Multicultural curriculum for kids — How it works

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What is All Around This World?

All Around This World is a unique, interactive global music and world cultures program for children 0-9 years old that encourages kids and their families to explore the world by enjoying great global melodies, rhythms and movement. In All Around This World classes, kids and their grown-ups sing, dance and explore oh so many countries and cultures, “traveling” around the globe region by region, exploring a new part of the world every three months, joining in the fun for any part of All Around This World’s three year ’round the world tour. 

-- All Around This World believes deeply in the positive implications of exposing young children to many cultures. (What you teach our kids about the world MATTERS.)

-- All Around This World believes in the power of experiential learning

-- All Around This World believes in the long-term positive effect of early childhood music instruction on your child's brain (BRAINS! BRAINS!)

-- All Around This World is excited about preparing tiny children for older kids' programs that translate musical aptitude to music achievement.

Learn about All Around This World and founder/lead teacher Jay Sand and his educational philosophy

How do I subscribe?

Payment takes place via All Around This World's page on Patreon.com, a website that enables the public to support the sustainability of principled artists by becoming their "patrons."

SUBSCRIBE BY PICKING A REWARD LEVEL at: 

www.patreon.com/allaroundthisworld

On All Around This World's Patreon page you will see a number of "rewards." Read the reward descriptions and register at the appropriate level. You will receive two messages from All Around This World through Patreon every Monday -- one with an overview of that week's class, and an e-mail with that week's video and lesson passwords. 

IF YOU HAVE A PROMOTIONAL CODE, ONCE YOU HAVE SIGNED UP FOR THE RIGHT "REWARD LEVEL" CONTACT US WITH THE CODE AND YOU'LL GET YOUR GOODIES. If the promotion is for one free month, All Around This World will respond with links and password to the previous four full weeks of online class curriculum materials (each week's full class, interactive lesson plan and and song-by-song pdfs). 

What is the cost of a subscription for a family?

For a household/family: There are two levels -- the "stripped-down," and the "fully-loaded."

Stripped down: $2 per week. This gets you the password for the weekly class video, so we can sing and dance together, though none of the other goodies like "how-to" videos and interactive lessons. Still, good times for all.

Fully-loaded: This is where the fun is: $3 per week, This includes much more than just a password -- the weekly class is just a jumping off point for a week of exuberant exploration! You'll get full access to interactive lessons, teacher and parent "how-to" videos, participatory projects and, as the student list develops, a community of world-wise, like-minded families. 

Subscription renews automatically, week by week. You can unsubscribe through Patreon any time. 


Recent seasons include:

-- SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIASongs and dances from all over the Indian subcontinent and Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

-- THE CARIBBEAN: An exuberant focus on cultures and many musics of the Islands. 

-- AFRICASongs and dances from all over the African continent, with songs in dozens of languages and from dozens of countries and cultural traditions.

-- LATIN AMERICAMusic and cultural experiences from all over South and Central America, Mexico and parts of the Caribbean.

There are twelve seasons of All Around This World classes that will take you to every inhabited continent over the course of three years. There are approximately 250 songs and 150 unique weekly lessons over the full course of the curriculum. 


What is the cost of a subscription for a daycare, preschool, kindergarten or elementary school? 

Fully loaded: $5/week for EVERYTHING --  the weekly class, teacher training videos,  lesson plans that will help your teachers learn how to use the material in class, all mp3s, all background information... 

Subscription license is good for three classrooms. Discounts are available for four classrooms or more. 

Subscription renews automatically, week by week. You can unsubscribe through Patreon any time. 

What is the class schedule?

All Around This World posts a new class each Monday morning, password-protected, on Vimeo.com. Classes don't expire -- you can stream them any time. 

All Around This World classes are organized into “seasons”–spring, summer, fall, winter. Each season consists of 12 weekly classes -- an introductory week, 10 weekly classes with new content each week that builds on the content from the previous weeks, and a final “greatest hits” week at the end that will provide an overview of the season. YOU CAN JOIN THE FUN AT ANY TIME--you don't have to wait until the start of a season.

Beyond the weekly class videos what do I get?

All Around This World uses the Patreon.com communication system to send you an overview of the week's class (see a sample HERE) and also e-mails the password to access the class video.

Subscribers at certain levels also receive a password to an interactive multimedia pdf to help your family or classroom enjoy the week's special dance or cultural celebration. (See a sample lesson HERE.) Some school subscription levels include access to teacher training videos, mp3s and musical notation for the songs, lesson plans and other information that helps your teachers make All Around This World an essential part of your classroom's educational experience.

