Teach and Play’s Mike Simpson on the value of teaching world music

The Olympics come to London this summer, bringing with them a focus on the diverse and varied cultures of the world through the games’ accompanying Cultural Olympiad.
Featuring music and art from around the globe, the Cultural Olympiad is a fantastic opportunity for students and teachers to discover world music.
With foreign sounds and traditions firmly on the agenda, Mike Simpson, author of the new Teach And Play series of world music teacher packs, has published a guest blog on music education site, Teaching Music.
Mike is a professional percussionist, composer, conductor and the musical director of world music workshop company, Inspire-works. His knowledge and understanding of world music education comes from a wealth of experience in bringing styles such African drumming, Balinese gamelan, samba and steel pan to students in the classroom.
You can read Mike’s piece, The Value of Teaching World Music, now at Teaching Music, and check out the range of Teach And Play titles at musicroom.com.
Check out the Teach And Play demonstration videos below to get a taste of this exciting new educational series for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeR3YYxvWRI