Creating cross-cultural musical connections
The students and teachers in the program bridge the language barrier through music, quickly finding a common ground that can serve as the basis for building understanding, communication, and friendly cultural exchange on the global level.
Education for Teachers
This project is challenging everyone involved. WKU faculty continue to develop teaching methods for a diverse population, the violin pedagogy students strive to “think outside the box” while honing their teaching skills, and the Pre-College Program Students learn about other cultures.
Bridging Cultures With Music Curriculum
We teach our students using a combination of the Rolland, Suzuki, and Zweig methods. In addition, we arrange and teach music from the countries our ESL students come from, so we can learn each other’s musical languages.
Support for Communities
The coupling of WKU student teachers with ESL students gives the students the opportunity to socialize, to establish relationships, and to develop the discipline and confidence that results from studying and playing musical instruments. As the refugees in our community join in musically and socially, they become part of an inspiring and magical process in which we all learn from each other.
“Music is a language that goes beyond speech
and letters.”
— Shinichi Suzuki
Contact
Dr. Ching-Yi Lin
Phone
270.745.5939