Name
1638 - Nurturing Belonging Through Musical Collaboration: KUNE curriculum resources
Date & Time
Friday, July 31, 2026, 11:50 AM - 12:50 PM
Description

In this workshop, we will introduce KUNE’s digital curriculum resource package and demonstrate essential pedagogical tools for teaching intercultural music based on our repertoire. KUNE, a collective of immigrant musicians, aims to create meaningful experiences that foster friendship and belonging through cross-cultural innovation. For the past nine years, we have been rehearsing, composing, performing, and teaching in Toronto, showcasing the innovation possible in our diverse city. In 2025, KUNE developed three digital curriculum resources based on member collaborations.This workshop will highlight a project between Dr. Matias Recharte and Ahmed Moneka, featuring an arrangement of an Afro Peruvian song (Congorito) and an Afro Iraqi song (Ya Helwakom, يا حلوكم). Both pieces share rhythmic patterns, melodic gestures, and participation dynamics, illustrating how KUNE helps uncover unexpected connections between distant musical traditions. The African diaspora has significantly shaped global cultures, serving as a link of solidarity and collaboration among diverse peoples. The African diaspora is one of the most consequential historical movements that shaped cultures globally. Despite the long historical timeframe and the rich diversity of African traditions, the diaspora has served as a point of connection, solidarity and collaboration between peoples who recognize their common struggles and identify a common ancestry as a source of dignity and pride. This resource aspires to be a continuation of this history. The creation of this resource reflects KUNE members’ experiences in generating meaningful musical collaborations rooted in the spirit of sharing and friendship. Toronto’s diverse schools are essential spaces for children and families from various cultural backgrounds to bond and collaborate. However, culturally responsive curriculum resources are scarce. Teachers are challenged to provide authentic materials for their diverse classrooms while navigating a vast selection of resources lacking cultural context. KUNE’s resources respond to this need by offering authoritative, culturally responsive materials that reflect KUNE musicians' connections to their heritage without attempting to represent entire regions or countries. Being based in Toronto, the members of KUNE are available for workshops and collaborations in the region. The workshop will present the materials of the curriculum resource and will involve participants in learning some of the call and response lyrics and melodies, some body percussion patterns and even some dance steps! All of these are included in the resource and are illustrated with videos and a curriculum guide.

Location Name
514C
Session Type
Workshop
Presenter(s)
Matias Recharte