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Judy Figi
I first became interested in global education as a Peace Corps teacher at Harford Secondary School for Girls in Moyamba, Sierra Leone. I was a music teacher and found that the music taught in the schools there was based on the European tradition. I wanted to show my students that Africa too had a valid music tradition, which I did by teaching songs from other African countries and by using the students’ own music to teach such subjects as music reading, rhythm and form. I am motivated to continue my efforts by the belief that we are enriched by exposure to the music of all peoples. Primary Resources: · Roots and Branches, book/CD set published by World Music Press. · Share the Music, a textbook resource published by MacMillan · “Music K8,” the magazine · Musical Instruments, a textbook edited by Ruth Midgley. · Recordings released by Ellipsis Arts, Rosslyn, New York and Smithsonian Folkways. · The International Calendar published annually by the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Madison, Wisconsin Internet-based Resources: · Languages of the World (http://www.travlang.com/languages) · National Anthems of the World (http://www.emulateme.com/anthems) · CD Rom “Microsoft Musical Instruments” which is now out of print but has been incorporated into Microsoft’s “Encarta” Global Education Lesson/Strategies: Each November during our local harvest time, my 3rd -7th students re-enact the Thai Loy Kratong Festival. This is an annual celebration in Thailand to mark the full moon from October to December, depending on the region. It is a time to forget, or float away, the bad experiences of the past year and hope the New Year will be a happy one. To further immerse the student’s intoThai culture, we learn conversational Thai words and the national anthem of Thailand from the Internet. To duplicate the sounds we hear in the Thai national anthem, the students play finger cymbals, xylophones, and drums. The song, “Pung Noy Loy Krathong” translates “Celebrate Loy Krathong, oh, do the float dance.” Students listen to and sing both the English and Thai version of the song that I play on a compact disc. In Share the Music, Level 5, I show students the lyrics of “Pung Noy Loy Krathong” (page 300) written in the Thai language. Compare it to our alphabet. Listen again to the song and follow the text. Listen to the speaker on the compact disc and echo the Thai text as he speaks it. From this exercise, students gain an appreciation for the written and oral form of Thai language as well as what a festival in Thailand is like. Strategy #2: A Song in the Mende Language of Sierra Leone To introduce my 4th –5th grade students to the Mende people of Sierra Leone, we begin by discussing the slave revolt story called “Amistad.” Since this story was made into a feature film, some students may recount parts of the revolt. Initially, the students find Sierra Leone on the world map and trace the journey of the Amistad. Next, using the Internet, students find the Sierra Leone national anthem and flag as well as discover that the Mende people created their own very old and distinctive writing system. See examples of it on the Cornell University library website: www.library.cornell.edu/Africana/Writing_Systems/Mende.html. To begin the vocal music part of the lesson, we listen to a compact disc,“Music of the Mende in Sierra Leone” recorded by Gary Schulze and published by Hal Leonard. In addition, we listen to “Dry Your Tears, Afrika” by John Williams. Inside the compact disc cover, the English translation is provided with certain words still in Mende. Then compare this song to traditional Mende music. Students learning greetings in Mende can supplement the lesson. Another way to follow up would be to study the poetry of the Ivorian poet, Bernard Dadie, whose poem “Seche tes pleurs” (Dry Your Tears) was used for the text of the John Williams’ song. From this exercise, students learn about how another country conveys its historical and cultural legacies through music. Extension of these lessons: Both activities can be extended to social studies/geography lessons in the classroom. Computer classes may want to do further research on music and festivals of Sierra Leone and Thailand. Language and art classes can study the literature and art of Sierra Leone and Thailand. Advice: Try to use the most authentic resources possible. Don’t be afraid to attempt to pronounce a different language. You and the students may not pronounce it perfectly but making the effort is worthwhile. Try to find native speakers to visit your classes from the local state university or Returned Peace Corps volunteers living in the area. I can send information on how to recruit Returned Peace Corps volunteers and university students to speak in their classroom. In this packet, I will share global education ideas that have worked in our school and suggestions on how to implement a school-wide global theme in our school. I can direct teachers to resources I have found helpful. Through the use of inter-library loan, many of these resources are readily available. Evidence That it’sWorking: Our school has a school-wide theme every year. When we do a global school-wide theme, each student has a country to study indepth. At the end of the year, students do a country-specific presentation at this program for parents, relatives, younger students and the general public. Their presentations with help from their parents included food, artifacts, and music from other countries. The results of their individual research are also displayed during a school open house for our spring concert. When we presented student work on Asia, the local TV station and press covered the event.
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