Music Education Builds Cultural Bridges Music Education Builds Cultural Bridges by Karen Kneten usic students gather around an inflatable globe Designing BCB and excitedly match international greetings to After planning with education directors from some of countries and continents. “Sorida?”—“Africa!” Houston’s foremost organizations, Lupold and Surface created “Hola?”—“Spain!” “Guten Tag?”—“Germany!” the Building Cultural Bridges program (BCB). This extraordi- M“Konnichiwa?”—“Japan!” “Privyet?”—“Russia!” These are lan- nary program links Pearl Hall Elementary with NASA, Johnson guages from just a few of the countries represented in a multi- Space Center, the Houston Symphony, consuls general’s offices, dimensional, international program called “Building Cultural the Society for the Performing Arts, the Houston Grand Opera, Bridges.” Jami Lupold and Pat Surface developed this program and the Norwegian Seaman’s Church, providing unique and after the words of a TMEA keynote speaker became the catalyst creative opportunities for students and educators. The program for them to restructure their multicultural curriculum and revise allows students to discover that they are an integral part of society how they delivered the daily lessons. at the local, state, national, and international levels. The goal: cre- At the 2000 TMEA convention, these Pearl Hall Elementary ate a greater cultural tolerance by offering students and educators music educators heard Dr. Jeffrey Kimpton assert that for music a better understanding of the music and cultures of other nations. education to survive, music educators need to tap into com- While this continues to happen throughout the school, so many munity resources to establish a connection between education more offerings have come to the Pearl Hall Elementary students and the students’ place in the community. Lupold and Surface and staff. thought about how to put Kimpton’s words into action and BCB provides students innovative learning opportunities quickly recognized the amazing resources that existed in their to develop and use communication skills and technology to own backyard of Pasadena ISD. Now when Pearl Hall students explore international music, culture, and literature. “It gives us leave their music classes, they call out with “Ciao!”, “Sayonara!”, a tangible focus for multicultural education, with science con- or “Do Svidanya!” nections through music. Kids experience how music is a part of the lives not only of professional musicians, but also of scientists, Southwestern Musician/February 2007 Excerpt Southwestern Musician/February 2007 Excerpt engineers, world leaders, and continued BCB progress. In even astronauts—on earth and 2003, persistence paid off as they in space,” said Lupold. Surface welcomed their next BCB par- Music Education added, “Even though it is a MUSIC MAY ACHIEVE ticipant, Carlos Miguel Prieto, major project with great intrica- THE HIGHEST OF ALL MISSIONS from Mexico, who was serv- cies, BCB serves as a vessel for : ing as the Houston Symphony delivering music education and Associate Conductor. After a few Builds Cultural Bridges for supporting cross-curricular astronauts, engineers, and musi- instruction, motivating students She may be a bond cians participated, word began to to embrace the cultures around spread. And as in all great orga- them.” Once the program took between nations, nizations, success bred more suc- root, it expanded in directions races, and states cess. To date, thirty participants no one dreamed of, and it took representing seventeen countries their school to places no one ever who are strangers have met with Pearl Hall stu- expected. to one another dents through this program. Launching BCB in many ways; Making International With Johnson Space Center Connections (JSC) serving as home to the During their music classes, nation’s astronaut corps prepar- She may unite fourth- and fifth-grade students ing both the U.S. and its inter- conduct formal interviews with national partners for living and what is disunited the international participants, working in space, as well as and bring peace and after learning their guests’ housing mission control centers favorite folksongs, students from for both the space shuttle and to what is hostile. various grade levels record them International Space Station (ISS), on campus using their digi- Lupold and Surface decided to tal recording studios. Since the focus the program on collect- program began, the students ing folk songs and children’s — Dr. Max Bendiner have interviewed approximately literature from each of the six- three individuals each semester. teen ISS-partnering countries. With only four of the sixteen The teachers devised a detailed proposal August 2002, NASA Education Director ISS-partnering countries remaining, the for education directors at the Houston Susan H. Anderson requested that Pearl Pearl Hall students may have all of the Symphony, the Houston Grand Opera, Hall students participate in a live interna- interviews completed by the end of the and NASA JSC Education Department tional webcast in NASA’s