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Singers participate in Embassy Adoption program

  • Published
  • By Technical Sgt. Mandi Harper
  • The U.S. Air Force Band
Washington, D.C. --  The Singing Sergeants have teamed up with Washington Performing Arts (WPA) to teach local students about world cultures as part of WPA's Embassy Adoption program. The program joins 1,500 fifth- and sixth-grade students from 50 schools in Washington, D.C., with 52 embassies. Students learn about the history, culture, arts, food and government of their "adopted" country.

The first Singing Sergeants team, consisting of Senior Master Sgt. Linda Waring and Master Sgts. Matthew Irish and Emily Wellington, visited with ten students at Garrison Elementary School in northwest Washington, D.C. They taught the students the national anthem of Japan, "Kimigayo," by presenting the history of the anthem, playing the tune on the violin, and teaching the notes of the song and proper pronunciation of the language. They also sang the traditional tune "Sakura," and the students provided commentary on the similarities and differences in the sound of each song.

Arriving to the school in an Air Force uniform opened up another avenue of communication.  Irish said almost every student had a friend or family member in the military, and this "helped them to connect right from the start." The students were very interested in the musical aspect of the military.

After the class, Wellington stated, "The kids were extremely cooperative and very willing to learn the anthem and another language. They did not have any fear or reservations about being able to accomplish anything. By the end of the period, a few students were even willing to sing the Japanese anthem as a solo."

At the end of the school year, the students who have participated in the Embassy Adoption Program will visit the Japanese Embassy and perform the anthem. In addition, select student "ambassadors" will participate in a Mini United Nations to debate and draft resolutions on global challenges.

In the coming weeks, several Singing Sergeants teams will record and produce a "bouncing-ball" video of each anthem that is taught in metropolitan area classrooms, to include the countries of Japan, New Zealand, Guyana, Thailand and more. These videos will provide an additional tool for the students to prepare for a visit to their selected embassy.

To learn more about the Washington Performing Arts' Embassy Adoption Program, please visit http://www.washingtonperformingarts.org/education/kids/embassy/index.aspx.