Take Note

This week on Take Note, we’re honoring the Theravada Buddhist festival Asalha Puja, which commemorates the Buddha’s first sermon. We’ll hear traditional Sri Lankan Buddhist music and learn about the instrument horanawa.

As we wrap up the month of July, let’s celebrate the Fiesta de Santiago, a day that honors Spain’s patron saint St. James the Apostle. We’ll observe this holiday with 12th century sacred polyphonic music as well as some traditional sounds of the Spanish-speaking Americas.

This week on Take Note, we’re observing World Listening Day, a time to recognize the importance of sound in our lives and its role in shaping our understanding of the world around us.

July 7th is Tanabata, or the Star Festival, in Japan. It is derived from the Chinese Qixi Festival. In this episode, we’ll hear the traditional Tanabata song.

In honor of America 250, let’s learn about the music and the instruments that created the soundscape of the Revolutionary War.

In this episode, we celebrate pride month with the story of Tchaikovsky, and we discuss why it’s important to acknowledge musicians’ sexuality.

In this episode, in honor of Juneteenth, we learn about the life of Blind Tom Wiggins, who is sometimes referred to as the “last American slave.”

June is African American Music Appreciation Month, and in this episode we cover the various popular music genres with African American roots and take a look at three very different musicians.

Celebrated annually on June 1st and 2nd, Gawai Dayak is the Harvest Festival celebrated in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia on Borneo. This week, we learn about the dance Ngajat and the instruments that accompany it.

May 25th is Africa Day! This week on Take Note learn about two of Africa's premiere musicologists, Akin Euba and J. H. Kwabena Nketia.