Connecting the Dots

We track the global trail of some of our favorite musical genres, investigate the unexpected ubiquity of some of our favorite instruments and, as in every season of All Around This World classes, we do some of our favorite things: sing! dance! sing some more! This season takes us everywhere:

— Latin America: Africa? Meet Spain. (And Portugal. And France.)–Africa’s musical influence on “the New World.”

— Africa: Work Work Work Work Work–“Work songs,” starting in Africa and going everywhere.

— South and Central Asia: Manned Drone–Music class meets the drone

— The Caribbean: Calypso War…What is it Good For?–Two poets “fight” by turning a phrase

— Eastern Europe and the Baltics: Accordion and On and On–Why are there accordions everywhere?

— East and Southeast Asia: Hot-to-Trot (Korean Trot, Japanese Boogie Woogie, Sri Lankan Calypso, Finnish Tango and Bunny Hop)–When music appears in unexpected places.

— The U.S. and Canada: All That Jazz–Swing dancing rules the world

— West Asia and the Middle East: String Theory–Actually, the violin rules the world.,

— Oceania and the Pacific Islands: Hymns and Hers–Music with a mission

— Western Europe and the Nordic Countries: The Whole World in Our Hand–From Flamenco clapping to “dancing with our hands.”