3 . The list of music festivals seems to double each year, so we think we’d save you some time by presenting our picks that reflect a deep sense of place.

New Orleans Jazz Festival

This week-long festival was established in New Orleans, America in 1970 to celebrate the city’s status as the birthplace of jazz. Headliners that attended the first celebration included singer Mahalia Jackson and pianist Duke Ellington. Over the years, this festival has grown to showcase much more than jazz. Attendees have long enjoyed the latest hit-makers alongside booths and exhibits featuring Louisiana’s native cuisine, arts, and crafts.

Newport Folk Festival

Founded by George Wein in 1959 and best known for introducing the world to the likes of Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, Newport Folk Festival is one of the oldest music festivals in America. Like New Orleans Jazz Festival, this Rhode Island event gives a false impression about the types of music one can expect to find, although it has been remaining true to its roots.

Interceltic Festival

When most people hear the word “Celtic”, they think of Ireland. But this festival takes place each summer in the heart of the seaport town of Lorient in northwestern France. While emphasizing music and dance, the ten-day festival also provides a platform for colorful expressions of Celtic art, food and drink, theater, literature, and sports.

Roskilde Music Festival

England’s Glastonbury, Hungary’s Sziget, and Denmark’s Roskilde are Europe’s three biggest music festivals. Roskilde stands out not only for its impressive and eclectic music, but for its nonprofit approach. All concert incomes are donated to support charities, music and cultural programs since its founding in 1971. With lake swimming, an on-site skate park, and an annual “naked run”, the event has earned a name for being a week-long summer camp for adults.

4 . Sanyé Mylo’s eyes twinkle with excitement when he stands in the sound booth of The Record Co. in Boston, eager to bring his creation to life. With the press of a button, his latest rap track fills the room. “I didn’t know spaces like this existed,” says Mylo, who grew up in the low-income neighborhood of Dorchester. He is one of the young musicians who, thanks to The Record Co. , has turned his music into a full-time occupation.

Founded in 2010 by Matt McArthur, The Record Co. aims to give musicians more affordable access to the creative workspace and introduce the world of music to those who may have never considered their place in it.

McArthur understands this challenge firsthand. As a music technology student at Berklee College of Music, he was frustrated by the high costs of renting time in production studios. On average, a recording studio in Boston costs more than $100 per hour to rent.

He saw a recording studio not as a private office for a man of means but as a community center available to all. So he took out loans, collected donations and opened a studio in a tiny basement in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Slowly but steadily, McArthur expanded it and eventually rented a new property to include spaces for practice and production.

Today, The Record Co., with a full-time staff of more than 20 people, is a state-of-the art, 12,000-foot facility that can be rented for as little as $10 per hour. Each month, it receives about 1,000 reservations, and around 3,500 musicians pass through its doors. At The Record Co., the principle is clear: Music should be affordable for everyone, and so should the space for creating it. The building has been shaped not only with an ear to acoustics(音响效果)but also with an eye to ensure it is as welcoming to a musician in a wheelchair as to one who walks in with a guitar over the shoulder.

5 . Tina Turner’s death reminded me of the day I first discovered her voice. I was on Thanksgiving break—bored—when I tried to look through my parents’ old records _________ entertainment. What I found was an album called “Private Dancer”.

“Who was this woman?” I thought as the song I Might Have Been Queen _________. “What had she been through?”

I quickly _________ an expert on the matter: my mom, who as a teenager in the 1960s, had been listening to Tina. Mom didn’t sugarcoat the superstar’s sad family life: Off-stage, her husband was _________ her. It was something Mom—and most others—didn’t know when she and Dad first went to see her _________ in the 1970s.

It was shocking and _________ to hear. But Mom also told me about Tina’s _________ despite her suffering and said that the concert was _________.

I wanted to _________ this. Five years later, I did.

In 1997, we made the five-hour drive from our home in Doyline, Louisiana, to The Woodlands, Texas, to __________ Tina on her Wildest Dreams world tour.

I was amazed. Her endearing smile and air kisses to the __________ made it seem like she really was __________ we were there. My uncle who had waited in line for hours to buy the tickets for our lawn seats said after the show, “Kids, tonight you’ve been in the presence of __________.”

That night was also a moment of personal awakening. It wasn’t just an unbelievable performance; it was also part of my parents’ __________ to broaden my worldview. Tina __________ them to do that.

My husband and I had purchased the piano so our son and daughter could take piano lessons. But I had a secret dream that I did not share with anyone: I wanted to learn to play the piano and so that I could sit on a piano bench and perform one day.

Days later, I passed our announcement board, which listed items for sale, various jobs, and at the bottom, someone was offering piano lessons.

My voice trembled (颤抖) when I called the number the next day. When the tutor named Melody learned that I was the student, she hesitated. She had never taught a busy adult learner, but she was willing to try if I was determined to learn.

When my first lesson ended as arranged, Melody opened the door to her next student, a six-year-old boy full of enthusiasm. Melody introduced us and told me his name was Jeff. “I’m going to learn to play the piano,” he told me. No doubts or insecurities got in the boy’s way. His enthusiasm struck me, and on my way home, I whispered, “I’m going to learn to play the piano.”

However, I wasn’t a star pupil. I didn’t have instant recall on how to read music. Getting both hands to cooperate was difficult and then I was introduced to the pedal (踏板). Maybe I had been just too psychologically stressed out. Consequently, Melody blamed me for not practicing enough. Therefore, I had to look at my tight schedule to see where I could make time to improve myself.

The following week, Melody told me I would need to participate in the December performance and that I had to play by memory. I would have one month to memorize two pieces and I hadn’t even seen them yet! I was in despair and wanted to give up. “It’s the conventional (依照惯例的) way,” Melody said to me in a firm voice, “and even Jeff is memorizing the pieces he is playing. Think why you came here!”

Her words suddenly had reminded me of my secret dream.

On the day of the performance, I stepped slowly onto the stage.

10 . Music has universal power. It helps people from all walks of life find their creative_______. Lost Voices is an inspiring initiative that_______teenagers with challenging backgrounds with a platform to express themselves through music. _______, it helps them find their voice and heal from trauma (创伤).

Mike Ball, the founder of Lost Voices, first_______this population in 2005. Invited to speak about his_______career, he saw these kids. “They’re just like other children; they’re just in a different situation.” he said. He firmly believes that these young individuals are often overlooked and_______by the world. His mission is to change that by bringing their voices out.

As a writer and music enthusiast, Ball recognized the potential of songwriting as a_______and creative outlet for these young individuals. Motivated by this_______, he called on local folk and blues musicians to join him. With a track record of impacting over 2,500 vulnerable (易受伤害的) youths, these initiatives have facilitated_______therapeutic (治疗的) progress and many of the youths have benefited from the initiatives.

Lost Voices conducts week-long programs, sending musicians into residential treatment facilities to________with the children in small groups. Through this process, the musicians guide and________the participants to craft their own songs, ultimately helping them find their unique voices.

Through the________of individuals like Mike Ball and the________efforts of the musicians involved, Lost Voices serves as a signal of________for these often-forgotten young souls. It shows that their beautiful voices and great talents________to be heard by the world.