Theodore Levin's "Musical Travels in Central Asia"

Earlier this year, 75 year old South Carolina resident Mary Moran had the unique opportunity to go to Sierra Leone with other members of her family. Moran's mother had taught her a song in an African language which had been in the family since an ancestor had been brought over from Africa two hundred years ago. In 1989, through the efforts of anthropologist Joseph Opala and ethnomusicologist Cynthia Schmidt, it had been discovered that this song, composed in the Mende language, was still sung by certain villagers in Sierra Leone.

Terry talks with ethnomusicologist Steven Feld. His new record, "Voices of the Rainforest," captures the songs of the Kaluli people of Paupa New Guinea. Feld also works for preservation of the world's rain forests, since if the forests are eliminated, so will much indigenous music.

Aboriginal Australian musicians perform some of their traditional songs and talk about music's role in their culture. Two scholars discuss recent efforts to promote and preserve this culture.