May 28, 2018

Music helps kids appreciate other cultures

Pacific Standard - The outpouring of hostility toward immigrants and refugees has reminded us that ethnocentrism remains a fact of life in both Europe and the United States. Combating it will require teaching a new generation to view members of different cultures as potential friends rather than threatening outsiders. But what mode of communication has the power to stimulate such a shift?

New research from Portugal suggests the answer may be music.

It reports schoolchildren around age 11 who learned about the music and culture of a faraway land expressed warmer feelings toward immigrants from that country than those who did not. What's more, those positive emotions were still evident three months after this exposure to the foreign culture.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The girls in Rotherham all had a healthy appreciation for the foreign culture in their community.