Tell me more about the weekly classes

Each class video is approximately 30 minutes long and consists of several sing-along from the All Around This World curriculum, as well as a cultural dance or holiday celebration from the featured country of that week. 

Jay designed the classes to be visually simple and personal, with him teaching directly to kids -- like a skype call with a family friend rather than a crazy quick-cut cartoon show. They can be therefore be appropriate for a wide age range, from little kids who you decide are "screen-ready" through lower elementary school students who can actively sing and dance along. 

Here's an example of a class from the Latin America season.

Of course you don't have to watch the class with your kids start to finish in one setting. Enjoy it in bits, jump around, go forward and back...do what works. 

What do my teachers have to know to use this program?

Literally, nothing. If you choose, you can let Jay teach the entire curriculum to your kids through the weekly classes and the sing-along/dance-along videos. If your teachers would like to cut Jay completely out of the equation and share the content with the kids themselves, the teacher training videos will give them confidence to be able to share all the material without having any need for musical or cultural training.

You may certainly choose to have Jay teach some lessons, your teachers lead others. Even if you mainly watch the videos, be sure to bring the songs and dances into your classroom. All Around This World is very conscious about using the internet as a tool to enhance real world interactions with your children, not replace them!

If you do have a music specialist, All Around This World's curriculum can provide the tools to vastly and joyfully expand your musical and international cultural offerings.  

How will I get the most out of a subscription to All Around This World?

If you experience class with tiny kids -- learn about AATW's opinion about screen time -- make your enjoyment of the webcast a REAL WORLD, INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE -- one that is just a small part of the week's cultural learning. Parents and teachers should actively sing and dance during the classes with their children, then bring the songs and dances into their family experience between classes.

Teachers in preschool, kindergarten and lower elementary classrooms should definitely mine the background information you receive each week for projects that will work best with your kids. Teachers of 5-9 year olds may find them less interested in watching the full class end to end, but they should enjoy learning with the song videos, especially if teachers learn along with them. You'll certainly be able to engage older students using the weekly interactive lessons. 

What is so special about All Around This World's music? 

All Around This World never talks down to kids or their grownups. All Around This World shares global music with kids and their families in a way that simultaneously engages all, from the tiniest of tiny infants to the wisest and most well-traveled adults. Jay developed All Around This World’s music based on years of meticulous musical and cultural research–conducted with the support of global musicians, educators and ethnomusicologists. The approximately 250 songs that are part of the three year AATW curriculum originate from the global cultures that the music class explores. [Learn about All Around This World's music.] Most are not “kids songs,” but music for adults that Jay has translated and rearranged, taking tremendous care to maintain each song’s musical essence and cultural narrative while still creating music that kids and their grownups can enjoy from the very first note. 

What are parents and educators saying about All Around This World?

From Karen Werme, Owner/Director, Book Worms Early Learning Center: 

"Book Worms has been having music classes with AATW for almost a year now.  Our students are 12 months through 4 years and each week they are thoroughly engrossed in the class.  I am immensely impressed with the teachers ability to keep the children engaged and participating.  The students sing the songs from the program daily and even the teachers enjoy the class and find themselves singing the songs throughout the week.  I couldn’t ask for a better music program for my early learning center." 

Visit the All Around This World testimonials page.

All Around This World's CDs of family-friendly international music, All Around This World: Africa and All Around This World: Latin America, have both won Parents Choice Awards.

All Around This World's curriculum made the cut in Homeschool.com's Top Back to Homeschool Resource Awards and Top Resource Curriculum Sampler. 


Do I have to buy any special instruments or anything extra to enjoy class? 

There are no hidden costs when you sign up for All Around This World classes; you don't have to buy anything extra to have a great experience. Jay will be using a number of kid-friendly instruments throughout class such as shaker eggs, rhythm sticks, and drums. If you don't have the instruments Jay is using you can either make your own using household/classroom materials or simply use your imagination.

Are Scholarships Available?

Scholarships are available for both families and schools. If you want to sing along and can't afford to subscribe, be in touch.

Have more questions?  

We love to answer questions about All Around This World and these webcasts. Contact us using the form on the AATW website at https://www.allaroundthisworld.com/contact or by e-mailing directly -- jay [at] allaroundthisworld [dot] com.