electronic class- school year. “Our kids are confident to to gain access to international participants room with astronauts at JSC and classes at ask questions of our international guests,” who would represent their countries in the Kennedy Space Center. That December, said Seth Fewell, who joined the Pearl BCB program. These participants would the first formal BCB interview featured Hall music education team after BCB had be interviewed by Pearl Hall students and Irish concert pianist Finghnin Collins begun. “On top of all that music educa- share their favorite childhood folksongs, from the Houston Symphony. However, tors already do, preparing for a BCB event children’s books, and cultural information with the tragic loss of the Columbia space is very involved, but often it doesn’t seem from their home country. shuttle crew and with restrictions imposed like work at all,” he added. Convincing all of the organizations to following the September 11 attacks, the One of the strengths in this program’s support this program wasn’t difficult. In Pearl Hall teachers were concerned about design is the consistent interview tech- whether international nique. Students have asked identical guests would be avail- interview questions of each participant able to support the since its inception. This not only helps the BCB program. students build confidence as they conduct While facing this the interviews, but also results in a con- challenge, Lupold sistent set of information gathered from came across the say- each country. “They were so organized. It ing, “What would really struck me—that they were going to you attempt if you do their journalistic best and their musical knew you would not best. They were connecting on all levels, fail?” She shared it and that’s what education is supposed to with Surface and this do. It was fun and startling to see them do perspective quickly it so well,” reflected Jack Bacon following Pearl Hall students interview became the driving his interview with the Pearl Hall students. Dottie Metcalf-Lindenberger force behind their As an ISS Systems Integration Engineer, Southwestern Musician/February 2007 Excerpt Southwestern Musician/February 2007 Excerpt Bacon works with all the different all-astronaut rock band formed in strong supporter of education through the systems on the ISS to make sure 1986 to raise the astronauts’ spirits arts. “As a science teacher, oftentimes, my Learning music is the entire space station is operating following the loss of the Challenger subject is now being touted as something as expected. crew. that is taking the place of music, but these important for many When they complete their Pearl Hall teachers have shown that you reasons. Playing interviews with representatives Bridging the Curriculum can bring music and science together by from all sixteen countries, they BCB has not only expanded bringing in the engineers and astronauts, musical instruments plan to make the interview infor- Pearl Hall students’ knowledge and connecting it all,” she explained. “I requires a discipline of mation and the student-recorded of music through the collection wish we would realize as a society that folksongs available on their school of international folk songs; it has a well-rounded person will learn about mind, coordination, website. A growing collection of also enhanced their educational all of these things . that we will take ear, and beauty. books from BCB guests is also experience by providing them science and we will take math, but that we available in the school library for with a unique understanding of will also recognize that studying music — Sergei Galperin HSO Violinist Sergei Galperin plays a balalaika students and teachers. While mov- how math, science, technology, with all of the subjects together make us Russian folk instrument for the Pearl Hall students. ing closer to this tangible goal, the HSO Associate Conductor Carlos and music are integrated in suc- better human beings.” music teachers saw an intangible Miguel Prieto instructs Pearl Hall cessful people’s lives. Whether BCB participant Carlos Miguel Prieto goal realized in the process— students on conducting techniques. engineers, musicians, or astro- exemplifies the success enabled by this the end result is a lot of contact with the table would have solved the problem with student understanding and appre- nauts, all of the BCB contributors well-rounded education. Prieto is an community. In this way, it is similar to the pure science, but the musicians in the ciation of other cultures and a vital have shared how important music accomplished violinist and professional life of a scientist who does a lot of solitary room intuitively knew the answer.” connection to a world beyond Pasadena. Canadian astronaut Colonel Chris education is in their lives and careers. In orchestra director; however, his degrees research in order to be able to share it with For Bacon and astronaut Chris Surface explained, “The children feel so Hadfield has visited the students several addition to learning about the connec- from Princeton and Harvard are in math- the world.