New York, U.S. – Workshop for Teachers
February 25, 2009
A two-part educational event at Teachers College at Columbia University sparked great interest among educators from more than 50 New York City schools. First, approximately 150 sixth-grade teachers attended a training workshop on the Along the Silk Road curriculum, which the Silk Road Project is introducing into middle schools in New York City this year. Dr. Sabrina Hope King, chief academic officer of the New York Department of Education's Office of Curriculum and Professional Development, welcomed the assembled educators before Stanford professor Al Dien and trainers from the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) reviewed the content of the curriculum they developed in partnership with the Silk Road Project. The lessons integrate art and music into the historical study of the Silk Road and its influence as a venue for cross-cultural exchange.
Following the workshop, several hundred additional educators joined the audience for a discussion with Silk Road Project Artistic Director Yo-Yo Ma. "I think the work you do is the most important work in the world," Ma told the teachers, eliciting cheers, "and not only that; it's probably the hardest." After playing a Sarabande by Bach, Ma spoke about the history of the piece as it was passed from North Africa to Spain, then France and Germany, transforming in the process into music that is owned not by any nation but by the world. Likewise, Ma said, his cello, made in Venice in 1733, draws its ebony fingerboard from Africa, its varnish from acacia trees in the Middle East.
Ma introduced Silk Road Ensemble storyteller Ben Haggarty, who kept the audience rapt throughout his telling of an ancient tale depicting the discovery of blue dye, along with Dr. Jenny Balfour-Paul, an expert on the blue dye indigo. Together the three of them charted a course through history, linking Egyptian mummies, pirates, Mahatma Gandhi and modern-day blue jeans, all through the substance indigo. The concept was presented to teachers as a model for passion-driven learning based on student inquiry, and the educators responded with enthusiasm.
New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein added his endorsement at the end of the workshop. "There are so many school districts and so many places that wanted to partner with the Silk Road Project," he said, "and I am so proud that we will be their partner. And I know that each one of you will be touched in ways that you don’t yet fully realize. And I know that because every time I am with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road people, my life opens a new path and a different vision.”
Over the next few years, the Silk Road Project will conduct a pilot program with select public schools in New York City, integrating these concepts and a unique element of performance with the Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Articles on Teachers College website, NYC Department of Education website, SPICE website and Bloomberg NewsVIDEO: Passion-Driven Education – Yo-Yo Ma discusses taking creativity seriously
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