Shining TogetherHundreds gather for Native American flute circle.

A record 696 Oregon State community members came together for the annual Native American flute circle this May. Present and past students of Music 108 — one of the most popular baccalaureate core courses at OSU — played the flute while nearly 200 others kept time with egg shakers. They performed three songs, from a traditional Tribal melody to Elton John’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.”

Senior Instructor Jan Michael Looking Wolf Reibach, who teaches Music 108, started the tradition in 2015. “We play our flutes in a circle to honor the beauty of our diversity and shared connection to Mother Earth,” Reibach, a Kalapuya Tribal Elder of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, told The Daily Barometer. “I am so proud of how bright our students shine together.” See last year’s performance below.