Sound Ricochet: An International Music and Writing Exchange

Join Sound Ricochet and take your students on a dynamic, international exchange through music!

Sound Ricochet is an international music and writing exchange program designed for students with and without disabilities in any classroom. Students ages 8–14 share their musical traditions with each other through video. They are able to reflect on their own cultures as they work together to create four short videos with written descriptions of their cultural relevance.

Sound Ricochet creates valuable cross-cultural, educational experiences as students study and use music to communicate about their lives. The program is designed for any classroom and teachers of all levels of musical experience. A teacher guide provides four lessons—each with two activities, a literacy connection, and an extension for music teachers:

Music from the Environment: Learning to listen and music as organized sound.
Music from Our Childhood: Exploration of common melodies
Music in Our Daily Lives: Songs that help us work together, songs that keep us company, and songs that tell our stories
How We Celebrate with Music: The rich treasures of our cultures

Designed to be carried out in an environment that is inclusive of students both with and without disabilities, Sound Ricochet is an engaging tool that builds music and literacy skills:

Weaving seamlessly into standards-based curricula for subjects like language arts and social studies, in addition to music;
Lending itself to a variety of teaching approaches, including differentiated and scaffolded instruction;
Providing resources through the teacher guide, such as “Tips for Including All Children” to create and sustain inclusive classrooms where students' diverse learning needs and cultural backgrounds can be respected.

HOW SOUND RICOCHET WORKS

You must have access to a video camera to participate in this program.

September: Teachers receive an easy-to-follow teacher guide with step-by-step instructions on how their students can explore different aspects of their culture through music and writing.
September–December: Classrooms explore the music and literacy activities of Sound Ricochet’s four lessons. As they move through the activities, students plan and create a short video presentation and cultural description sheet for each lesson. Combined, the four video presentations will be approximately ten minutes in length. Along with their videos and cultural description sheets, classrooms are encouraged to submit supplemental materials such as letters, student writing, drawings, and photographs to be included in the compilation DVD package.
March: VSA arts will then compile the videos from all of the participating classrooms into a DVD that will be mailed to everyone. Both the DVD, written descriptions, and book of supplemental materials from around the world will facilitate rich classroom discussions and will allow students to gain insights into other cultures.

ENROLLMENT

Enrollment for Sound Ricochet 2008–2009 is closed. If you are interested in participating in the 2009-2010 program year or would like more information please contact Melissa Del Rios, program development manager, at artlink@vsarts.org or 202-628-2800.