In mid-April 2023, more than a dozen children aged 4 to 11 (and their curious parents and teachers) from Escuelita, an initiative of the Spanish School in Cambridge, entered the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology (MAA) to participate in the first workshop dedicated to music , Arts and Crafts of the Americas, sponsored by the CRASSH Multidimensional Dialogues Research Network, Archeology Group of the Americas, and MAA, and funded by a Grant for Workshops on CRASSH and the Impact Fund of the Center for Language Sciences. Children were there to explore the senses through play to answer the question: How can today's students nurture their connections to the arts, languages and innovative science studies? The answer: playful discovery and immersive multi-lingual sensory learning.
The event was the first part of a two-part program of workshops for2023. The Colorful and Melodic Dimensions of America: A Playshop for Music, Color and Art, co-convenersCRASSH Multidimensional Dialogues (MD) research network.(Camila Alday, Oliver Antczak, Joshua Fitzgerald, Jimena Lobo Guerrero Arenas, Chike Pilgrim and Jasmine Vieri). The workshops will cover the CRASSH MD 2023 Lenten theme, focusing on phenomenological studies of the Americas, with experts in archaeology, history and anthropology from North, Central and South America. The goals are to expand the conversation beyond academic lectures and encourage younger students to explore American heritage, artifacts, and art.
little schoolstudents practiced Spanish while playing traditional instruments, crafting and decorating, learning how music and art once influenced the senses of peoples of the past. Using the breath to blow the Andean whistleandor drumming a fast tick-tock with a Mesoamericanteponaztli, they conveyed the value of music with resonant rhythms. Knitting colored paper balls inspired by ancient Peruvian weaving, the children compared materials and artistic possibilities, teaching themselves and their peers about the importance of traditional art. As envisioned by Escuelito Cambridge co-organizers and staff, the goals of the game workshop included fostering language development and increasing curiosity about archeology and American art history. Based on participant responses, the event exceeded those goals.
Led by members of the CRASSH MD team, a group of archaeologists, historians and heritage experts, as well as a featured conversation with ethnomusicologist and sociologist Vanessa Paloma Duncan-Elbanz from the Cambridge Department of Music, the drama workshop took place entirely in Spanish. The pedagogical approach was dynamic, with an exhibition of authentic archaeological objects from the collection, hands-on study of objects from the MAA touch and play healing tables, text slides in Spanish with key concepts and questions, and videos of local musicians from Latin America performing. In addition, Escuelita families and dedicated educators toured the MAA exhibit.COLOR: Art, Science and Powerwhere they could also visualize the use of different colors in Peruvian textiles.
Key lessons in the first part involved the children sharing their thoughts and reflections on the past, languages and how the senses affect their lives. The event followed all MAA and Escuelita Cambridge guidelines for safety and comfort so that families feel welcome and everyone has a pleasant and respectful experience. Follow-up questionnaires for Escuelita teachers and reflective projects developed by students will help monitor the wider impact of the event, with an exciting second part yet to come involving Escuelita families as well as the general public.
SPANISH VERSION
In mid-April 2023, more than a dozen children aged 4 to 11 from Escuelito Cambridge, a Spanish language learning initiative, (and their curious parents and teachers) visited the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology (MAA) to participate in a workshop dedicated to music, arts and crafts of the Americas is sponsored by CRASSH Multidimensional Dialogue Research Network, Archeology Group of the Americas and MAA and funded through CRASSH funds and the Center for the Impact of Language Sciences. The children were ready to answer the question through play and sensory exploration: How can today's students foster their connections with art, languages, science and innovation? The answer: through playful rediscovery and multilingual learning, exploring the senses and what each has to offer.
The event is part of a wider network of activitiesCRASSH Multidimensional Dialogues (MD) research network.. This specific activity consists of two workshops that will be held in 2023 as part of the program namedColorful and Melodic Dimensions of America: Music, Color and Craft Playshop, hosted by network members Camila Alday, Oliver Antczak, Joshua Fitzgerald, Jimena Lobo Guerrero Arenas, Chike Pilgrim and Jasmine Vieri.
The workshop activities were related to the guiding theme of the academic cycle 'Great Week 2023', which revolved around phenomenological studies of the Americas, with experts in the archaeology, history and anthropology of the Americas. The goals were to expand the conversation to other interested audiences, beyond academia, and to encourage younger students to explore the continent's heritage, artifacts, and art.
studentslittle schoolthey had the opportunity to practice Spanish by playing, making and decorating traditional musical instruments, learning how music and art also affected people's senses in the past. The students tried oneandThe music of the Andes and the performance of the Mesoamerican teponaztli conveyed the value of music with resonant rhythms. By weaving colored paper threads modeled on ancient Peruvian weaving, the children compared materials and artistic possibilities, educating themselves and their peers about the importance of traditional arts. As envisioned by the co-organizers and Escuelita Cambridge staff, the goals of the games workshop included promoting language development and increasing curiosity about archeology and art history in the Americas. Judging by the reactions of the participants, the event exceeded these goals.
Led by members of the CRASSH MD team, a group of archaeologists, historians and heritage experts, as well as a featured conversation with Cambridge Department of Music ethnomusicologist and sociologist Vanessa Paloma Duncan-Elbanz, [details] a workshop on theater in its entirety. . in spanish. The pedagogical approach was dynamic, with displays of authentic archaeological artifacts from the collection, hands-on study of MAA artifacts manipulating touch and playing boards, Spanish text slides with key terms and questions, and video footage of Native American musicians performing. Latina. America. In addition, Escuelita families and dedicated educators toured MAA's COLOR: Art, Science and Power exhibit, where they were also able to visualize the use of different colors in Peruvian textiles.
The main lessons of the first part were the children sharing their thoughts and reflections on the past, languages and how the senses affect their lives. The event followed all MAA and Escuelita Cambridge guidelines for safety and comfort so that families feel welcome and everyone has a pleasant and respectful experience. Follow-up questionnaires for Escuelita teachers and reflective projects developed by students will help monitor the wider impact of the event, and an exciting second part involving Escuelita families and the wider public is yet to come.