Global Music Experience in the 4th Grade

For the second consecutive year, 4th grade students were the lucky recipients of a global music treat when we arranged for a recent visit by three professional musicians from the world music ensemble Lamajamal to share their talents performing a range of traditional Greek and Egyptian music. On the day of the event, 4th grade students filled a dimly lit Harris Center and sat attentively as the visiting musicians introduced themselves and their wide array of instruments and performed a diverse selection of traditional music pieces from the Greek and Egyptian cultures as a slideshow of photographs, illustrations and artwork from the regions served as backdrop. The presentation was engaging and interactive, providing the student audience with helpful and interesting explanations and demonstrations of the music and instruments as well as the language and cultural/historical connections of these regions.

This event brought to life music from the Greek and Egyptian cultures that 4th graders have been studying in music class and in their classroom curriculum, serving as a wonderful culmination to this interdisciplinary study. In addition to giving students a unique opportunity to make deeper curricular connections and ask questions, this experience also helped to create meaningful interaction between our students and a world music ensemble from the Chicago area.