2025 World Music Pedagogy Courses

The World Music Pedagogy course weaves together experiences in music, cultural meaning, and culturally sensitive pedagogical strategies, and provides for active listening episodes leading to participatory, performative, and creative musical experiences—all tailored to fit learners of various ages and experiences. The course emphasizes the teaching of global-local music for intercultural understanding, and attends to culturally relevant pedagogy as it pertains to music education practices. Featured resources in the course are selections from the reserves of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and the World Music Pedagogy series of books/recording links, all directed to the ways of knowing the world of music, in music, and through music. All are welcome, including music educators, all-subject educators, artist-musicians, applied ethnomusicologists, curricular designers, community organizers, and all who are seeking further insights on musical-cultural diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Click here to learn more about cultural understanding through World Music Pedagogy.

Smithsonian Folkways Certificate Courses in World Music Pedagogy

June 9th–11th - Teaching Music/Teaching Culture (Online)
June 29th–July 3rd - University of St. Thomas (Onsite)
August 18th–22nd - Cape Breton University (Onsite)
May 6th–29th (Tues & Thursdays) - Music Teachers in International Schools (Online)

World Music Pedagogy: Teaching Music/Teaching Culture

Online Webinar
Dates: June 9th–11th
Location: Online, Delivered by Zoom
Course Directors: Amanda C. Soto and Patricia Shehan Campbell
(PD Hours Available, WMP/SFR Certificate)

Description:
Join ethnomusicologists, educators, traditional artists, and culture-bearers in a webinar course on World Music Pedagogy: Teaching Music/Teaching Culture. In its 18th year, with an experienced faculty of artists, educators, and ethnomusicologists, participants will explore the application of diversity and dignity to teaching music to children and youth in elementary and secondary schools. Course sessions will lead to the development of teaching/learning content and process via World Music Pedagogy, with attention to cultural histories, contexts, and sensibilities. Excursions into a variety of the world’s musical cultures—both local and global—are backed by recommendations for resources (mediated and “human” vis-à-vis culture-bearers), including attention to the resources of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Sessions will feature the performance of songs, dance, and instrumental music as taught by artist musicians and seasoned teachers, along with ongoing dialogue on questions of music and race, indigeneity, gender and sexuality, and social activism in the musical education of learners of all ages and experiences.
Enrolled participants receive PD hours and certification by Smithsonian Folkways.
[Note: Because some participants are repeating the course, we’re adding new faculty with new topics while also continuing others.]

Course Faculty:

Loneka Battiste: The Black Aesthetic

Patricia Shehan Campbell: WMP Dimensions, “Ethno-Tenets,” Songways

Juliana Cantarelli Vita: Brazilian Maracatu

Will Coppola: WMP’s Creativity Dimension

John Dankwa: West African Music

Namhee Lim: Korean Music Culture

Constance McKoy: Culturally Responsive Teaching

Jen Mellizo: Smithsonian Folkways Music Pathways

Olcay Muslu: Turkish Folk Music and Dance

Hideaki Onishi and Pamela Costes-Onishi: Filipino Kulintang

John-Carlos Perea: American Indian Powwow Music

Amanda C. Soto: Social Justice; Pedagogy; Technology

Francis Ward: Irish Traditional Music

Please click here for course registration.

For further information click here or email Dr. Amanda C. Soto (asoto@txstate.edu) or Dr. Patricia Shehan Campbell (pcamp@uw.edu).

University of St. Thomas

Onsite Course
Dates: Sunday, June 29th–July 3rd
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Course Director: Karen Howard
(Graduate Credits and PD Hours Available, WMP/SFR Certificate)

Description:
A diverse range of media and repertoire are explored in this week-long in-person intensive with the goal of building confidence and skills in diversifying music teaching and learning experiences. Attention will be given to the sociocultural and sociohistorical contexts of the music cultures. This is achieved through the performance of songs, dance, instrumental music, and discussions of constructs related to creating anti-biased environments and dispositions. Participants will be guided through recordings and curricular materials from the Smithsonian Folkways archives and experiences with culture bearers and teaching artists that fit the needs of students in knowing music (and knowing culture through music). Musical experiences will be tailored for use at various levels, including in classes for K–12 setting, community music, and higher education. Enrolled participants will join together to share particular means of teaching diverse musics, and will receive a certificate from the Smithsonian Institution in World Music Pedagogy.
Optional 3 Graduate Credits or PD hours available.

