Music Welcomes All
If you have ever traveled abroad, you have doubtless experienced "culture shock" — that feeling of confusion and discomfort that comes from being unfamiliar with a language, a landscape, and countless social customs. As an adult, this can be jarring enough. Imagine going through all this as a child, navigating a new country while trying to learn a new language, and possibly even attending formal school for the first time. This is the experience of thousands of recently arrived migrant children joining NYC public school classrooms this year.
For many of these students, S'Cool Sounds music classes are safe, inclusive spaces. They walk into classrooms where they hear sounds and speech like those from their home country. They don't always have to speak or understand the dominant language to participate, and they are immediately included in a joyful, energetic community. It is the extraordinary musical, linguistic, and pedagogical ingenuity of our caring Teaching Artists (TAs) that makes this happen!
For example, SCS TA Berta Moreno teaches some classes in both Spanish and English, while others she teaches entirely in Spanish. In addition, she incorporates scat into her lessons on jazz, enabling the students to create their own "classroom language" which everyone can use. After noticing some recently-immigrated students struggling, Berta looked for ways she could support them. She shared, "I have been trying to boost their confidence by giving them special tasks, like 'You are going to be my drummer for the week.'"
Taking the same multilingual approach to instruction as Berta, SCS TA Kenneth Jimenez has also forged strong connections with newly-arrived students. Affirming their cultures and their experiences, Kenneth encourages his students to take pride in their home languages and actively brings them into his classes. For example, he might invite a class to sing a samba in Spanish, then make up words in English using the same basic idea. The students experience how language and rhythm interact and celebrate linguistic diversity in their community.
Recently, Kenneth had a student who was excited about Colombian pop singer Shakira. She started singing her favorite Shakira song and the rest of the class joined in. Kenneth was teaching a unit on Cuban music, so he worked with the class to rearrange the song with claves, congas, guiros, and shakers, turning it into a bolero. Students were excited, and working together as an ensemble, they were able to focus on the musical elements because they were all so familiar with the song.
Another student of Kenneth’s recently arrived from the Dominican Republic. While he has never been in school before and cannot yet read, this student will soon take the spotlight in an upcoming concert by playing the highly-coveted claves part, showing off his impeccable rhythmic skills!
One positive experience with an extraordinary teacher can have a major impact on a student's life. Each day, our team of TAs bring the joy of making music to hundreds of students across the City, making sure that each and every child knows that they are welcome—and that they matter.
Your contribution can help bring SCS's culturally-affirming programs to even more students across NYC, helping to create safe, welcoming, and nurturing learning spaces for all.
Check out this clip on Venezuelan music from our curriculum Alegría Musical!
