Small Island Big Song
An Oceanic Songline

Film stream access: Monday, April 4, 2022–Friday, April 15, 2022

Register by Thursday, March 31, for free access to the Small Island Big Song film.

A musical journey across and into the soul of the Indian and Pacific oceans, Small Island Big Song was filmed during three years and features more than 100 artists from island nations. The film prepares students for Earth Day on April 22 and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May.

The nonnarrative film is a playful but poignant musical plea. In the spirit of storytelling before current borders were drawn, the film is an oceanic songline, a timely and uplifting musical plea for environmental and cultural awareness from those on the frontline of the climate crisis.

The film’s initiators, Australian filmmaker and music producer Tim Cole and Taiwanese film producer BaoBao Chen, met the artists on their homelands to record a song “which spoke for their heritage and environment.” It’s a song they took across the ocean for other artists representing their island to add to—all filmed in nature, sung in the language, and played on the instruments of that land. Through this process, the film’s voice was created in the field following the guidance of those carrying the cultural lineage, those who could speak for the land.

Small Island Big Song was filmed and recorded across the Pacific and Indian oceans in Australia, Indonesia, Madagascar, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Bougainville, Borneo, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Mauritius, Vanuatu, Guam, Hawaii, and Taiwan. 

Subject areas:
Environment and Ecology, Live Music, English Language Arts, Social-Emotional Learning, World Languages, Social Studies

Watch a preview of Small Island Big Song. 

Small Island Big Song - An Oceanic Songline (Official Trailer) from Small Island Big Song on Vimeo.

Create Classroom Community Through Song
4 p.m. Tuesday, March 22
Virtual engagement event

FREE for educators; registration required

Create and learn with artists from the touring production of Small Island Big Song. Explore how songs and chants can be integrated into your classroom to support your community of students. Through song, students will experience the themes of the performance — including the importance of indigenous knowledge, global musical influences, and an emphasis on the environment and the importance of caring for it.

By participating in this workshop, each educator will receive a FREE ticket to see the Small Island Big Song touring event at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 7, in Eisenhower Auditorium. Each educator also will receive access to the film to share with their students. Act 48 credit is available. Information on how to receive the free ticket will be provided upon webinar registration.

Register here. 

The virtual workshop is presented by WPSU, working with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units, and in partnership with the Center for the Performing Arts and artists of the Small Island Big Song collective.