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

[Meredith Pizzi]

[Victoria Fansler]

For better or for worse, I think television is a major component to contemporary American culture. Most of my musical memories from early childhood center around songs I heard on Barney. These songs became embedded into my early life as they related to daily activities and I formed memories dancing around the house to them. I see this element at play now with the children I nanny and their relationship to musical TV shows such as Mr Rogers and Daniel Tiger.

Growing up in Kansas, fiddle and bluegrass music became part of my cultural identity as I grew. Bluegrass jam sessions were my first experiences in community musicking and helped me view music as an inclusive, collaborative, fluid medium. In these jam sessions, everyone had a voice and an opportunity to be showcased, regardless of age, instrument, or ability. Musical decisions were made on the fly through eye contact and intuition. The emphasis was on the process of playing together rather than on the musical product, and on the experience of participants rather than that of audience members. This local culture of musicking challenged prominent elements of mainstream, middle class American culture, which tends to assume that if you are not remarkably talented then you should just be quiet and still and listen. My bluegrass experiences also challenged my classical music experiences in which musical decisions were made ahead of time by experts (composers, conductors, music teachers) and then disseminated to us as players.

Now, working with the Tulalip tribes, cultural music is a pivotal resource and connection for my clients. My elementary age clients experience tribal songs, drumming, and dance every morning at the beginning of their school day — music is a huge part of reclaiming their cultural identity after the tragedies of boarding schools and forced assimilation. In Tulalip culture I see the blending of music and movement as a single experience. I see Tulalip music as something sacred and to be done with great respect. For example, it is said that when you beat a drum, all the ancestors stand at attention; therefore, drums used to be reserved for those who had earned that responsibility, and they never used to be played by children and even now are only to be played in particular contexts. Tulalip music is inclusive in that all can participate, but it is also very structured in terms of gender, age, and instrument. It is not created for an audience, but rather has a participatory role for every person.

We all experience a combination of cultures, including with music. I learned different values and expectations from bluegrass, Classical, and children’s music when I was growing up. Similarly, my clients now have a strong connection with Tulalip music, but also have cultural experiences and values associated with pop, hip hop, and music learned in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

What a unique experience with the Tulalip tribes Victoria. It really is so important for each of us, as clinicians, to know the cultural music of our clients to better inform our work. Thank you for your thorough submission.

[Megan Neil]

In my family & home community folk songs & Christian songs have been important growing up. I remember that my mom sang “You Are My Sunshine” to my sister & I every night and now it holds great significance to me. Many other childhood folk songs were important as well as simple Christian songs and hymns that we used in my church community. My Irish heritage was also very important in my family and so traditional Irish songs such as “When Irish Eyes are Smiling” and “Danny Boy” hold great significance.

Being in Boston my clients have a wide variety of traditions and cultures. I do not know children’s songs from other cultures and was wondering if anyone could help me out? I have many Spanish speaking families but I also have families of varied ethnicity’s & cultures as well. Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

Megan thank you for your insightful response. I would recommend finding out the countries your families originate from. Spanish speaking is a broad range of cultures that come with their own unique music. If you have a way to speak with your families or send out a survey asking participants to identify the music from their cultures. In my Sprouting Melodies, I had clients from a variety of Latin American countries and India. I have a background in speaking Spanish, but I also consulted with my families to translate parts of or whole songs that we were already doing in English and then I also took some time to learn songs they recommended from their cultures. I did the same for my families from India, but I needed more assistance from them because I have no background in the variety of languages in India. You can also do some internet searches on the cultures of the families that are coming to you for services. There is a lot of information out there. If you are on FB you could also reach out to fellow MT colleagues one of the MT FB groups who may also be working with families with similar background to your families.

[Janet Buchanan]

Growing up, I actually had got a lot of exposure to folk songs. In college when we had to learn songs out of the Heritage Songster book, I was surprised to see that many of the songs were very familiar to me. It’s been really nice to use those songs with all ages, since they’re not limited to just children. While the folk music was used mostly for its own sake, church music was also important in my family growing up. Those simple Sunday School songs, “Jesus Loves Me” and the like, served to reinforce the concepts that we heard at church.

