New SCS Curriculum Launches on Learning Site
Starting last spring, SCS students in New York City public schools traveled through a variety of musical traditions from the Middle East and North African regions. They played musical games and explored melodies and rhythms ranging from Moroccan and Tunisian trance music to Lebanese Dabke. They learned popular children's songs from these countries and discovered great Arabic singers and composers. Throughout, these young New Yorkers were also introduced to the traditional instruments of the Arab world.
These exciting learning opportunities are all part of the new SCS curriculum Ya Habibi: A Musical Journey through the Arab World. With funding from a 2023 Challenge America grant through the National Endowment for the Arts, SCS partnered with acclaimed musician and educator Ronnie Malley to develop eight lessons and an accompanying video series.
SCS is proud to announce that the expanded materials for the Ya Habibi curriculum are now available on our Learning Resources site! As always, these resources are freely available to educators worldwide.
The inspiration for creating a course about Arabic music came from feedback at P.S. 86 in the Bronx. Teachers at the school shared that their students were particularly excited when learning two Arabic songs included in their residency curriculum. P.S. 86 has a growing population of immigrants from Arabic-speaking countries who don't often see their culture reflected in school curriculum. With the addition of Ya Habibi, our ever-expanding Learning Resources site further enhances the educational experiences of eager students of all backgrounds across the City and beyond!
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
As we announced in September, SCS received a $50,000 challenge grant toward our annual giving campaign!
Help us meet this challenge with a contribution to support high-quality music education, both in-person and through our free online Learning Resources site.
Ya Habibi curriculum creator Ronnie Malley demonstrates the riq (an Egyptian tambourine) in this clip from Ya Habibi Lesson One!
