Guten Tag! My name is Hans and I love Oom-pah music. Oom-pah bands play at all kinds of celebrations around my country, especially at Oktoberfest. The name gOom-pahh refers to the sound the tuba makes when it plays the bass notes behind the music. The brass bands have any number of players, but there is almost always a tuba, some trumpets, trombones, clarinets and sometimes even an accordion! The bands are fun to watch and the music makes me want to get up and dance.

Oom-pah bands usually play polkas, waltzes and marches. I like it when they play Vogeltanz, or you may know it as the Chicken Dance. The song is usually played at gatherings and is a staple at Oktoberfest! When the song is played, everyone gathers in a circle facing one another and we dance like chickens! First, we motion our hands like beaks, then we flap our arms like we are flying, then we use our hands like tails! It is really fun.

Germany, aside from the Oom-pah music, also was home to many classical composers that my parents say are really famous: Mozart, Bach and Beethoven. Ifve listened to all of them, but I still like Oom-pah music the best.