really seemed to bring her a lot of joy and satisfaction.

In my current job, I work with adolescents with severe behavioral and emotional disorders. Since I am running a modified therapeutic music class within a recording studio I really get to know what all of the students are listening too. Most of the culturally diverse music includes dancehall, reggaeton, and latin music. Of course the big styles amongst my students are rap/hip-hop, pop, and dance music. There is one particular style of dance music that is central to the large urban areas in NJ that have their own dances to go with the music. My students usually call it club music, but it doesn’t sound like the electronic dance music you would typically hear on a dance radio station. I have, very painfully, learned some of the dances, but I will admit I do not have the same stamina as the kids to keep up!

In my personal life I surround myself with a wide variety of styles of music and the music I listen to or play depends on what I am doing. I have the hymns from my church, the music I am trying to learn on guitar, and then music I like to listen to when I clean my house. The styles of music include relaxation, world, classical, rock, classic rock, indie rock, pop, rap, folk, country, and religious music.

I grew up on an island on the North West Coast of Scotland which is steeped in music of Scots Gaelic song culture and scottish traditional music. Living now in Mainland North Scotland this is still very much the music of choice in this area.  Growing up my mother and grandmother would use Gaelic songs as part of their daily routine or to tell stories as has been tradition in our culture.  There were songs that had a strong beat for work and songs that were almost haunting in melody that were used as a lullaby . Scots trad music still takes a prominent role within the school system in the North of Scotland .

Although a lot of popular  kids songs use basic I-IV-V chords I like that we were encouraged to use modes and minor keys in our work with young children this week. Thinking back to the music I was exposed to in my culture while I was a child – most of Scots Gaelic song and traditional music is based on pentatonic scales and modes so I dont know why I found this such a new idea.  Here is an example of a Gaelic song my mother used to sing or hum as a lullaby to me (I hope the link works).  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5muVg_ZWek

This month of May is a big one in Holland MI.  There is a rich Hispanic heritage as well as a large dutch community.  With Cinco de Mayo and Tulip Time being celebrated, there was a lot of music happening around here.  One thing I reflected upon during Tulip Time, when many Dutch dancers take to the streets and perform the dance in their wooden shoes, is that the music, however old and stale, steeped in tradition, is one that brings so many people together and binds not only the dancers but the spectators.  I thought I would like a change but, how could they ever change it???? I really don’t think they can.  No matter how much people may want to hear some more ‘modernized’ music, it would change the feeling of that part of the festival altogether.  There is a reason why it’s been played for many many years and will be for many years to come.  It’s important to retain that tradition and without that music the festival wouldn’t be the same, not even close.  And when it comes down to it, what amazes me is that it’s just sound!  Temporary sound, but it has so much power, even if it may not be my preference.  It has roots and meaning.

In Arizona, there is a large Hispanic population, so mariachi music, reggaeton, and hip hop are pretty popular. There are  also many people who love country western music, and of course whatever is currently topping the billboards. This is also an area with a lot of Mormons, and I found many times when I was working in the hospital that patients and parents would request favorite songs from the children’s songbook at church, like Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, or Popcorn popping on the apricot tree.  I also grew up going to many “battle of the bands” as garage bands are pretty popular here is well. In fact, Jimmy Eat World and Scary Kids Scaring Kids were two bands that were from here.

I am a transplant into Cedar Rapids, IA, and we have a large Czech population here! I had a brief stint working in hospice mostly with older adults. I did a bit of  research (this was before I learned of the wonders of youtube!),  but unfortunately I moved on before I really learned any songs.  I did hear that the “Prune Song” was a big one!

I live in an area with a wide variety of European descent.  My particular family lived on folk music of Scandinavia, old Americana music (ie, old time fiddle music), country, (like Gene Autry and Hank Williams) old gospel, cowboy, and Irish/Scottish music (jigs, reels, some ballads).  Community fiddle jams were very frequent as I grew up, and then there were “hymn sings”.  Today, I listen to classical (I was trained classically on the piano), jazz (got really introduced to this genre in college), and still play the old time fiddle music, song singing of Americana folk, (I work primarily with elders with dementia/Alzheimers), sing contemporary gospel, and the old, and play regularly for church, and in a celtic band (fiddle and accordion, & percussion primarily).  My comfort with the older ones is strong because they are familiar with many of the old standards of the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s.  The young kids and teenagers music I am on a serious learning curve!

In my home community people listen to all kinds of music. There is a big local musician culture where I am from which is just south of Boston. In my late teens and early twenties I participated in a lot of local music events such as open mic nights and festivals. I went to many different open mic nights. Some focused on singer/songwriter/folk music, some were more geared toward cover songs anywhere from the 1950’s to present, some were blues jams, and some were bluegrass/country. I enjoyed participating in the many different ones as it helped me to relate and understand other people’s enjoyment of the music and culture even if I didn’t necessarily listen to a particular type of music regularly. There’s also a big Irish culture near where I lived and lots of Irish pubs.

Growing up in and around Boston, I have always been involved in the folk music scene around here. I love the rich history of Boston and the Celtic and European influences of the north east.  The music of my childhood was heavily influenced by the religion of my parents, and I became fond of church hymns, I found this to be a great resource during my work in Hospice!

Elizabeth: I find that keeping up my performing skills is part of my self-care routine.

I live in Western PA outside of Pittsburgh in Beaver county.  I specify the county because people are very proud of being from Beaver county and many have never left the area. I am a transplant to the area having lived in a number of places across the US and traveled elsewhere so moving here has been a cultural adjustment for me.  I have learned so much about being in a very tight knit community where people have lived for generations and no one has left the area. The sense of community and family is very strong.
The area is predominantly white with little diversity.   Having subbed in the public schools the students are interested in country music, music of the 70’s and up (I think influenced by their parents choices).  So for the teenage population I would say music choices are country, pop and some rap.
This area once had a thriving dance hall tradition with everyone going out dancing once a week, dancing to live music.  Big Band music is very much alive with the 65+ population and hearing stories about the dance hall experiences is always a treat.  I had a client who played the accordion with his brothers in such a band.  He was Italian and the family moved here when he was very young.  Some of his strongest memories were of playing the many years in the band with his brothers.
There is a strong catholic tradition and in the schools, it is still, always a Christmas concert – never Holiday.  So the area is very Christian focused.  There are families from Italy, Serbia, Germany that are still first generation here and others that have lived here for many generations.
However, in my church job in Pittsburgh and singing with the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh there is a much larger diversity.  Still predominantly white,  there is a broader musical taste and diversity.

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I live in a very small town and there are many events that occur that usually involve live music.  The majority of this music I have found to be country or rock music.  There is one specific bar in my town that many people go to that plays only country music and many of the other locations in town where you can find live music on regular basis typically also has country cover bands or rock bands.  Even in my work with my adult clients most of the music requested is country and rock, both old and newer music in those genres.