Introduction
Welcome to Musical Explorers!
Musical Explorers is designed to connect students in grades K–2 to the musical community of the Georgia and South Carolina Lowcountry as they build fundamental music skills through listening, singing, and moving to songs from a wide variety of musical styles. In the coming year, you and your students will meet artists who represent six different musical genres and cultural traditions. Together, you will learn songs and dances that you will perform along with the artists during culminating interactive concerts at the end of each semester.
The Musical Explorers curriculum encompasses skills-based and creative activities that can be integrated into both general and music classrooms. This Teacher Guide includes lesson plans, background information about the artists and their featured musical styles, and additional resources for further learning and instruction. Complementary Student Guide (SG) pages include hands-on activities, photographs, and illustrations that support active learning. In addition, the companion audio CD, also available online, includes songs from each unit and supporting learning tracks.
We thank you for joining our expedition and hope you enjoy the journey!
Exploration and Key Objectives
How does music build a community?
Musical Explorers are students and teachers who look for answers to this question as they:
- meet singers whose music represents different genres and ethnic and cultural communities
- sing and move to the artists’ songs
- make connections between the artists’ music, their communities, and their cultures of origin
- learn fundamental musical concepts
