CONNECTING CULTURES IN THE MUSIC ROOM #3: CREATING A MULTI-CULTURAL CONCERT

CREATING A MULTI-CULTURAL CONCERT

STEP 1: Where are we going?
When creating a multi-cultural concert, I like to begin by selecting the continents that we’ll be visiting. I like to give my students varied exposure to different cultures around the world. I might choose a song from the FAR EAST, MIDDLE EAST, CANADA, AFRICA, SOUTH AMERICA, EUROPE, AUSTRALIA, POLYNESIA and then take us home to the USA. Today’s blog post will be about how to create a simple music program using songs from around the world. The focus of the program will be to share the musical experiences that the students will have by playing, singing, dancing and sharing what we’ve learned during our travels. I’ve only included Free Resources on this blog post. But there are sooooo many paid resources you can find on teacherspayteachers.com and amazon.com. I’m not receiving an remuneration for this post-and so I only included FREE ones!
STEP 2: What songs will we sing and play?
One of my most favorite resources is the Smithsonian Folkways website.

AUSTRALIA
This website has links and the Lyrics to many YouTube videos of traditional Australian songs. If you’re not familiar with some-this would be a great place to start. OVER 100 AUSTRALIAN SONGS
The all time favorite of course is “Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport” sung by Rolf Harris.

  SOUTH AMERICA
A favorite of mine is “Tingalayo”  This is a Tone Chime arrangement Freebie.
                                             
Thinking about making your own instruments?
                                                          VUVUZELA STADIUM HORN
                                                 
                                     
FAR EAST
                                      JAPANESE WEATHER TELLING STORY

                              JAPANESE INSTRUMENT LISTENING ACTIVITY
                                

AFRICA
                                    KUKU RHYTHM FROM WEST AFRICA
                                    

All time Favorite from West Africa “Funga alafia”

STEP 4: How will I put it all together?
There are so many things to consider when you do a program/show. I always start at the end to get to the beginning-I mean that I count backwards from the date of the program about ten weeks. (I have classes once a week). I also schedule extra rehearsals and one dress rehearsal on the stage. I have found at six to eight songs is a nice amount of material to learn in that short of a time. I have used accompaniment tracks and authentic music for my music programs. For multi-cultural music, I highly recommend having the students sing and play their own music. It’s very rewarding to watch a group of first graders sing in Japanese and perform on xylophones.
As far as a script and outline, I have done many different types of programs, but one things I’ve recently begun doing is to have “whole class chants” for the speaking parts. With cut-backs and less time for music, I didn’t want to sacrifice “music” and so I created a couple of formats that work especially well for the younger grades. So I thought I’d share it with my blog readers.

 It’s a MULTI-CULTURAL PROGRAM with some PREPARATION materials, COVER and Teaching Directions with an EDITABLE SCRIPT.
You can find it HERE
                             
Concerts/programs/shows are a great deal of work-but I’ve found that focusing on the music and helping students to “learn” through the program makes it a rewarding experience all around (the world).
How do you plan concerts? What are some ways that you segue between songs? What are your favorite multi-cultural songs?