All Around This World believes that teaching little kids in the real world is absolutely superior to teaching kids using videos; to us, real life engagement is categorically better than plunking kids down in front of even the most thoughtful video-based "educational content." (There is some really great stuff out there, and it can be a wonderful part of your kids' world... but first, go out and play!) With that firmly in mind, All Around This World's classes and curriculum materials are different! Yes, Jay will present All Around This World's live weekly “Musical Storytimes” online and you'll sing and dance while he's on a screen, but there is nothing pre-programmed, quick-cut or slick -- Jay is a real person who will be teaching a real live program to your kids and uses Zoom like a relative who happens to live far away. The goal is to inspire your families to sing, drum and dance together in the real world. The actual learning is happening not online, but in your library. The same holds true for All Around This World's pre-recorded videos and ample curriculum content; All Around This World gives you tools you won't find anywhere else, and, yes, you can have your kids meet the culture-bearers and Jay in their recordings as they and introduce exciting things...but what we want is for you kids to learn by doing. We want your kids to sing, we want your kids to dance, and drum, and leap (sometimes literally) into holiday celebrations. All Around This World is not a program that exists online; it's an interactive educational experience that you can offer in your library that you happen to access online.

All Around This World appreciates the fact that a lot of programmers have been trying a lot of new ways to share their material with libraries. We can also understand why, given the wealth of “real life” programs, families with kids wouldn’t flock to a hybrid program. What All Around This World offers, though, with regular “Musical Storytime” attendance, is access to completely unique and dynamic global educaiton program that will open the minds of your families to the wealth of world cultures — not just the kids, but, because Jay designed the curriculum as an ethnomusicologist or cultural educator for adults might, the grown-ups too. We suggest you don’t just offer the program once or twice and try to inspire families to come, but make the Musical Storytimes available to your community, gague interest over time, and only start programming once you have a sufficient number of commitments. Then you won’t just be offering a fun concert or two for your kids, but a program that will both enterntain and educate your families for the long haul.

Absoultely yes. In fact, that’s what we recommend. Contact us and we’ll send you a flyer to post in your library. Put up the flyer, talk up the programming, and when you have solid potential for regular attendance, be in touch to learn how your library can join.

Nope! Since Jay started to create the All Around This World curriculum many years ago he has always expected to open his e-mail to a message from another teacher who says, "Hi! I saw your program! I do what you do!" Not yet. Yes, there are educators who focus, and focus well, on introducing kids to culture from one part of the world, or teaching songs in one language, or introducing older kids to culture with a "survey of global music," but we don't know of another educational program for young children that offers hundreds of songs and cultural experiences that originate from countries on every inhabited content with as broad and exuberant of a goal. Jay translated, adapted (and, when working with non-public-domain material, licensed) each and every song in the curriculum, then tested each extensively with kids to make sure they're all hits. He adapted each cultural experience with the specific goal of "translating" each into an inspiring classroom event. All Around This World's curriculum provides a uniquely immersive, thoroughly kid-tested approach to global education.

All Around This World's core curriculum consists of 12 individual "seasons," or sections of material -- ten based in geography -- Africa, the Caribbean, East and Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Oceania and the Pacific Islands, South and Central Asia, the U.S. and Canada, West Asia and the Middle East, Western Europe -- and two that leap across international borders – "Everything is a Drum" and "Connecting the Dots." Each season introduces 20 to 25 songs that originate from the region/s and ten kid-friendly cultural experiences for all to enjoy.

All Around This World online lessons, which you can make avaialable to your families through the Explore Everywhere “All Access” curriculum site, have the potential to engage students from infants-in-arms to 9 year-olds; families know their kids best, and will be able to find material in each online lesson that can relate to their little ones.

All Around This World Musical Storytimes work best in two general age groups — kids five and under along with their grown-ups/caregives, and five to nine year-olds singing and dancing together as a group. All Around This World appreciates that your weekday daytime crowd may be parents and their littlest kids, while your afterschol program may attract big kids. If a live class time makes sense for you as an afterschool program, certainly feel free to present it that way and welcome the kids who hang out after school in your branch.

With a nearly infinite number of variables in library budgets worldwide, pricing for this program is infinitely complicated. We wish we could provide a one-click price, but every library’s needs are unique, and we need to talk first before we decide on a price. Contact Jay and we'll set up a Zoom or call. (You may certainly receive discounts if multiple branches from your system participate.)

Jay teaches livecast classes from his classroom in Philadelphia using Zoom, and simulcasts on Facebook Live. Each week you will receive a unique Zoom login so your library can join any of that week's classes. If you would rather join on Facebook Live you can do that.

No! You will be able to see Jay, but he doesn't have to see you.

Jay welcomes libraries and classrooms to join him in Zoom five minutes before he starts broadcasting on Facebook; kids often say hi with their video on, then turn off their camera during class. We then return to say goodbye at the end.

(Yes, library gropus and classrooms have to mute themselves during class. Sing loud and proud in your room.)

No! At points in each class Jay may bring out instruments like sticks, shakers/rattles/hand percussion instruments or drums, but you don’t have to have these things in your classroom for the kids to have fun. Your kids can absolutely pretend to have any instrument…and they can definitely drum on their knees or the floor.

Starting in September '23, and depending on international enrollment, Jay will start teaching at multiple times so you will be able to have weekday/daytime option in your time zone. Current plans are for Jay to teach each several times each THURSDAY — for U.S. libraries, 10am, 1pm and 4pm eastern time will probably be the best bet.

YES! In '21 - '22 Jay taught at four times each week that corresponded to weekday daytimes in most time zones -- one for schools in Asia (from India through Indonesia), one for Europe and Africa and two for North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Jay plans to return to that schedule in September '23. If there is enough interest, Jay will consider adding 4pm (eastern time) classes for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

Jay developed the curriculum over the course of many years, drawing upon his own musical global travels, intense online and offline research and extensive collaboration with translators cultural educators, ethnomusicologists and multinational musicians. Though Jay has thoroughly kid-tested all of the songs and cultural experience in his classes and live performances.

The Emaptio/All Around This World “Musical Pen Pal Program” (formerly known as "Now I Know You") will connect your school with All Around This World schools on several continents. Your kids will match with classrooms of kids on other continents to share their favorite cultural songs, dances and holidays. Applications to joing the program are currently closed, but contact Jay to express interest and get on the wait list.

When your library joins the program, All Around This World will sign you up for our weekly e-mail list. Each week in advance of the storytime we’ll send you two messages — one with background about the week’s “featured country,” the other with that week’s Zoom login. You may share the featured country information with your families so when they come in for the storytime they’re ready to rock.

Click here to learn more about subscription options. If you already know you want to subscribe, contact us to set up a Zoom or call to meet Jay and explore options.

Absolutely. All Around This World will not turn away a library due to lack of funds.

Absolutely. Contact us for details.

All Around This World hosts our curriculum on our site, which partners with international networks like Stripe and Paypal to accept payments from most countries in your currency. You may choose to pay weekly, monthly or according to any timing that works best.

While All Around This World has worked with hundreds of teachers worldwide who have learned our songs and other materials to share in their own classrooms, the pandemic diverted our burgeoning teacher accreditation program; there currently are not fully trained and certified All Around This World teachers available for your library to hire in your local area. We are working hard for that to change.

YES! Contact us with a proposal. All ideas are good ideas.

There is much more to know, and you should know it! Contact us today to set up a Zoom or phone introduction.