Hmong find ways to keep traditional music aliveby Chris Roberts,
Minnesota Public Radio In the Hmong community, traditional music
is played primarily for ceremonial reasons. It helps the Hmong
preserve ancient customs and rituals. Younger generations of
Hmong are finding new ways to keep this music alive. St. Paul,
Minn. — Under the fluorescent lights of a Concordia College
classroom, one generation of Hmong is passing on a musical
heritage to the next. "My name is Keng and I'm 19 years old, and
I teach qeej class at Concordia University," says Keng Lor. The
qeej (pronounced GHLENG) is an L-shaped configuration of bamboo
pipes. Keng Lor has been playing the qeej since seventh grade,
when his parents pressured him to take lessons. He's not a
master, but he's quite good. His 9 and 10- year-old students
watch attentively when he gives a demonstration. If there's a
universal instrument in Hmong culture, Lor says the qeej is it.
"No matter where you go, if you say qeej, then almost anybody
who's Hmong will know wh