Going against the tide of any cultural stream is a daunting task. The world of Western classical music has its established categories and musicians tend to gravitate toward one or another of them. Yet for those musicians from non-Western cultures, it can be hard to gain recognition of their cultural themes and styles.

For Louis Ballard, from Quapaw, Oklahoma, his Native upbringing inculcated themes, rhythms and songs he saw that were valuable to maintain and be able to inspire other Native composers. His work as an educator for the Bureau of Indian Affairs as well as his compositions showed the way for the next generation of Native composers. ×

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