The natural beauty of the flute evokes very powerful emotions. The traditional flute is social, not ceremonial, in nature and should always be treated with that in mind and spirit.
My musical journey began when I was young. Drums were a regular part of our lives. In the summer were the war dances, now called powwows. As kids, we would imitate the drummers on my mother’s galvanized washtub.
The very first time I heard the flute, I was a young boy living on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation located in Southeastern Montana. Grover Wolfvoice was the flute man playing this wonderful music. The music was beautiful to my ears, yet it scared me. There was much poverty and depression at that time. The sound of the flute touched my heart, where there was much pain and uncertainty. Through all of the hardships of reservation life, the beauty and wonder of our homeland beckoned to me.”

Joseph FireCrow

TJ believes that the preservation of our western and cowboy culture is very important.
 TJ uses the art of cowboy poetry to pass on to future generations the same strong morals and values that he was fortunate to be raised with. His belief that kids need to learn that they are a very significant link of preserving our western American heritage is a lesson that TJ mixes in while teaching cowboy poetry.

 "I believe in our roots and heritage," says TJ, "I've got a story to tell. We all need to stand up and protect the traditions and legacies we've inherited. I want to be an image for kids to look up to, and hopefully instill in them this same love of country and customs I know and respect. Without our heritage, our children lose focus. Without our children's focus, we lose our world."
 With this in mind, TJ's main objective is to utilize the natural talent and imaginations of kids and give them confidence to believe in themselves while learning how to express themselves through cowboy poetry.

TJ Casey