Folkloric music and dance in Bulgaria are performed as has been for generations, but also present are innovative hybrids in text, form, and instrumentation. Historically, traditional musical activities were divided by gender with singing a priority for women and playing instruments for men. This has been rapidly changing as in so many countries,…

Bomba is an emblematic Puerto Rican musical genre that emerged 400 years ago from the colonial plantations where West African slaves and their descendants worked. It remains one of the most popular forms of folk music on the island and serves as significant evidence of its rich African heritage. This article explores the main components of bomba…

Instrumental performance that approximates real-world models is one way in which a general music curriculum can encourage high levels of engagement and potential for lifelong musical activity. Although guitars, keyboards, and various folk instruments are useful for this purpose, orchestral instruments can also provide significant solo and ensemble…

Music in Japan is richly varied and includes documented genres dating back more than 1000 years. From classical court music known as "gagaku," to the dramatic music plays in "kabuki," to contemporary J-pop (subgenre of popular music), educators can find a sound to suit every instructional need. The focus here will be on…

Multicultural curricula that explore African musics often focus on the commonalities among its musical traditions. Exploring the diversity of individual African musical traditions provides a pathway to the multiplicity of sounds, cultures, beliefs, and uses inherent within African and all multicultural musics. Deeper insights into the diversity of…

In this article, the authors share their recent experiences with a fourth grade general music classroom in China as members of the "People-to-People Ambassador Program". They provide a description of the types of musical activities they observed at Aiju Primary School in Shanghai in December 2009 by sharing the content of one specific…

Music diversity is valued in theory, but the extent to which it is efficiently presented in music class remains limited. Within this article, I aim to bridge this gap by introducing four genres of Chinese classical ensembles--Qin and Xiao duets, Jiang Nan bamboo and silk ensembles, Cantonese ensembles, and contemporary Chinese orchestras--into the…

This article introduces "samulnori" (Korean percussion ensemble), its cultural background, and instructional methods as parts of a classroom approach to teaching upper-level general music. We introduce five of eight sections from "youngnam nong-ak" (a style of samulnori) as a repertoire for teaching Korean percussion music to…

The concept of ngoma is present throughout Eastern and Southern Africa. Ngoma refers to the tradition of expression via music, drumming, dance, and storytelling. History, values, education, and even identity can be transmitted between generations. This article traces the experiences of a music teacher from the United States traveling and studying…

In recent years, there has been much criticism of multiculturalism for its failure to address the power and privilege that keep the status quo in music education. Continued support and education is needed to grow preservice, practicing, and even veteran teachers' skills in teaching and learning music genres from a broader range of music cultures.…

Over the past several decades, music education scholars have put forth a variety of convincing rationales for world music education. Yet the gap between theory and practice in this area persists. In theoretical ways, practicing music educators acknowledge the value of world music learning experiences, but many remain reluctant to fully embrace and…

Illinois State University (ISU), located in central Illinois, serves a large population of rural, suburban, and urban students. students are predominantly white. The music education curriculum requires multicultural music study, and students have opportunities for authentic experiences. During the semester before this course, students in…

The inclusion of world music from a variety of cultures and traditions within the general music curriculum creates valuable opportunities for students to experience music in ways that are both culturally and pedagogically beneficial. By exploring the connection between the fields of ethnomusicology and music education, we can expand our current…

As instrumental world music ensembles such as steel pan, mariachi, gamelan and West African drums are becoming more the norm than the exception in North American school music programs, there are other world music ensembles just starting to gain popularity in particular parts of the United States. The kulintang ensemble, a drum and gong ensemble…

In the fourteen years since the 1990 MENC preconference symposium Multicultural Approaches to Music Education in Washington, DC, music educators have come to recognize the need to include a variety of world musics in all music curricula, from elementary classrooms to advanced performing ensembles. Accordingly, there has been a significant increase…