Jasper, Texas, USA

♫ Joy to the world, the Lord is come.

Let Earth receive her King.

Let every heart prepare Him room.

And Heaven and nature sing.

And Heaven and nature sing.

And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing. ♫

[2022]

Beaufort, South Carolina, USA

Confucius say: "Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without." That's why we should litter the landscape with opportunities to noodle some notes. How about a xylophone on the waterfront?  It's especially useful for banging out "Happy Birthday." [2007]

Dublin, Ireland

Right in the heart of Dublin, on O'Connell Street, is the heart of Irish literary culture. James Joyce is Ireland's most famous author, and his novel Ulysses is regarded as one of the canon tomes of the 20th century. Its setting: Dublin, of course. [2003]

St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

Kumi-daiko, or Japanese drums, has been part of Japanese culture for centuries, and now it is part of American culture, too. Like it or not, that is what North America does so well. It takes the best the world has to offer and owns it: cultural appropriation notwithstanding! [2021]

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Which statements apply to this bench in Boston Commons on this warm autumn day? (a) Someone has set up housekeeping on the bench and aims to be there for the duration. (b) Someone has turned the bench into a music conservatory to rival the Burklee College of Music. (c) Someone aspires to entertain friends on the bench and has saved them a seat. [2021]

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Today, Mill Ruins Park hosts one lonely piano (at least for the summer). A hundred years ago, however, twenty flour mills occupied this very site, a place where the Mississippi River drops 50 feet. Minneapolis used to be the flour milling capital of the world. Then, the center of gravity began a shift to Buffalo, and Minneapolis's last lonely mill closed in 2003. [2021]

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Odds and Evens, Ones and Twos, Singles and Doubles, Which one be You? Here are two dudes united by music and gathered around an oddly painted piano. The setting: The IDS Center right on Nicollet Mall, along which several of the many Pianos on Parade are stationed. [2021]

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

The day may have been dreary, but the music was cheery: thanks to this busker and his plastic drums. Want to hear what he sounds like? Check out the clip below. Want to see his counterpart perform in northern Thailand? Check out this clip from a decade ago. Want to hear what he might sound like in Holland? Here's another clip. [2021]

Washington, Utah, USA

Hatchback open.

Music in motion.

Parking lot empty.

Plays he fortemente.

Talent's a wasting,

No listeners chasing

His dotted half notes

Or rhythms that float

Across a wide sea

Of just asphalt and me.

[2019]

Augusta, Kansas, USA

When Zeus turned Pan's lover into reeds, Pan collected the stalks and made them into a set of pipes that will forever bear his name, the Pan Flute. Now, because of the mournful chords that Pan produced for his lost soulmate, we can consider the Pan flute the official instrument of the pandemic. [2021]

Norfolk, Virginia, USA

Prepare for a season without parades. We got a glimpse of what was to come when Norfolk cancelled the NATO Festival for the first time since 1953 when it began. Maybe next year, high school bands from as far away as New Jersey will come once again to show off their talents. [2014]

Flagstaff, Arizona, USA

How often do you find any culture at all on a shopping center parking lot in the suburbs? Never! Except here in Flagstaff, where you can enjoy a concert on the Japanese Drums. Enjoy the sound of Taiko, and, if you really fall in love, you can take lessons. Now, tell us what happens on your shopping center parking lot. [2019] 

Phoenix, Arizona, USA

"Tribute to Navajo Code Talkers" by Doug Hyde, 1989: During World War II, a group of about 400 bilingual Navajo Marines constituted a unit tasked with using their native language to encode messages that were vital to the war effort. Their code was unbreakable and helped assure victory for the Allied Powers and peace, which is symbolized by the flute. [2019]

Prescott, Arizona, USA

Prescott has for decades proclaimed itself to be Arizona's Christmas City, so you just might expect a choral concert on the Yavapi Courthouse steps. Who's singing? Prescott's future. Who's listening? Proud parents and grandparents. In a refreshing departure from tradition, they began with "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," rather than ending with it. [2019]

Walla Walla, Washington, USA

What do you think they are singing this time of year? Christmas carols, of course. Given the American flag motif, Jim Brickman's and Five for Fighting's patriotic anthem might be appropriate: "It doesn't matter if you're near or far; it's Christmas where you are." He wrote it for the troops stationed abroad. [2019]

Walla Walla, Washington, USA

Walla Walla may have the largest collection of muffler men in the country thanks to Melody Muffler. These two occupy the space once taken up by fuel pumps. And one is playing a melody on that horn. How appropriate! What is his partner doing? [2019]

Walla Walla, Washington, USA

By 7 pm on Sunday, the downtown stores are closed, the restaurants are flourishing, and the entertainment is starting. Relax and enjoy the evening. [2019]

Walla Walla, Washington, USA

Walla Walla's downtown, complete with a full cast of buskers, must be the envy of small cities everywhere. It fully illustrates one of the principles of urban geography: The farther away a small city is from a large metropolitan center, the more likely it will have a healthy downtown. Shopping must go on locally (or, these days, on-line). [2019]

Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, USA

Velkommen to the troll capital of America, Mt. Horeb, where Main Street is called the Trollway. With two dozen trolls around town, visitors quickly get the idea that the folks here are proud of their Norwegian heritage. [2019]

Marion, Virginia, USA

The banner tells you where you're located: Marion, America's Coolest Hometown. The mural tells you what's going on: The Song of the Mountains concert series. The Garden Club tells you how proud they are of Main Street: Just look at the flowers they're planting. [2019]