Music from Southeast Asia can be heard throughout the United States today. Most regions in the United States have Lao, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Hmong cultural associations that organize festivals such as New Year celebrations, where music is performed. Here the many traditional activities are mixed with modern elements, and visitors are welcome to observe and participate.

At the Festival of American Folklife, however, we are concentrating on the music that represents the older strands of tradition; those strands that stem primarily from village and home life. One of the basic instrument types found throughout the region is the free reed, whose simplest form is a leaf held in the hands or lips and blown to produce noise, or, in the case of the talented, music. The Hmong and Cambodians are known for their skill at playing tunes on such a leaf, which is a popular worldwide folk instrument.

Another free reed instrument is the jaw harp, made of a thin strip of cane or metal that is attached at one end to a frame and plucked at the other.