Scribble Town (ST): Drum roll, bird tweets, and a big round of applause for Rabbit Days and Dumplings, Elena Moon Park’s new music album! It’s an “all-ages folk and children’s music from East Asia”. I can’t wait to hear all about it!

Elena Moon Park (EMP): Hi all! I’m Elena Moon Park, and I’m a musician living and working in Brooklyn, NY.  I grew up in the hills of East Tennessee, then lived and went to school near Chicago for a few years before moving to Brooklyn.  Upon moving to NYC, I began freelancing as a musician around the city, and since 2007 I’ve been playing music for families.

ST: Every life has its own special beat and story! How is the tune now- where are you and what are you up to these days?

EMP: These days I live in Brooklyn, NY, where I work with an organization called Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation and play music on a variety of instruments.  For the last eight years, I have been playing fiddle and trumpet with the Brooklyn-based family music band Dan Zanes and Friends (DZAF).  I traveled across America and around the world playing music for families with DZAF, meeting many parents and children of all ages, and I quickly realized that there is a lack of music from Asia in the US-based family music world.  Two years ago, I decided to make my own album for families, featuring folk and children’s music from East Asia, and this resulted in Rabbit Days and Dumplings, released in September 2012.

ST: That’s great!  We can already mark are calendars for your next show at the Lincoln Center in NYC for Saturday, July 27 at 12pm.  I’m still curious as to how it all began with you.  When did you start creating music and was there somebody that encouraged you?

EMP: I started learning how to play the violin when I was around 5 years old.  When I was young, my parents strongly encouraged me to play music, and I am eternally grateful for that!  Sometimes it was hard to practice when I was growing up – there were many other things I wanted to do! – but my parents convinced me to stick with it, at least until I went to college.  After college, I continued to be inspired by many, many fun and adventurous musicians, especially when I moved to NYC and decided to learn more instruments.

ST:  Like what – which instruments do you play?  I have a feeling the list will go on and amaze us all

EMP: Besides the violin, I play mandolin, trumpet, ukulele, jarana (Mexican guitar), spoons, and I just started learning how to play the musical saw.  I liked the mandolin immediately because it is tuned just like a violin, and I think the sound is lively and beautiful.  I played French horn in high school band, and I always enjoyed playing a brass instrument, so I picked up a trumpet.  The ukulele, jarana, spoons, and musical saw are all discoveries through playing family music.

ST:  From horns to strings you are creating a melodic soundtrack to your foot steps. And for us too!  Is there a particular place or environment you find yourself feeling really inspired to create?

EMP: I am most inspired by meeting people and hearing their stories.  This is one of the reasons that I enjoy playing folk music so much — because folk and traditional music, and any music that has been passed on through generations, constantly being reshaped and re-imagined, embodies such a depth of history and culture that one can learn from.  Music is such a fantastic way to communicate across borders and languages, and a beautiful way to build relationships and communities.  In that same vein, playing music for families, and watching the intergenerational bond that music can create, has been the most enriching musical experience of my life.

ST: Oh, that gives a window as to what propelled you to create Rabbit Days and Dumplings.  The album really brings together so many different people, cultures and languages.  On the record there are many wonderful musicians singing and playing with you.  How did these collaborations come about?

EMP: As I was discovering what a joy it was to play music for families, Dan Zanes (my bandleader) began to encourage me to teach him some folk songs from East Asia.  I grew up in East Tennessee, but both of my parents immigrated to the US from South Korea.  I realized that I didn’t know any folk songs from East Asia, and decided that I should definitely learn a few.  It started with one Korean New Year’s song called Sol Nal that we played on a DZAF Holiday Show, and thus started Rabbit Days and Dumplings!

I have been very fortunate to play a lot of different kinds of music with many different musicians in this rich musical land of New York City.  While putting together my album, I enlisted the help of friends and friends of friends, and many were gracious enough to join me on the album.  All of my song arrangements are inspired by these incredibly talented musicians, and so the album is truly a reflection of the New York City musical world that I know and love.

ST: Wow!  Elena, for somebody so musically creative are there other forms of art you practice?

EMP: I really love to take photographs.  I have a nice but simple point-and-shoot digital camera, and I try to take it with me whenever I travel.  For me, photographs are expressions of appreciation for the beautiful things you encounter every day.  They make me stop and recognize these moments of beauty, both small and large.

ST: Every picture captures a moment and every song has its place.  When you were growing up what was your favorite song?

EMP: I had a lot of favorite songs when I was growing up.  One Korean song, San Toki, which is featured on Rabbit Days and Dumplings, was a favorite of mine when I was really young.  When I was older, I really liked the song “Rainbow Connection” from the Muppets.

ST: My sister and I used to sing Rainbow Connection too!  Another song which brings me back to my childhood from Rabbit Days and Dumplings is Ti Oh Oh.  My mom would always sing that to us especially when we were taking a walk in the forest.  Thank you for capturing all these wonderful sounds, stories, and songs!  Scribblers, have a listen to some songs on http://rabbitdays.com/music.

EMP: I’ve always tried my best to explore as much as possible, and to be open to any and all new people, places, foods, art, music, and ideas.  This openness has always led me somewhere fulfilling and fun.  At the same time, I learned to keep in touch with my roots, and to get to know my roots better as I grew older.  The most important thing for me, though, is to keep having a good time on the way, wherever you are heading.

ST: Thanks Elena for your advice!  We will all have happy feet our adventures thanks to Rabbit Days and Dumplings!