Poway Students Encounter a World of Music
The San Diego Union Tribune, October 21, 2017
Persian master musician and CWM teaching artist Kourosh Taghavi is teaching at Highland Ranch Elementary School in Poway this fall. The class is part of the Center for World Music’s World Music in the Schools program, which has been reaching students in San Diego since 1999.
UT reporter Deborah Sullivan Brennan visited Highland Ranch and attended a third-grade class conducted by Kourosh. She was impressed with what she saw and heard:
This semester, students will learn classical Persian music, Brazilian Capoeira and Eastern and Western folk dances. In the Spring, they’ll study Zulu percussion, Zimbabwean songs, and Brazilian Samba. It’s a good mix for a campus where the students hail from all corners of the globe.
Kouroush Taghavi teaches a song while playing the Persian setar. UT Photo by Don Boomer.
Reflecting on the diversity of languages and cultures represented at Highland Ranch, Mr. Taghavi said:
Music makes you a kinder person. I hope they become more gentle people, more understanding, and with open eyes, ready to experience the world that is before them. I think they will become more content when they know about each other.
The students seem to agree!
Read the full story at SanDiegoUnionTribune.com. A great tribute to having world music in our schools!
Anita Holford
