Music:  Modern popular German music sounds a lot like modern popular American music.  However, older German folk music has a unique sound.  Here are some links to musicians who are keeping that sound alive:

Egerländer Blasmusik (so-called Oom-pah band music):  Maablosn is a high quality band  from northwestern Germany.  YouTube videos like this don’t do them justice, but you can see they’re popular; Hermann Engelbertinck leads a Dutch band that plays this traditional Egerländer music quite well.  Here’s a fun trombone solo by Danielle Eisenhorst, a performer in Hermann’s band.

Button Accordion (Steirische Harmonika):  This is a “whole body” instrument, requiring both hands, arm and shoulder strength, planning ahead, and facial expression.    Here’s Karin Seyringer, from somewhere in Austria.  Oh, you want perfection? Here, from the Quetschn Academy in Austria is Stefan Kern, playing Auf der Autobahn. The Twinnies.  This pair of Bavarian girlfriends are not really twins, but they are quite talented and are able to play this difficult instrument while inline skating, singing, and looking oh so niedliche!

The German national anthem, Deutschlandlied, is one of the prettiest hymns written by Franz Josef Haydn.  The Germans still use the tune, and today sing the third verse as their anthem.