Neng Now: Speaking with Music
This program will introduce attendees to Hmong music and what makes it unique. Hmong music is the last surviving musical language in the world. It is able to mimic Hmong speech by using musical intervals, ornamentation, and chords to mimic linguistic tones, consonants, and vowels. This enables Hmong musicians to speak with music. As such, Hmong music not only gives us a window into where music and language meet, but also into the ability of human brains to assign and attribute meaning and significance.