By CSUDH Campus News Center
FROM: Campus News Center

In her new book, Instruments of Empire: Filipino Musicians, Black Soldiers, and Military Band Music during U.S. Colonization of the Philippines, CSUDH Assistant Professor of Asian-Pacific Studies Mary Talusan Lacanlale doesn’t just reveal the hidden history of the Philippine Constabulary Band—she uncovers some of her own family history, as well.

The Philippine Constabulary Band, a group of Filipino musicians originally formed in 1902, toured the world for several decades to great acclaim, but they also helped to convince audiences that the American colonization of the Philippines was worthwhile and just. The band dissolved at the outset of World War II, and its history was all but forgotten—but not by Lacanlale’s grandmother.

“My grandma would visit from the Philippines every other year and stay with us in Massachusetts for a couple of months,” recalls Lacanlale. “She was my only connection to Filipino culture, as well as my own history. She would close her eyes and tell us this fantastic story about how her father—my great-grandfather—was a famous band musician, how he came to the U.S. many times to perform in symphony halls in New York, Boston, and Chicago.”

“I thought, ‘Yeah, you’re exaggerating. That can’t possibly be true.’” Read Rest of Article Here