At Lindenhurst’s Albany Avenue Elementary School, music teacher Fabian Reyes recently turned a summer trip to Peru in South America, where he collected photos, music and instruments, into a seven-lesson unit titled The Music of Peru, using technology to teach fifth graders about the music, culture, people, and geography of the country. During class, Reyes demonstrated instruments native to the region: a hand shaker and wind instruments, including the double flute, quena, ocarina and ancient flute.

Students helped create a multimedia PowerPoint presentation — incorporating photos, narration and music — displayed on a large-screen monitor (Destination 2000) for viewing. The show coordinated 35 slides with digitally-taped student narration and musical excerpts of students playing "Peru Dance" on native instruments. Classes utilized sophisticated digital recording equipment to enhance sound quality.

The lesson was designed to engage students holistically, creating a deeper meaning and greater appreciation of the material studied. This goal was easily achieved as evidenced by a culminating lesson where children enthusiastically answered questions and viewed their presentation.