this week’s episode of Sounding Board, “Music in Western Alaska,” is over. If you missed the show, you can listen to the full episode above.
We had calls and emails from:
- Andrea in Nome, who talked about her childhood days listening to her mom sing in Yup’ik during mass. Now, looking back, she can see how that was instrumental in developing her love for music. She would like to pursue a career as a music teacher.
- Jim in Nome, who talked about his kids’ involvement in music and how important it has been to them, as well as his own experiences performing and conveying true emotion. He also noted that, no matter how accomplished you are, there’s always more to learn in music.
- Paul from Unalakleet, who expressed his gratitude to those who have brought and maintained music in his village, including those who provide private lessons for his kids.
- Josh from Wales, who talked about his musical journey, teaching himself guitar and traditional drums and how he is now sharing that with his nieces and nephews. He also mentioned the way in which he expresses himself through songwriting.
We also heard interviews from Nome locals Sarah Hanson-Hofstetter, Dave Coler, and Yaayuk Alvanna-Stimpfle.
Sarah, the owner of Bearing Song and Gifts, spoke about the importance of instrument upkeep as well as how she discovered her songwriting talent while scaring away bears in Denali.
Dave talked about how the Nome Arts Council benefits the community as well as his personal experiences performing at open-mics and finding a local community of musicians.
Yaayuk is part of the King Island dance group in Nome and spoke about her memories of traditional dance, combining traditional and mainstream music and some of the ways she is passing tradition down to future generations.
From cultural music and dance festivals to spontaneous in-house jam sessions, music is an important part of building and maintaining a sense of community throughout Western Alaska. On this week’s Sounding Board, we want to hear about how music has impacted your life.
- What role does music play in your life?
- Are you involved in musical performances–like dancing, singing or playing instruments?
- What steps do you take to preserve and pass down your cultural music?
- What influence does music have on you and your community?
- Do you have any memories of unforgettable musical performances?
Sounding Board is your call-in show, so join us Thursday, October 2nd at 10 a.m. to share your experiences with music. Have something to share right now? Email us at talk@knom.org or tweet us @knom. And don’t forget to tune in and call in this Thursday at 10 a.m.
