Music in the Westward Expansion

Laura Dean’s music career spans 25+ years and includes audiences in the United States, Europe, and Mexico. She lives in Seattle, Washington, where she performs, teaches, writes, records, creates music curricula, and offers private and public concerts along with school/community residencies and music education workshops.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsPrefaceIntroduction1. Northern Cheyenne Love Songs2. The Genesis: The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806)3. Trailblazers: Explorers, Mountain Men, and Missionaries4. Setting the Stage for the Oregon Trail: American Musical Life and Oregon Fever (circa 1830–1850)5. Life on the Oregon Trail6. The Music at the Heart of the Oregon Trail Experience7. We’re There! Music on the Homestead and in Early Frontier Communities8. Whoopie Ti Yi Yo: Music and the Real Cowboys in the Old West9. Music in the Settled West: Three Distinct Frontier Communities in 189010. Western Inspiration: Scholars, Composers, and MusiciansEpilogueAppendix A: Selected Songs and Musical WorksAppendix B: Suggested RecordingsAppendix C: Musical ScoresAppendix D: Meaningful Musical Experiences: Ideas to Get You Started on Your Own Musical JourneyChapter NotesBibliographyIndex

“This thorough, readable, and meticulously annotated book is alive with stories of people, instruments, singing, dancing, and community-building through notes. It’s a reminder that wherever humans go, music goes too—always reminding us of our capacity for joy and grief; always reminding us of our shared humanity.”—No Dead Guys