Music is an integral part of life -- and a way to tell stories -- for
Jim Kerr and Denise Martin and their daughter, Amanda. When the family
performs together at venues like the Saturday Market and CIRI’s annual
Potlatch, they are engaging in a discussion -- a musical discussion.
The Kerr Family: Musical Story-Telling
"My full name is Amanda Lynn Kerr," writes Amanda Kerr. "(My dad) always jokes about how he would have named me Ben Joe Kerr if I were a boy."
Music for the Potlatch
About once a year our family plays fiddle music for the Cook Inlet Region Corporation's (CIRI) Potlatch, an annual gathering of Alaskan Natives. It is one of the things I do to stay in touch with my Native heritage.
My Fiddle and the Places It Takes Me
If you haven't seen me fiddling before, or heard me talking about it, you would probably see me as an ordinary teenager.
'The Cherry Tree' - A Story Without Words
Even when Denise and Amanda agree on the same tune they don?t always play it exactly the same. "The Cherry Tree" is the next tune we all take a go at.
Music in the Family
I did not grow up a musician. Though raised in a family of nine kids in Connecticut, there was not a musician among us.