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

[Meredith Pizzi]

[Toni]

Gallup, NM is a border town to the Navajo Nation and Zuni Pueblo. The primary traditional musical culture is Native American. Both tribes are on the reserved/conservative side, I’d say. Most of the ceremonies use music, much of which is only done within the tribe. Traditional frame drums, gourds, and ankle bells are the instruments usually used. Singing and dancing are also important aspects of the musical culture here.

[Coleen Shanagher]

Because New Jersey is such a melting pot of cultures it is hard for me to describe a cultural category of music that would be specific to my area. The traditional music would really just be traditional American sing-along songs or patriotic songs. Oh, but of course I doubt I am the first New Jersian to admit that Bruce Springsteen was played in my house enough to warrant it’s own genre. I say that only partially in jest, because I think what might be telling about a culture that adores Springsteen is the popularity of the “working man’s song.” In northern NJ there is a sense of pride in the hustle of the work day before coming home, putting on some Sinatra and having a big meal for a big family. I can’t say that is everyone’s experience but I know of many many families which would describe this as our culture.

[Stacy Reno]

Caro, Michigan is north of Detroit about 2 hours and is a rural area. The influences from Detroit “Rock City” of past and current are felt here as well as country, current top 20 music and traditional patriotic tunes. We have many churches in the area that present varying music styles, also heard are small folk groups and cover bands. Close to caro is Frankenmuth (home of the largest Christmas store in the world!) and is know for it’s German music influence – polka bands and dancing!

[Erin Spring]

My practice serves a lot of rural Appalachia… lots of bluegrass, country and gospel music. A lot of children grow up listening to these songs and know them by heart. I also must add that in my little home town of Circleville we are about to have our Pumpkin Show, which is coined the “Greatest Free Show On Earth.” It has its own song, “The Pumpkin Show Song,” and it is a great example of the small town feel and gathering with old and new friends amongst the harvest. I use it in my sessions a lot this time of year, though primarily with adults. The kids like it to because it talks about the rides and they can share which is their favorite ride.

[Kehlen Bushatz]

My area is also kind of a melting pot, with lots of different music represented. Some people like bluegrass, country, folk, Latin, rap, or top 40. There seem to be a blend of several of these types too. I do a variety of these types with my kids.

[Keeley St Clair]

I live in Portland OR where the weird go pro. It’s a very creative community and a hub for under-ground and independent artists of every variety. Portland is quite secular especially within the city limits, however in my work with elders the sacred music is definitely more a part of their lexicon.
Chant and drum circles happen in public spaces frequently, and buskers aplenty doing anything from folk to electronica to hip hop.

[Kathryn Opher]

Living outside Philadelphia mixes suburban with urban. I use a lot of hard core rock and drumming. We have a large community of people from Africa and chants and drums are always a big part of my work. Even with the surburan families-I try to be diverse and expose them to music that is not part of their “regular” american folk song repetoire.

[Lauren Stoner]

Living in Indiana, close to Kentucky, the cultural music is focused on popular music on the radio as well as country music. I feel like the culture of my current residence is not as diverse as some of the other places I have lived, including New Orleans and Florida. When living in these areas, I developed a substantial new repertoire of music including Cajun, jazz, rap, and Haitian music. In my clinical practice, I try to bring in new artists and styles to develop new musical interactions and experiences.

[Jennifer Sokira]

Connecticut is definitely a melting pot and living in the Greater NYC metro area, the people with whom I work hail from a very diverse background.

In my extended family, my father in law plays the accordion once in a while and sings polka. In my home we have a very eclectic collection of music and that has impacted our children’s musical preferences. To give an example that demonstrates the Sokira musical culture, my older son (currently) equally enjoys “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons, “The Last Waltz” by Englebert Humperdink and “Hotel California” by the Eagles.

[Sarah Tree]

I grew up in Orange County, NY, about an hour or so north of New York City. There are such a variety of people in this area, with popular music, hip-hop, rap, classic rock, country, and alternative rock being some of the most popular genres with the locals. If I were to describe “my traditional music”, it would have a lot to do with my parents, who are both musicians. My father plays the piano, and my mother sings, so some of my earliest memories are of making music with them. Ragtime, children’s songs from a Reader’s Digest collection, musicals, and classical piano repertoire are definitely the types of music I remember the most from my childhood.

[Shannon Kiley]

My main musical experiences in my home growing up were the music that I learned in church, (hymns and such), and the music that my father was currently listening to. He went through several phases but I mostly remember his country phase and (my favorite) his Motown phase. I remember hearing “Stop In The Name Of Love” on the radio when I was young and I think that’s when I started paying attention to music.

CT is a strange area for music; like most places, everybody has their specific preferences. Most people are more defined musically by the culture of their specific group that they associate with, which may or may not be related to the geographic region here. If I was to try to pinpoint a specific preference of the area, I guess I’d have to look at “what do the cover bands play here?”, because they are catering to the community’s preferences. That would be a lot of classic rock, interesting renditions of 90’s tunes, Springsteen as Coleen mentioned, and a bit of widely-palatable hip-hop.

[Petra Paukova]

WEll, I was born and raised in Czech Republic, Europe, so my music and cultural background is different. However, I live here in US for 13 years and my son was born here. I spent many hours/days/weeks listening to US kids CDs and trying to learn american kids/folk songs. My family listens to classical music, rock, jazz, blues, folk and world music. Here in Arizona I was introduced to some Spanish tunes and I love them. Very energetic and melodic tunes suitable for any age. Plus, we have big mexican community here, so I am sure I will use some of them in my practice. 🙂

[Anonymous]

Petra what kind of music is popular in the Czech Republic?

[Petra Paukova]

WE have a lot of classical, folk, traditional/regional folk, jazz, pop, pretty much everything but mariachi……:)

[Anonymous]

Thanks for sharing 🙂

[Andrea U]

I live in a very multicultural city. We have anything and everything – you name it! Our underground indie scene was quite bustling, as is our operas so it’s a smorgasbord as a whole.

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