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All Around This World class in action

All Around This World is a unique, interactive global music and world cultures program for children 0-9 years old that encourages children and their families to explore the world by enjoying global music, rhythms and movement. Jay Sand, guitarist and children’s music teacher, world traveler and dad of three girls developed All Around This World with his girls as a way to introduce them to the countries he’s already visited and the many more he plans to visit with them.  Through  dynamic online classes,  CDs, concerts and workshops, engaging homeschool and classroom lessons, “musical maps” and participatory parent-child music-making Jay hopes to make the world a bit smaller one song at a time.

All Around This World is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of All Around This World must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Donate here.

How to sing with Jay each week in your home or classroom Support All Around This World on Patreon Enjoy interactive All Around This World lessons in your home or classroom

ALL AROUND THIS WORLD NEWS

Tuva is Tremendous

All Around This World South and Central Asia map featuring Tuva

This week in our online class we travel far far FAR away to Tuva. Officially known as the “Tyva Republic,” Tuva s a geographically and, until recently, culturally isolated semi-autonomous part of Russia located in south-central Siberia. The Tuvan people are of Mongol heritage and have traditionally been independent, yurt-dwelling goat, sheep and cow herders (and reindeer!), but since the 19th century when Russians began to settle there, Russian and China fought for control of Tuvan land. When the USSR collapsed in the early ’90s Tuva remained part of Russia, but Tuvans have become much more independent to follow their Buddhist, Tibetan Lamaist and Siberian shamanist religions, pursue the national cultural pasttime — THROAT SINGING! — and make many friends around the world.

This Kyrgyz video is THE FUTURE

We end our week in Kyrgyzstan with Malika Dina.

…and, we end our week of musical explorations in Kyrgyzstan with the future. Kyrgyzstan may be geographically distant from western nations that generate most of the world’s most popular music, but today human beings are only as far away from all others as their iPhone. Generations of “distant” musicians are growing up with instant access to everything, and they are going to amaze and enlighten us with the international cross-pollination of culture that results. As in this video (featuring our new favorite Kyrgyz pop star, Malika Dina), that means Kygryz musicians will now forever have the chance to fall in love with global pop music, Latin dance and all the super-fun features of their new video effects program.

Kyrgyz dance isn’t all about the twirl

Kyrgyz folk dancing can be delightful — colorfully-dressed dancers spin in circles, flowing with eager grace, the embodiment of a twirling wind on the Central Asian plains.

Though twirling Kyrgyz folk dancing isn’t the only game in town. Below we meet a revival of a very different dance known as the Kara Jorgo, or the “Black Stallion,” which is equally connected to traditional life in Kyrgyzstan.

(Happen to be on a trip in Bishkek with a hankering to salsa dance? YOU CAN!)

 

UPCOMING LIVECAST CLASSES — OCTOBER 27 & OCTOBER 28

Jay teaching Livecast classes

Join ALL AROUND THIS WORLD for awesome LIVECAST CLASSES.

If you’d like to come to class in Zoom, CONTACT ME FOR THE LOGIN INFO. Ideally we’ll communicate before the day of class, but I do try to check my messages before my first class each day.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27 and THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28

All times are Philadelphia/New York U.S. Eastern Time, UTC-4.

— 11pm U.S. Eastern Time Wednesday October 27 (Thursday morning in India, China, Thursday mid-day Australia.)

— 7am U.S. Eastern Time Thursday October 28 (early afternoon Europe, Africa, West Asia)

— 10am U.S. Eastern Time Thursday October 28 (great for eastern U.S./Canada/Americas/Caribbean)

— 1pm U.S. Eastern Time Thursday October 28 (great for all U.S./Canada/Americas/Caribbean)

If you can’t log in, watch via Facebook Live on All Around This World’s facebook page.

If you’d like to come to class on a regular basis and get lots of information each week about the countries and cultures we’re exploring, REGISTER HERE.

To enroll in amazing online courses that take your family on a musical tour of the world: EXPLORE EVERYWHERE!

Through Music You Can Understand the Soul of a Nation

Let’s meet Kyrgyz musical heroes, Tengir-Too.

Thousand year-old traditional folk music of Krygyzstan sings the songs of strong nomadic peoples who live their lives brightly and boldly on the wide open Central Asian plains. For an introduction to Kyrgyz traditional music watch this beautiful documentary, brought to us by Smithsonian Folkways, about Kyrgyz ensemble Tengir-Too. The first spoken line of the documentary is, “I think that through music you can understand the soul of a nation….”

Kyrgyzstan: at the core of Central Asia

All Around This World South and Central Asia map featuring Kyrgyzstan

This week our online classes take us all the way to Kyrgyzstan in the center of Central Asia. The recorded history of Kyrgyzstan stretches back thousands of years, to a time when Kyrgyz nomads roamed vast Central Asian lands and Kyrgyz warriors conquered and were conquered by people like the Mongols, the Uighur and, in the 20th century, the Soviets. This week we’ll go that far back, but also keep one foot firmly in the Kyrgyzstan of today.

A Taralilalalai Blast from Past

I first heard my now-favorite Uzbek song, which we sing in music class as “Taralilalalai,” on the Smithsonian Folkways recording, Bukhara: Musical Crossroads of Asia. “Taralilalalai” is the chorus of first song in a medley listed as “Songs From Sozanda Repertory.” Sozanda is a particular kind of repertoire from the Tajik city of Bukhara that is sung exclusively by women. This video is a Taralilalalai blast from the past — an early video captured in an early All Around This World music class. (The kids are now so grown up!)

U Know we love Uzbekistan

All Around This World South and Central Asia map featuring Uzbekistan

This week our online class for kids takes us to Uzbekistan, a “doubly landlocked” country in Central Asia. For centuries Uzbekistan was one of the most important stops on the Silk Road, the ancient trade route between the Mediterranean and China. This brought a constant stream of travelers and traders to cities such as Samarkand and Bukhara, which was generally a good thing. Unfortunately, Uzbekistan was also right in the path, and therefore under the thumb, of conquerors such as Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Tamerlane and, most recently, the Soviets. This week we’re going to conquer an Uzbek song and try an Uzbek dance.

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