2017-18 Curriculum Introduction Introduction

Introduction

Welcome to Musical Explorers!

This curriculum is designed to connect students in grades K–2 to the diverse musical community of the Georgia and South Carolina Lowcounty as they develop listening, singing, and composing skills. Each semester culminates in an interactive concert featuring musicians from a wide variety of musical styles and from different cities and towns across the Southeastern Lowcountry and Coastal Empire.

Musical Explorers combines skills-based and creative activities, and can be integrated into general and music classrooms. Students will not only be listening to, but also performing songs with the artists during each concert. Teachers are encouraged to practice these songs regularly and complete the accompanying activities with their students so they can have the fullest learning experience possible, both in the classroom and at the concert.

This Teacher Guide contains six units, each devoted to one of our Musical Explorers artists. Every unit contains two lessons, each focusing on a song; the lessons guide you through the process of learning the songs, as well as teaching relevant musical concepts and exploring the cultural context. There are multiple activities within each lesson; you can choose among them to best suit the needs of your classroom. 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 at savannahmusicfestival.org/musicalexplorers) includes songs from each unit performed by our artists, as well as supporting learning tracks.

We hope you enjoy the journey!

Exploration and Key Objectives

How does music build a community?

Musical Explorers are students and teachers who look for the 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