When I was in fifth grade, my music teacher introduced a month-long program: Recorder Karate. We all received new recorders (mine was a shiny red pipe), and over those few weeks, learned a multitude of old favorites like “Hot Cross Buns,” “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” and “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”.
For each song we learned, we earned a new “belt” (a piece of colored string) to tie around the base of the recorder, signifying our advancement and mastery of the instrument. I diligently practiced the recorder until I received the highest achievement: the ability to play “Amazing Grace” and the highly-coveted “black belt,” representing the highest level of mastery of the recorder. If I go digging through my parents’ garage, I can probably still find my old red recorder decorated with a rainbow of strings to show my hard work and success.
Though I may no longer play the recorder, I took away something that has lasted a lifetime: an appreciation for music and the way it crosses cultural, language, and geographical lines to connect different people with each other.
Our students are also great lovers of traditional and modern music, and music is a wonderful thing for education: studies show that students who participate in music-making tend to do better in other areas of education as well.
For these reasons, we are so excited to see our students become more involved in music through our new partnership with Austin–based music program, Recorders Without Borders!
We met Lynn Brooks, President of Recorders Without Borders, through a charity event and realized that our programs work in close proximity to each other in Kenya. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to expand our students’ horizons. Recorders Without Borders’ mission is “to facilitate a cultural exchange between American elementary students and children in developing countries through the gift of musical instruments and instruction.”
They do this by collecting recorders from American elementary school children, sponsoring American music teachers to travel abroad, and establishing sustainable music programs by training local teachers to teach their students. As Lynn says, “The gift of this simple instrument allows us to use the language of music to span cultural barriers, bringing joy and building profound connections.”
Since 2008, Recorders Without Borders has been able to share the gift of music with 4,250 students in 7 different countries. They have begun certifying almost 30 local teachers as Recorders Without Borders music teachers through their sustainable music program, launched in 2015.
Their program benefits all involved: for American kids, Recorders Without Borders allows them to feel good about sharing with children with few material possessions. American music teachers get to travel abroad, learn about the triumphs and challenges of teaching in another culture, and apply those lessons to their own classrooms back home.
Students and teachers in developing countries get to experience the joy of learning new skills. The parents of these students get to see their children experience the gift of music and find joy in their children’s learning. And for everyone involved, Recorders Without Borders helps to open up the world. As a bonus, the recorders get a new life and stay out of landfills!
Here at Moja Tu, we are excited to see our students learn new skills, think, practice, and perform in something they might not be used to, and come away feeling like they’ve achieved something great, something that is theirs entirely. We believe that the empowerment that comes with succeeding in learning a new skill, like playing the recorder, will remind our students that they can achieve and be successful in anything they set their minds to.
We are so excited to see the gift of education flourish with the gift of music. We can’t wait to continue our partnership with Recorders Without Borders and see our students’ new skills at their showcase in a few days! Stay tuned for more!
Be sure to stop by Recorders Without Borders’ website and Facebook page!