Music from Southeast Asia can be heard throughout the United States today. Most regions in the United States have Lao, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Hmong cultural associations that organize festivals such as New Year celebrations, where music is performed. Here the many traditional activities are mixed with modern elements, and visitors are welcome to observe and participate.

At the Festival of American Folklife, however, we are concentrating on the music that represents the older strands of tradition; those strands that stem primarily from village and home life. One of the basic instrument types found throughout the region is the free reed, ...