At the Greensboro Montessori School we have a world cultural music curriculum in the Primary through Upper Elementary classes. Students watch, listen, and read about a culture’s music and and then work to present a world music concert where they perform cultural songs, dances, story-dramas and play instruments from specific cultures.
We are lucky to have a beautiful collection of functional world music instruments for the students to see and perform on, some of which are displayed in our school’s library showcase.The upcoming elementary winter world music concerts will feature instruments from Europe, such as the accordion, Irish bodhran, penny whistle, the celtic harp, xylophones and guitars. In preparation for the concert, Lower and Upper Elementary students have been delightedly bringing stories to life from Scotland and Wales called, “The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lithy” and “Morgan’s Spell.”
Toddler and Primary music classes have been enjoying animal songs, playing hand percussion and singing songs about rain, vertebrates, kookaburras and singing in French. Favorite songs in toddler music classes have been, “Horsey, horsey” and “See the pony galloping”. In primary music classes there has been robust singing by students on the refrain of “Puff the Magic Dragon” as we follow the illustrated story-song and lots of expressive movement to the song, “Rhythms all Around.”