Musical Explorers from Carnegie Hall

Musical Explorers from Carnegie Hall, developed by the Weill Music Institute, is a curriculum designed to connect young students with the rich and diverse musical communities around the world. This program reflects a deep commitment to arts education, aimed at enriching the musical experiences of children by exposing them to a variety of global music genres and cultures. The origin of this program is deeply rooted in the desire to introduce cultural diversity and musical fundamentals to students from a young age, leveraging Carnegie Hall’s vast network of artists and educational resources.

Differentiation What sets Musical Explorers apart is its incorporation of real artists from around the world who represent diverse musical traditions, from Argentine folk to Malian traditional to Indian classical music. Each program features a unique lineup of artists who introduce themselves and their music through engaging videos, followed by lessons that include songs, cultural stories, and movement activities. This hands-on approach not only teaches musical skills but also cultural appreciation and global awareness​ (We Are Teachers)​.

How to Get Started To begin using Musical Explorers as a homeschooling curriculum, families can register for the program through Carnegie Hall’s website. This grants access to the full digital curriculum, including interactive maps, videos, audio recordings, and instructional guides. It's designed to be flexible, allowing educators to adapt the material according to their teaching style and students' learning paces.

How It Works The curriculum is ideally suited for daily use with each session lasting about 30 minutes, perfect for keeping young learners engaged without overwhelming them. Activities are diverse, ranging from singing and dancing to more contemplative musical exploration. While the program offers substantial support for teacher-led activities, its structure and resources also make it possible for students to explore the material independently or with minimal guidance​ (We Are Teachers)​​ (Carnegie Hall)​.

Educational Content Musical Explorers covers a wide range of educational content and languages, including:

  • Different musical genres like jazz, folk, classical from various cultures

  • Songs in multiple languages, fostering linguistic and cultural appreciation

  • Fundamental music concepts like rhythm, pitch, and musical notation

  • Cross-curricular links to geography, history, and social studies through music

What’s Good About It Users highly praise the authenticity of the music and the cultural immersion the program provides. The engaging format and the quality of the artist interactions are frequently highlighted, with children enjoying the interactive concerts and the chance to actively participate in music-making. The comprehensive educational materials support not only music education but also broader learning objectives like cultural understanding and language skills​ (We Are Teachers)​.

What Could Be Improved While Musical Explorers offers a rich educational experience, its focus on younger children (grades K-2) means it may not offer the same depth of content for older students looking for more advanced music theory or performance skills. Additionally, because the program is artist-driven, the diversity of available music genres might depend on the artists featured in each season, which could limit exposure to other global music styles not represented during a specific cycle​ (We Are Teachers)​.

Advice from Parents Parents recommend integrating the program into a regular homeschool schedule to fully benefit from its cultural and educational offerings. Regular participation in the activities and consistent use of the supporting materials can significantly enhance children’s musical skills and cultural appreciation. Engaging with the community elements of the program, such as concerts and artist interactions, is also suggested to maximize the experiential learning aspects​ (We Are Teachers)​.

Who It’s an Ideal Fit For Musical Explorers is perfect for young homeschoolers interested in music and world cultures. Its interactive and accessible approach makes it suitable for early learners, particularly those in kindergarten through second grade who are just beginning to explore music education and cultural awareness.

Who It’s Probably Not a Fit For This program might not be as suitable for older students or those seeking in-depth, technical music training. It’s also less ideal for families looking for a highly structured or traditional music curriculum that focuses more on classical music training and less on global cultural diversity.

Grades Musical Explorers is targeted at students in grades K-2.

Cost Access to the Musical Explorers curriculum is free, which makes it an excellent value for homeschooling families looking to expand their educational resources without additional cost.

Ways to Get It The curriculum can be accessed digitally through Carnegie Hall’s website, where educators and families can register and obtain all necessary materials for participation​ (We Are Teachers)​.

Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links on our site are affiliate links, which means Modulo may earn a small commission if you purchase through them (at no cost to you). Rest assured, we only recommend resources we’ve rigorously vetted and truly love—affiliate link or not. Thank you so much for supporting our work!

Explore More Music Curriculum We Recommend

Manisha Snoyer (co-founder of Modulo)

For the last 20 years, I’ve taught over 2000 children in 3 countries (of all socio-economic backgrounds). I pioneered an English language program in a conflict region in the Middle East. I’ve worked as a bilingual public school teacher at some of the highest and lowest performing public schools and in all five boroughs of NYC. I’ve tutored 18 subjects in three languages to some of the wealthiest families in NYC, San Francisco and Paris to make up for shortcomings in private schools they were paying up to $60,000 a year to attend.

Since 2015, I’ve helped hundreds of parents start microschools (way before this was a household buzzword). I founded CottageClass, the first marketplace for microschools and learning pods that was part of the Techstars 2018 class. In 2019, I created a virtual learning program to help families through the pandemic, a free online math tutoring program (masteryhour.org), and schoolclosures.org, a hotline developed in collaboration with Twilio and 80 other partners including Khan Academy, Revolution Foods and the Crisis Text Line, that served 100,000 families impacted by school closures.

I’ve climbed trees with children in forest schools in San Francisco, and tested new digital apps with kids in seven countries.

I’ve also coached dozens of families at different stages in their homeschooling journey. Most recently, I founded Modulo with homeschooling dad, best-selling author and tech entrepreneur Eric Ries, to help families curate their children’s education, social and childcare experiences drawing from a diverse array of in-person and online resources.


During the last three years, I’ve devoted much of my time to reviewing and testing secular homeschooling curriculum and other resource. I’ve spent the last three years talking to thousands of secular homeschooling families, and poring over tens of thousands of secular curriculum reviews and testing physical curriculum and digital apps for with hundreds of students to find the highest quality, most engaging, personalized learning materials for every type of learner.

I’ve spoken about homeschooling and modular learning at multiple venues including SXSW EDU, NY Tech Meetup, and on the LiberatedEd podcast.

In 2022, Modulo was one of 8 organizations who were awarded the Bridge Grant from the Vela Education Fund to expand access to homeschooling and modular learning to under-resourced communities.

My experience in education and homeschooling has led me to believe that there is no perfect education for every child, but families have an extraordinary amount of wisdom they can apply to building the perfect education for their individual child.

My goal with Modulo is to make it possible for any family to easily build a customized education that their child will love, and that will empower the whole family to thrive, taking into account, social, emotional and academic needs.

I love to answer questions from parents and receive feedback on how we can improve Modulo, so feel free to reach out anytime! I personally answer all the questions and comments readers leave on my blogs.

In my free time, I like hiking, traveling the world, tasting ceremonial grade matcha, enjoying dark chocolate.

I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Brandeis University with highest honors, with a double degree in French Literature and American Studies and minors in Environmental Studies and Peace & Conflict Studies.

And I love to learn!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/manisha-snoyer-5042298/
Previous
Previous

My Music Workshop

Next
Next

Classics for Kids