NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?

SUMMARY

Can music be the gateway to closer relations between Americans and Cubans and help provide relief amidst the economic downturn and isolation? That is the hope of a group of musicians who have been forging a bond between young students.

View the transcript of the story.

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. Who is Troy Andrews?
2. What are the conditions of the economy in Cuba? What have U.S.-Cuba diplomatic relations been like over the past few decades?
3. Where were the musicians from in this segment?
4. When did Trombone Shorty start playing music? When did the cultural exchange program featured in the story start?
5. Why are musicians involving themselves in relations between the U.S. and Cuba?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How has music brought young people featured in the story closer together?
• Do you think it's possible to build stronger connections between the U.S. and Cuba through music and cultural exchange programs? How could this affect diplomatic relations between the two countries?

Media literacy: If you were producing this story, who else would you want to interview?

WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO

1. Discuss the role of the arts in your life with a classmate, neighbor or family member: Do you play an instrument or know someone who does? What's your favorite type of art? What music do you like to listen to?
2. Then, choose another video based on News Hour's Art in Action series to watch together. What elements of the piece did you relate to? How is the story an example of art being used to make communities stronger? How does the story highlight the strengths of democracy? Use this link to view the Art in Action videos and choose the topic you'd most like to discuss:

Additional resources:

• ‘Poet of Havana’ uses his music to address pain caused by politics
• Daily news lesson: Trombone Shorty inspires a new generation of musicians
• New book explores roots of Western pop music and global influences that shaped it

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