13 Items Tagged

Folk Music

Pride, joy, and celebration

8 Unique Festivals and Quirky Events in Washington, DC

A city known for its history and monuments is lit up by celebrations year-round

Sponsored by washington.org

Casa dels Gegants

Discover everything there is to know about Catalan giants and "Big-Heads."

A display at the Global Conference of Millets in 2023 featured a millet map of India.

In India, Music Helps Spread the Message of Millets

New and ancient songs show that there’s more to reviving a crop than planting seeds.

Andrew Coletti June 17, 2024

Children's swallow-songs are one of the oldest continuous musical traditions in Greece.

Swallow-Songs for Spring Are the Greek ‘Trick or Treat’

It’s a tradition that goes back centuries.

Andrew Coletti April 30, 2024

San Diego, California

'The Girl in Red Shoes'

A statue based on a tragic Japanese nursery rhyme, commemorating San Diego's sisterhood with Yokohama.

The fossegrim might just be the most diabolical violin teacher you’ll ever meet.

This Norwegian Water Spirit Just Wants to Teach You How to Fiddle

But make sure you bring the fossegrim the proper offering—or else.

Diana Hubbell May 3, 2023

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Hämmelsmarsch Fountain

Some believe that the artist behind this whimsical statue inserted his own likeness as a way to discreetly flip the bird.

Kimi-Chan

This sculpture bears a tragic backstory that may have inspired a hauntingly beautiful children's song.

Instruments at Dusty Strings

Seattle, Washington

Dusty Strings

This music school doubles as a store for unique, hand-crafted, and hard-to-find instruments.

Bessie Jones (with tambourine) felt a “call to teach" and to share the rich Black musical tradition she grew up with.

The Woman Who Made Black Traditions a Vital Part of Music Education

Singer Bessie Jones is the reason so many American children know the folk songs of African and Gullah cultures.

Sara Mellas June 3, 2022

John C. Campbell Folk School.

Brasstown, North Carolina

John C. Campbell Folk School

Founded in 1925, this folk school attracts students from across the country and preserves traditional Appalachian art.

Musicians perform sankyoku, traditional Japanese chamber music, in an undated photograph.

118 Years Later, Japan's Earliest Sound Recordings Still Resonate

Sessions in a Tokyo hotel room with a sound engineering pioneer captured a nation in transition.

Anton Spice May 10, 2021

Video • AO Docs

These Grandmothers Are Preserving Ukraine’s Folk Music Traditions