WELL-BEING
GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
DEVELOPING CULTURAL AWARENESS THROUGH WORLD MUSIC TRADITIONS Lisa Mallett, Primary Music Teacher
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s a teenager growing up in London, I had played the flute since the age of nine, following the traditional route of grades and Western classical training. My world of music consisted of the classical greats in the school orchestra, the 80s hits on the radio and my parents’ record collection. It was in this stack of records that I was drawn to the sound of Indian music for the first time on the track Within You Without You on the classic Beatles Sergeant Pepper Band album. The mysterious sounds of the sitar blending in with the song were enticing and were, in part, responsible for my unfolding journey into the study
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• Bangkok Patana School
of Indian music years later. At music college, I delved further into exploring ‘world music’ traditions, playing with Indo-Jazz fusion bands and improvising music based on Indian classical scales (ragas) on my western silver flute. This eventually led me to India, where I studied the Indian bansuri bamboo flute. Discovering Indian classical music opened up a whole new perspective and perception of music as did learning an instrument that was similar but yet so different to my own flute. I was immersed completely, both musically and culturally. My understanding of music theory was turned upside down in this new genre of time cycles and
ragas, whilst culturally, I was learning about a whole new country, its people, languages, customs and food that were all invariably intertwined with the music. It was a defining moment as a musician and educator. I’ve had a fascination with ‘world music’ ever since and its gateways to cultures and people across the globe. Music education is key in helping support our young learners on their journey as global citizens and developing their cultural awareness. The universal language of music is the perfect platform to explore and address challenges of cultural stereotypes. The inspirational TEDX talk by the Nigerian
