World Music Day
World Music Day is on 21 June 2024
by Philippa Rae
Suitable for Key Stage 3
Aims
To celebrate the significance of music around the world.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (World Music Day) and the means to display them.
- Have available the following YouTube videos and the means to show them during the assembly:
- ‘The differences between the music genres’, available at: https://youtu.be/7uxF9CsxW88 (4.17 minutes long)
- ‘Unusual and strange musical instruments compilation Part 3’, available at: https://youtu.be/yRHRsj6YdhY (3.27 minutes long) - Further resources are available on the World Music Day website at: https://worldmusicday.co.uk/
and on the Make Music Day UK website at: https://makemusicday.co.uk/
Assembly
- Optional: you may wish to play a current pop song or music of your choice as the students enter.
Show Slide 1.
Explain that 21 June is the day when World Music Day is celebrated! - Show Slide 2.
Tell the students that this special day is held every year to mark the part that music plays in the lives of people all over the world.
World Music Day first took place in France in 1982. Nowadays, World Music Day is celebrated in more than 120 countries in various ways. There are free public concerts and events for everyone to enjoy in many towns and cities, including in public spaces such as parks and museums. - This year, the theme for World Music Day is to unite people in joy and peace. The aim is for us to appreciate and celebrate the importance that music has across the spectrum, however culturally diverse our backgrounds, circumstances, beliefs, hopes and artistic tastes.
Musical sounds vary from place to place in their combination of rhythms, tones, harmonies and expressions, but the appeal of music is universal. It can heal, inspire, remind and delight all of us, whoever we are and wherever we live. - Ask the students, ‘When do you think music first began?’
Pause to allow time for discussion.
Archaeological digs have revealed bone flutes, which were used by ancient peoples over 35,000 years ago. They represent the earliest musical instruments, but no one knows exactly when this amazing invention began. - As time has progressed, music has developed into the multifaceted, multicultural performance art that we know today. Many diverse styles of music are found throughout the world.
Ask the students the following questions.
- Can you name a genre of music?
- Do you have a favourite type of music? - Tell the students that you are going to show them a YouTube video that demonstrates the differences between musical genres.
Show the YouTube video ‘The differences between the music genres’ (4.17 minutes long). - Show Slide 3.
Point out that the sheer range of musical instruments has made music more diverse. In addition, with the rise of digital technology, producing and sharing music has become more accessible for a wider range of people. - We can celebrate human creativity in the ways that we find to make music.
Let’s listen to some innovative individuals who have bypassed the traditional methods and found more unusual ways to make music.
Show the YouTube video ‘Unusual and strange musical instruments compilation Part 3’ (3.27 minutes long). - Ask the students the following questions.
- What does music mean to you?
- Do you have a favourite artist or band? - We connect with music on many levels, and its benefits are far-reaching, not limited only to entertainment and fun.
- Show Slide 4.
The benefits of music for our physical well-being are well-documented, from assisting with brain development in babies to triggering memories in older people suffering from dementia. Music can calm us down by lowering our heart rate when we’re stressed.
Music has benefits for our mental well-being too. It helps us to express feelings and moods through its tone and pitch. It can comfort us when we’re feeling down, and it can inspire and uplift us too. - Show Slide 5.
Music also has spiritual benefits, such as when we use it during worship and thanksgiving.
It is used ceremonially to praise and honour others, such as on Remembrance Day.
Many of our memories are linked to music: when we hear a particular tune, it can make us think of certain places, people and times in our lives. -
Show Slide 6.
Music can stimulate and engage us mentally by:
- telling a story or sending a message through its sounds or words
- changing our emotions and moods
- challenging our views and making us think
Music is part of our cultural identity. -
Show Slide 7.
Music offers us a creative outlet, whether we are generating it or consuming it.
When we play music, it can provide an outlet for self-expression and personal development through creative experimentation.
Music often accompanies other art forms such as dance and films, as well as adverts and video games, to enhance the overall impact. Often, it forms the backdrop to our lives: on the radio, in a shopping mall, even hold music during a phone call.
Activities that involve listening to or playing music enrich our experiences.
Time for reflection
Think of the part that music plays in your life. When do you hear music played?
Pause to allow time for thought.
Think of a piece of music that triggers a happy memory for you.
Pause to allow time for thought.
Think about the music that you like, and the music that your friends and family prefer.
Pause to allow time for thought.
Encourage the students to take some time to listen to different types of music, and use this time to relax and experience music’s calming effects.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for the gift of music and the many benefits that it brings us.
Thank you for all the composers, singers, musicians and music producers who share their gift with us.
Please help us to take the time to allow music to calm us and enhance our well-being.
Amen.
Song/music
‘Music’ by John Miles, available at: https://youtu.be/NfifoXL-D-g (4.04 minutes long)
‘Thank you for the music’ by Abba, available at: https://youtu.be/CYm6ejP3A0k (3.53 minutes long)
