ABOUT ALL AROUND THIS WORLD
All Around This World is a unique 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. I am a children’s music teacher, world traveler and dad of three girls who developed All Around This World with my kids as a way to introduce them to the countries I’ve already visited and the many more I plan to visit with them.
AATW’s curriculum consists of fourteen “seasons” of material, ten of which introduce music and culture from a geographic region of the world (e.g. Africa, Eastern Europe, etc.) four of which are international and thematic (e.g. “Everything is a Drum,” a survey of global rhythms). Each season includes 12 weekly lessons and features a catalog of music consists of approximately 25 songs that I have adapted to sing with kids. I’ve tested all the seasons and songs extensively with kids and their families. This is good stuff.
AATW has developed several projects that have potential to reach kids worldwide.
— Parent/child music classes
AATW’s music classes for little kids, mainly 0-5, and their grown-ups have been the cornerstone of the program since 2009. (In the internet age parents still take their littlest kiddos to real life music classes!) AATW has substantial potential to license its world music curriculum to teachers who will share it with families their own cities. (fyi, Music Together claims to be active in over 2,000 communities in 40 countries.)
— Classroom kits and lesson plans:
To reach schools and homeschooling families I have developed both “classroom kits,” which give a teacher or family access to a complete season of AATW curriculum at once, and individual lessons, each of which focuses on a song or one of our dances or cultural celebrations.
Example: Latin America classroom kit. Example of PDF lesson (the Ugandan “Amagunjju”).
Over 60 lessons are currently available on AATW’s site on Teachers Pay Teachers.
— Online classes
Since spring I’ve been connecting with homeschooling families each week by offering online classes. These classes follow my established AATW curriculum and blend streamable sing-alongs with weekly interactive PDF lessons. I’m confident that these classes have substantial potential to become an affordable enrichment activity in independent preschools.
— Performances:
The last two summers I’ve traveled the U.S., my own kids in tow, performing concerts in venues large and small. AATW concerts are a perfect match for school assemblies, libraries, community centers, summer concert series’, etc.
Photos and videos from the 2016 concert tour.
— Stuff to sell:
There is a lot of potential AATW “product.” I have recorded and released two full studio CDs with international musicians performing AATW songs — AATW Latin America and AATW Africa. Both have been well-reviewed and have won Parents Choice Awards. I have recorded and mixed a third — AATW: South and Central Asia — which I will master and release soon. I have also developed really cool “Musical Maps” featuring instruments and genres from AATW regions.
And there’s more. MORE! If you can’t see the potential for a proud and profitable operation yet, you’re probably not the best match. If you see it clear as day, time to talk.
