New Ways to Bring World Music Into Your Classroom - Celebrating Diversity In The Classroom
Presented by Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou
People make music all over the world. But they do it in different ways with unique and amazing musical instruments. They use music for teaching, preserving culture, celebrating events and community bonding. And many of these global traditions can become part of your classroom adding a multicultural dimension to existing lessons and curricula. Plus, discovering world music traditions is just plain fun. Students learn well when they are having a blast while learning about world musical traditions Part One - Different Functions of Global Music I’ll talk about how music plays different roles in cultures and how that can by applied to the classroom. I grew up in an indigenous culture that had neither written music or language but their musical traditions were centuries old and incredibly beautiful and meaningful. Later, I lived and studied in other lands and obtained a degree in ethnomusicology. In this section I’ll share “stealth learning” musical traditions - fun songs and games from around the world that develop listening, memory and linguistic skills. Part Two - Some Pretty Wild Instruments. World music instruments are incredibly diverse. From conch shells used by ninja warriors to goat toenail rattles from the Andes. From carved horsehead fiddles of Mongolia to the talking drums of Africa and the buzzing bullroarers of Australian Aboriginal people, I’ll share how instruments are created from available materials and express important cultural values. I’ll discuss ways to bring world music instruments into the classroom without expensive purchases. We’ll also talk about how kids can explore instruments through crafting and tie these musical creations into related fields such as social studies and science. Part Three - Why Integrate World Cultures Into Music Studies? Exploring diverse world cultures helps to expand the student’s definition of music and the arts and shapes their view of the world. A child who responds to diverse cultures with interest and enthusiasm will not fall prey to racism and prejudice but will more readily embrace diversity and look for meaningful connections between cultures. And that is a win/win not just for music teachers, but for all of us.