I’ll echo what was said earlier about the influence of media and television on children’s music. In my community, we have a lot of kids familiar with the music specifically targeted to them. Along with that, the kids at our preschool hear plenty of music incorporated in their classroom routines–Laurie Berkner and Greg & Steve make regular appearances at circle time.

[Courtney Kjaldgaard]

I grew up in a rural area of Manitoba, Canada. Up here in Canada, many children from my generation grew up with the music from TV shows such as Mr. Dressup and The Elephant Show, as well as songs by Canadian childrens’ musicians Fred Penner, Raffi and Sharon, Lois and Bram. I’m not sure how much Americans know about these musicians, but if you have ever heard the song “The Cat Came Back” or “Skinnamarink”, then you will know what I’m talking about! Another aspect that has shaped music in Canada over the years has been CBC, which is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. They are our publicly-owned media network (TV and Radio) and their radio station is broadcasted across Canada, so it kind of connects everyone here, from coast to coast (the music played on CBC radio ranges from folk and bluegrass, to classical, to indie-rock). In terms of my own family, I grew up listening to a wide variety of music: country, rock, pop, indie and folk.

Manitoba is part of the Prairie provinces in Canada, so genres such as country, western and folk are fairly popular here (as I’m sure they are in the Prairie areas of the US). We also have a significant Aboriginal population, so their traditions and music styles are prominent as well. In my current home of Brandon, Manitoba, musical preferences are quite diverse (as they are with any urban area).

[Tori Clark]

I live and practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan. To be honest, I’m not sure if we have any cultural-specific music in this area. I grew up in east Tennessee, so bluegrass music and its related instrumentation are very important to , and naturally this informs my musical style. But Ann Arbor is a melting pot of cultures; it’s economy and culture are highly driven by the University of Michigan, which attracts a multi-cultural population that is also fairly transient (passing through while they obtain a graduate/post-graduate degree). We also live about 30 minutes from Dearborn, MI, which has one of the highest concentrations of Arabic speakers in the U.S. So, in the practice where I work, I see kids whose musical backgrounds are varied (Asian, Arabic, Indian, Eastern European). Mostly, I have used common children’s songs, classical music, and traditional folk music (think Ruth Crawford Seeger) in my practice. But I would love to sensitively incorporate melodies, harmonies, and meters that feel like “home” to more of my clients.

[Debrah Evans]

I grew up here in the Pittsburgh area and most of my culture from music came from the media as well. Growing up, many of the songs that I was introduced to were through TV shows including Barney, Sesame Street, and Disney shows and movies as well as those children’s songs in the Christian faith. Folk songs are very familiar to me, as they were often used on TV shows and other cassettes that were played. I feel as though children growing up today experience music in the same way, but when I interact with children I find that they don’t know the familiar folk songs that I grew up with, but are more aware of pop music. Like so many others they really enjoy songs by Laurie Berkner and Greg & Steve.

[Joanne Van Eycke]

I have musicians on both sides of my family so in addition to traditional children’s songs like ABCs, itsy bitsy etc I was remember listening to lots of popular and classical music as well. Most family get togethers with my mother’s side ended around the piano, and depending on who was playinng, there was Carol King or a waltz. I like to think being exposed to so many different styles of music so early contributed to my wide range of likes and interests.

My father is first generation American, as his family came here from Germany. When I spent time with his mom she taught me many German folk songs. Though my German speaking has become a bit rusty over the years, I can sing each one of those songs perfectly. The power of song and memory truly amazes me. In fact, I can still remember my very first phone number because my mom taught it to me in a song!

Now that I am a mom, I love to share some of my favorite songs with my son. When I return to work I am looking forward to learning the culture and the favorite songs of my future clients.

[Anonymous]

Hi Participants,

Don’t forget to take a look at the traditional music in the community where you are providing services. This will help inform your work on a deeper level.

[Author]

Posts