Musical Explorers
Activities for Families
Welcome to Carnegie Hall’s Musical Explorers! This curriculum is designed to connect children in grades K–2 to rich and diverse musical communities as they build fundamental music skills through listening, singing, and moving to songs from all over the world.
We have five different programs available to you, each focusing on three different genres of music. In every program, you and your children will meet three artists who will guide you as you learn about their cultures and teach you two songs. Every program culminates when the artists come together onstage for a celebratory interactive concert performance filmed live at Carnegie Hall and available on demand for you to sing and dance along from home.
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How to Start
Ready for your children to become Musical Explorers? Let’s use Program Five as an example, which brings together Colombian cumbia with Gregorio, Armenian folk with Zulal, and hip hop with Soul Science Lab. Just follow these steps:
1. Meet the Artists
You can meet each of the three artists in the program by watching the Meet the Artist videos. Below is a video introducing you to Gregorio who performs Colombian cumbia. You can also explore a supporting Meet the Artist (PDF) digital resource designed for children—available right below each video.
2. Learn the Songs
Each artist will teach you two songs and some related dances and movements. Use the two lesson videos to learn both songs from the artist. Then keep singing and practicing with the audio tracks. Below is a video for Gregorio’s first lesson teaching the song “El Pescador.”
3. More Activities
Each genre contains additional educational activities bringing in visual arts, writing, and music making to help you discover more about the culture of each artist. Here’s a visual arts activity for Gregorio’s “El Pescador.”
4. Core Activities
Learn the Carnegie Hall Musical Explorers Song and discover other ways for your children to develop their voices and ears, support their curiosity, and engage with the materials as they become Musical Explorers!
5. Digital Concert Experience
When you’ve learned all the songs in a program, get ready to participate with your child in the exciting, interactive concert filmed live at Carnegie Hall.
The Programs
Program One
- Georgian Folk with Ilusha
- Freedom Songs with Imani Uzuri
- Haitian with Emeline
Program Two
- Argentine Folk with Sofía R. and Sofia T.
- Native American with Martha
- South African Zulu with Bongi and Tshidi
Program Three
- Greek Folk with Magda
- Malian Traditional with Yacouba
- Indian Classical with Falu
Program Four
- Jazz with Brianna
- Bomba and Plena with Juan and Julia
- Brazilian with Fabiana
Program Five
- Cumbia with Gregorio
- Armenian Folk with Zulal
- Hip Hop with Soul Science Lab
Program Six
- Bluegrass with Michael
- Chinese Traditional with Qian Yi
- Iraqi Folk with Layth
Interactive Map
Discover the geographic roots of the musical genres featured in the Musical Explorers curriculum through our interactive Around the World Map.
Lead funding for Musical Explorers has been provided by Fund II Foundation, Linda and Earle S. Altman, Siegel Family Endowment, and Ralph W. and Leona Kern.
Additional lead funding for Musical Explorers has been graciously provided by JJR Foundation and JMCMRJ Sorrell Foundation.
Major funding for Musical Explorers has been provided by The Walt Disney Company.
Additional support has been provided by The Edwin Caplin Foundation, Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, and KPMG LLP.
Musical Explorers is also made possible, in part, by an endowment gift from The Irene Diamond Fund.
The Weill Music Institute's programs are made available to a nationwide audience, in part, by an endowment grant from the Citi Foundation.