Traditional music is still alive and thriving today. It still plays important community roles. It is a mode of transmission for community, regional, and national history. It is used as a means of informal education for both young and old about life. Through this music the heart of a people finds profound and personal expression.

Increasingly, this precious art form is being replaced by other static (static means it is not “living”, and that it comes from outside) and foreign forms. People still enjoy traditional music. The reality is fewer and fewer people are able to play instruments as the dombura, the kobiz, and other traditional instruments. The lyrics are also being resigned to written format in books, not contained in the memory and hearts of the people. Many of these books do not include musical notation, so the tune and melody can be easily forgotten.

Step by Steppe aims to meet community-level (community-level means “local people”. We aren’t intending to meet superstars or people who already have their own recordings) traditional instrument players and singers and record them playing the songs they know. The result will be mastered onto cassette tapes and compact discs (and other digital formats such as MP3, Real Audio, Audio DVD's and VCD's, etc.). Step by Steppe will also work with the musician/artist with designing appropriate covers for the tapes or cd’s. Once completed, a generous amount of finished material will provided to the artist free of charge. The musician/artist is free to use it as they see fit, such as selling copies, or giving them as gifts. Step by Steppe may provide advice to the musician/artist on how to pursue a more commercial route, but does not expect to be the sole producer of more material after the initial product as this would necessitate taking a more commercial route. Step by Steppe wants to retain its non-profit status.

Step by Steppe also aims to catalogue music books containing lyrics and cross reference all the titles with books containing musical notation. Audio cassettes, CD's, VCD's, and other media will be also be catalogued and referenced to the song titles if there is no book with musical notation. Samples of the songs from the various media will also act as examples for existing musical notation. Of prime interest are songs for which no musical notation can be found in books or other existing media. Local musicianss/artists will be searched for who do know these songs, songs which may already be being lost by the general public. The results will be presented in various formats, including but not limited to: web sites, books, reports, CD-ROM, etc., with audio samples.

Materials meeting our criteria will be translated into the English language. Other languages will also be considered, dependent upon qualified translators.

Currently books which explain Kazak culture, as well as books dealing with the history of Kazak music, are being considered for translation. Such books in English are scarce, and the few available generally have been written by non-Kazaks. Step by Steppe aims to present what Kazak writers themselves have to say about their culture and the various elements, ceremonies, structures, etc.

The works of several notable Kazak, and other Central Asian writers, have been translated into English. Step by Steppe aims to determine which other writings would be ideal for translation into English, or any other language. Criteria for these include how well the writings reflect traditional and contemporary Kazak and Central Asia thought, belief, and experience.

Another literary area deemed important is Kazak poetry. The translation of these materials will be difficult, but this art form provides an important outlet for, and insight into, Kazak thought, belief, and experience.

Step by Steppe, being an international fund, will not confine itself only to translations into English. We will partner with speakers and translators of other languages, including but definitely not limited to: First Nations' languages, German, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Italian. Literary art from other languages will also be translated into Kazak.

The traditional dance forms are an intricate and detailed art. Practitioners begin at an early age, yet carry on into life. Their movements retell tales from long ago, or depict such natural events as migrations, traditional nomad life, and other past and current events. The dances are almost always accompanied by musicians playing traditional instruments. The two go hand in hand in preserving their traditions.

Step by Steppe aims to encourage the continuation of these art forms through various means. Video recordings and photographic records of public and private performances will be taken and produced onto various media. These will be handled the same way as those mentioned in the Music section.

There is an amazing variety of traditional visual arts in Central Asia. These range from weaving to painting. Felt products come in a diverse range of carpets, wall-hangings, clothing, and decorative items. Oil and acrylic painting is a relative new art form, but a significant one in Central Asia. These artists are looking for a forum to present their work, and a means of preserving their work.

Step by Steppe aims to assist where possible in meetings these desires. Photographic records, among other means, will be a prime method of preserving this art form. Books, pamphlets, or web presentations may be produced also highlighting some of this art.

Step by Steppe started as a private company in Canada in 2001. It has since grown to include a non-profit, volunteer component. Both are dedicated to honoring, preserving, and promoting traditional arts such as music, song, dance, visual arts, and literature, through audio and video recording, as well as subsequent distribution on a local level.

The founders and directors of Step by Steppe are Shane and Michelle Cooke. They both have extensive experience in Central Asia. At this moment there are few music companies, commercial or non-profit, focused on working with the traditional musician/artist on a local level. The artists they do produce are few, and the costs are prohibitive for the majority of musicians/artists who operate on a purely local, community level. It is these community musicians/artists with whom Step by Steppe intends to meet.

Michelle first travelled to northwest China in 1999 and taught English. There she was amazed by the diversity and vitality of the various peoples. She returned to southern China in 2000 and worked as a consultant with local artisans exporting minority handicrafts. Not surprisingly, in 2001 she then journeyed back to northwest China and studied the Uighur language and culture, as well as Mandarin. This trip firmly embedded a love for Central Asia's peoples in her heart.

Shane first arrived in northwest China via Almaty, Kazakstan, in early 1997. There he began studying the Kazak language, then the Kazak instrument called the домбыра (dombura, دومبۇرا). He found the traditional arts of Kazaks, and other nationalities, an invigorating blend of past, present, and future. He also sees many connections between Central Asian peoples and his own, the Ojibwa-Cree of Canada, and would like to see these connections explored.