Course Faculty:

Dr. Pat O'Keefe: Brazilian Samba and Batucada

Dr. Patricia Shehan Campbell: World Music Pedagogy

Dr. Karen Howard: Equity in Music Education, Avoiding Cultural Appropriation, Tahitian Music, Wagogo music of Tanzania, and more

Dr. Jen Mellizo: Smithsonian Folkways Music Pathways

Tim O’Keefe: Introduction to Arabic Music

Siama Matazungidi and Dallas Johnson: Music from the Congo

Jasmine Fripp: Hip Hop in Choral Ensembles

Fode Bangoura: Djembe from Guinea

Joko Sutrisno: Javanese Gamelan, Indonesia

Maryan Ali and Becca Buck: Somali Songs and Games

For more information, please contact Dr. Karen Howard at karen.howard@stthomas.edu.

Sound Communities (AC 101 Cape Breton University)

Onsite Course
Dates: August 18th–22nd
Location: Cape Breton University (Centre for Sound Communities)
Course Directors: Marcia Ostashewski and Jody Stark
(Graduate or Undergraduate Credits and PD hours available; WMP/SFR Certificate)

Description:
This course introduces the role of music for teaching and learning through diverse cultural perspectives and in relationship with diverse local culture bearers and communities across Unama'ki (Cape Breton Island) and elsewhere. We critically consider the content and practices of teaching and learning through music in formal and informal settings, and ways that music can support learning in a variety of subject areas (arts practices, language arts, science, history, cultural studies, health, etc). Values and principles of EDIA, Indigenization, Reconciliation, anti-racism and decolonization are foundational to this course as is the Mi’kmaw concept of Etuaptmumk, or “Two-Eyed Seeing” in which personal relationships are foundational and individuals engage and learn from many different perspectives.
Graduate or Undergraduate Credits and PD hours available.

Course Faculty include:

Michel Aucoin: Acadian song and dance of Cheticamp

Patricia Shehan Campbell: World Music Pedagogy

Shirley Christmas: Mi’kmaw Elder, poet and playwright

Afua Cooper: African Canadian historian and dub poet

Lassana Diabaté: Balafon traditions of Kindia

Leah Doucette: Traditional Mi'kmaw dance

Meghan Forsyth: Acadian music

Patrick Howard: Arts Education for health and wellbeing

Jen Mellizo: Smithsonian Folkways Music Pathways

Michael Morrison: African Nova Scotian Gospel Music

Marcia Ostashewski: Community-engaged music and education for Reconciliation and Decolonization

Starr Paul: Mi’kmaw language learning

Katie Tremblay: Indigenous pedagogies in K–12 instrumental music

Jeff Ward: Mi'kmaw hand drum making

For more information, please contact the Centre for Sound Communities sound_communities@cbu.ca.

MTIIS-Music Teachers in International Schools: Accent on Asia-Pacific Cultures

Online Webinar
Dates: May 6th–29th, Tues & Thursdays 6:00-8:00PM (GMT+8)
Location: Online, Delivered by Zoom
Course Director: Jennifer Walden
(PD Hours Available; WMP/SFR Certificate)

Description:
This series of workshops, seminars, and discussions examines cultural diversification in music programs, resources, and methodologies. With the inclusion of Smithsonian Folkways' extensive recordings and Music Pathways, plus ethnomusicologists, educators, traditional artists and culture-bearers, participants will gather to learn ways to deliver inclusive, culture-rich programs that nurture students as global citizens. Addressing the growing number of teachers working in international schools, sessions will investigate learning from and bringing in local artists from school’s host countries. Sessions will also include structuring lessons through the five World Music Pedagogy dimensions. Song, dance, and instrumental performance will be featured by musicians and educators experienced in student engagement. Issues of race, equity, social activism, and sensitivity to host country norms will be discussed from the standpoint of how we talk about music and deliver musical experiences to general, instrumental, and vocal classes.
Participants will receive a certificate in World Music Pedagogy from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

Course Faculty include:

Jennifer Walden: Diversity in concepts-focused practice, values/bias/equity, environment, themes and comparisons, vocal styles, West African and East Indian percussion, hosting artists, and more

Chris Koelma: Chris Koelma, Musical Futures International, technical procedures and resources

Patricia Shehan Campbell: World Music Pedagogy

Kyle Heide: ethnomusicologist, kalimbas

Handz Percussion (Malaysia): Malay and Chinese percussion

Kammathep Up Theeralertrat: Thai classical music in the classroom

Gansapura: Malay gamelan with students

For more information, please contact Dr. Jennifer Walden waldenj429@gmail.com.