This week, our students in Primary have been able to enjoy a most interesting trip across the Atlantic, to learn about Music in the American continent. As part of the Schools´ commitment to the values of EDI, (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion), we have organized some very special visits to the Museum of America, where our students in Year 6 have taken part in the workshop, Have you Heard the Sounds of America?
The workshop-visit, designed by the Museum of America for school groups in Primary, is an activity based learning experience. It is about learning through the discovery and exhibition of the musical instruments of different cultures and eras. The purpose is to understand Music in different cultures from an ethnography point of view. This also provides our students with a base, to be able to reflect on the artistic expression through Music, in our own time.
The workshop-visit therefore has a double goal. On the one hand, to promote the discovery of new sounds represented by or associated with some of the pieces on show in the museum. And, on the other hand, to learn to appreciate the need to maintain intangible cultural heritage throughout the world.
During the visit, our students also made replicas of one of the musical instruments on show, and were able to practice their musical skills on these new instruments.
The American Museum covers the whole of the American continent, using a variety of colonial, ethnic and archeological documents from all the different American cultures. The collection is made up of more than 25,000 exhibits. Its scope covers a very long period, from American prehistory to the present day. There is a special emphasis on pre-Colombian archeology, ethnography and colonial art.