Music Education – Preserving Culture, Preventing Erasure

Music is a connecting thread that runs through cultures, extending from the very origins of identity to today’s contemporary expressions. The central role of music makes it an essential part of who people are and how they understand themselves, from cultural celebrations and sacred observances, the telling of folk stories and foundational myths, sustaining family memories, and the voicing of hopes and concerns of the present-day.

Yet, with the passage of time and changes in society or the uprooting of families and populations through traumatic events of displacement, war and natural disaster, people can become separated from themselves and their roots, becoming strangers in strange lands, or even alienated from their culture while still living in their homelands.

Hear our panelists discuss the vital part music and music education plays in preserving and recovering cultural traditions, in regaining a sense of rootedness, and even finding a fresh sense of identity and kinship as they reconcile themselves to their new homes.