The DVD presents the documentary itself and two additional sections, one providing information about the countries visited and the other information about the instruments.

The documentaryChildren’s Songsfrom around the WorldThe documentary Children’s Songs from around the World retraces 15 years of travel for the sole purpose of promoting the songs and music that are part of the daily life of children and adolescents in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Oceania and Eastern Europe.

It is divided into nine themes:• Objectives, context of the recordings and

characteristics of the singers;• Songs of early childhood, interpreted

for the most part by adults;• Work songs in agricultural and livestock raising areas, and

also songs of children who must beg in urban neighbourhoods;• Play songs sung in schools and their functions;• Songs that express religious beliefs;• Songs related to ceremonies of initiation; • Songs for the school playground, or, more often, for the

village square after housework or for moonlit evenings;• Songs for festivals and festive occasions that mark the

cycle of seasonal events, rituals, and religious events;• Love songs when love fi rst arrives or the fi rst dreams of love.

The countries described in the notes are:• Africa: Guinea, Senegal, Cameroon, Mauritania,

Morocco and Madagascar;• Asia: Nepal, India, Malaisia, Indonesia, China;• Latin America: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia• Europe: Bulgaria

The presentation is intended to give students in the elementary and secondary grades a chance to learn about an original musical heritage, specifi cally non-western, and in this way, to enrich their knowledge of other places and other ways of life different from their own.This documentary is an opportunity for teachers to help their students open their eyes to the world through information related to musical expression from many countries, research, debates on the awareness of values and living conditions.The follow-up to seeing this documentary could be focused around the following major points:

DiscoveryThis would cover the geographical, geopolitical, geophysical and environmental aspects. The adult would bring out what the students know and have learned about the countries and areas studied, and would bring to what they have learned his or her knowledge or perceptions nuances, corrections, additions. He or she will be able to frame the information within a cultural, geographic and historical context. These exchanges should promote a better comprehension of the realities and a respect for differences.

IntegrationThis will provide an opportunity to establish links between new information and what students have already learned. The adult would suggest, for example, that students share with the class, in written or oral forms,• anecdotes about various subjects,• events related to the countries discussed,• experiences they or their friends have had,• their knowledge of infl uential personalities (athletes,

scientists, heads of state, humanists).

This is also a time to deepen the group’s experience of emigrant children and adolescents, their lives and stories, the way they adapted to their new lives, and the way the media portrays them.

Music (List of recordings follows)The major musical aspect to develop is the relationship between the music and the reasons for making music, both instrumental and singing. For this section, the discussion would be oriented to the musical forms, the instruments, the voice, the words and a comparison with western musical practice.While listening to the music in class,three themes would be interesting to explore:• affective listening (what I like and don’t like),• emotional listening (reactions to this music),• informative listening (what I learn about this

music and through this music).

Interpretation guide for teachers

Cognitive and creative expression Suggested activities:• name the countries described;• name the objects observed in the document;• recall visual or verbal information that stands out;• describe the accessories, clothing, hairstyles;• learn a song (become familiar with a melodic line

and the unfamiliar linguistic/language sounds/tones, phonetic transcription, percussion accompaniment);

• learn about the choreographic stylistic devices, forms of plastic arts and expression (masked statues), through dramatic games (ritual ceremonies, storey-telling, puppetry), through poetry, etc. And, from these, draw inspiration for their own creation;

• create musical instruments, costumes.

Information about the countriesThis chapter has sixteen sections, each including: • demographic information;• a short overview of children at work / child labour;• photos;• a musical clip.There are many resources that can enrich and enhance this information and bring it up-to-date it to show how it is evolving. It would be interesting to take the demographic information and develop themes related to health, education, social inequalities, and the political and economic situation.

Information about the instrumentsThis information could be used to organize groups of information (families of instruments, types of production), research into related instruments in other regions, and making musical instruments using these as models.

Example: the ampongatany:Material: • a piece of fi shing line, 2 to 3 m long; • a tin or very thin wood or cardboard sheet • wood pin, 15 to 20 cm long two sticks, 30 cm longPlace: • grassy areaProcedure:1. Dig 2 holes about 1 m from each other, at each end of

which the fi shing line will be solidly planted and stretched;2. Dig a third hole 15 cm deep, an equal distance from

both holes; cover it with the board or sheet;3. Place the sheet of tarpaper vertically on the board and stretch

the fi shing line over it; depending on the location of the tar paper, you can obtain two different sounds at different pitches.

Game: Strike both sides of the fi shing line with the two sticks.

1. Ecuador 2. Perou 3. Chili 4. Bolivia 5. Brazil 6. India 7. Indonesia 8. Nepal

9. China 10. Morocco 11. Mauritania 12. Senegal 13. Guinea 14. Cameroon 15. Bulgaria 16. Madagascar

1. Agogo 2. Aita 3. Ampongatany 4. Anatranatra 5. Ato et Ndu 6. Bendir 7. Bion 8. Cavaquinho 9. Conga 10. Leaf 11. Flute 12. Gadulka 13. Gaida

14. Jew’s Harp 15. Kabosy 16. Karavasy 17. Limbindi 18. Lusheng 19. Pandeiro 20. Roncador 21. Rondador 22. Sodina 23. Tambura 24. Tarambuka 25. Zabumba