Music activity
World Music Spotlight: Ravi Shankar
Listen to a sitar and find out what it sounds like.
Materials and setup
- streaming service
- paper and pencil
How this changes by age
Pre-K (ages 3–4)
Listen to a sitar and find out what it sounds like.
Steps
- A grown-up shows a picture of a sitar (a long-necked Indian string instrument).
- Listen to a short sitar clip played by Ravi Shankar.
- Describe the sound in 2 words (buzzy, twangy, floating).
- Pretend to play a sitar and hum along.
- Try to find one sound in your house that's a little buzzy.
Learning objectives
- Recognize the sitar by sight and sound
- Describe timbre with descriptive words
- Connect unfamiliar instruments to familiar sounds
Kindergarten (ages 5–6)
Meet Ravi Shankar and learn what a raga is.
Steps
- A grown-up shares 3 facts: Ravi Shankar was born in India in 1920. He played the sitar. He taught George Harrison of The Beatles.
- Learn one word: raga — a melodic framework (not a scale, not a tune) that Indian classical music is built on.
- Listen to 10 minutes of Shankar's 'Raga Jog' (widely available).
- Notice the drone (a constant background note) and the tabla (drum).
- Draw 3 things you hear.
Learning objectives
- Identify Ravi Shankar and the sitar
- Define raga at a beginner level
- Hear and name a drone
Early elementary (ages 6–8)
Explore how Indian classical music is structured and compare it to Western music.
Steps
- Learn the basic parts of a Hindustani raga performance: alap (slow intro, free rhythm), jor (building rhythm), jhala (fast climax).
- Listen to a performance of 'Raga Yaman' by Ravi Shankar.
- Identify the alap, jor, and jhala sections.
- Compare the structure to a Western song you know (intro-verse-chorus).
- In a notebook, write 3 similarities and 3 differences.
Learning objectives
- Identify sections of a Hindustani raga performance
- Compare Indian and Western musical structures
- Use music vocabulary across traditions
Upper elementary (ages 8–10)
Explore how Ravi Shankar helped introduce Indian classical music to wider Western audiences.
Steps
- Read (with a grown-up) about Shankar's Monterey Pop Festival 1967 performance and his collaborations with violinist Yehudi Menuhin.
- Listen to 'West Meets East' (Shankar & Menuhin, 1967 album — widely available).
- Write a short reflection: What does it mean for two music traditions to meet? What can each learn from the other?
- Pick one moment in the recording where you can clearly hear the two traditions interacting. Describe it in 3 sentences.
- Share your reflection with a family member.
Learning objectives
- Research a musician's cross-cultural impact
- Analyze a cross-cultural recording
- Write an informed short reflection
Safety and evidence note
Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.
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