Music and Religion

My religion is both Buddhism and Shintoism, but I'm not really sure what to say about it.  Although my family practices both religions, I was never immersed in many of the culture and traditions since I grew up in the US.
The only thing I experienced between music and religion was probably when I dug through my father's recordings of some monk prayers (explained in the post before) and when I went to a temple in Nagoya, Japan. My family and I went to the temple to pay our respects for the family members who had passed away. We sat down on our knees in front of a huge altar and a monk started “singing” a prayer. Every couple of minutes the monk would ring a small bell in front of him.
Like in the post I wrote before, the prayer was very long and tiring, but unlike when I was a child, I actually did hear the differentiating rhythms and the more musical aspects of the prayer.
Actually, now looking back, I recall some other things that I have been to. Every summer, the Japanese School I use to go to sponsors the Bon Odori Festival in Charlotte. It is believed that your ancestors or spirits come back (Like the Day of the Dead) for a couple of days in the summer, so to honor them, the Bon Odori was created.
The Bon Odori Festival is really fun with lots of food and games, but the most important part is the music and dance.
Drummers on a stage beat and pound on the taiko drums providing the rhythm and beat. People would then sing and dance around the stage to welcome the spirits. Although the dance is about honoring and welcoming your ancestors, it is also to be a fun time to celebrate the life you have now.  
It really is a celebration worth going to and experience, it doesn’t matter who you are or what you do so make sure to go!