Becca Buck, a local elementary music specialist, knew something was missing from the repertoire of standard music she taught her multicultural students. So she set out to collect lullabies and other ...

In Somalia, a lack of professional musical training opportunities, a conservative culture, and strict Islam practices which discourage music often leave aspiring musicians with few options. To combat ...

Muniira Jirde (left), Lillian Chapman (center), and Asmaa Abdi (right) show their xylophone mallets as teacher Becca Buck lectures during a music class at Gideon Pond Elementary on April 11.

MOGADISHU, SOMALIA -- In a capital that pulses with the sounds of war -- the rumble of armored trucks, the crash of mortars, the crack of AK-47s -- Radio Xurmo was an oasis. Haunting Somali love songs ...