The innovative British-German composer Max Richter recently released his ninth studio album called Voices. A decade in the making, Voices explores mental and historical landscapes as well as universal themes that seem particularly relevant today. The voices of the project come from people around the world who responded to Richter’s social media invitation to be […]
ACEI BLOG - CREATIVITY
3 Things to Look for in a Virtual Platform (September 4, 2020)
Solving Puzzles and the Art of Giving Feedback (August 24, 2020)
August 17, 2020 Jasmin Saidi-Kuehnert is the Founder, President, and CEO of the Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute (ACEI). She has dedicated the last 30 years to international education, sharing her knowledge as a published author and speaker on world education systems. As an advisor, Jasmin helps institutions and organizations navigate emerging markets, credential evaluation standards, […]
USA: A Potpourri of Accents, Cultures, Languages, and More (August 3, 2020)
Image credit: Korean-Born Artist Sungho Choi explores the inherent cultural diversity of the United States in this cermaic on wood installation titled “My America.” In this week’s blog we would like to share a few interactive maps produced by The Business Insider that show immigration patterns in the U.S. and a few others that show […]
Our Planet: 911 Emergency
July 19th, 2019 On July 10, 2019, a network representing more than “7,000 higher and further education institutions from six continents have announced that they are declaring a ‘climate emergency’, and agreed to undertake a three-point plan to address the crisis through their work with students.” As the letter from the representatives of the 7,000 […]
An Artist’s International Student Journey
Remembering Monir Farmanmaian (1924 –2019) May 3rd, 2019 Photo via: Keyhan Life Monir Farmanmaian, the Iranian female artist known for her mirror mosaics and geometric patterns passed away on April 20, 2019 at the age of 97 in Tehran. Until recently, I’m ashamed to say, I didn’t know much about Monir, only a cursory knowledge […]
Global Youth
August 18th, 2017 Americans get a bad rap for speaking only English, of making no effort to learn the languages of other cultures. For the most part, this is true. Unlike Europe, where an hour drive might find you in a completely foreign land, the furthest the average American will make it as far as […]
Qawwali Music: The Mystical, Peaceful Side of Islam
September 30th, 2016 I first heard the Sufi devotional music called qawwali around 1982 on a WOMAD (World of Music and Dance) album. WOMAD was Peter Gabriel’s world music label and brainchild. This was right about the time when a bunch of Brit record executives coined the term “world music” as a category for retail sales purposes. […]
Sister Deborah and Ghana Jollof: Tasty Rice
This is a culinary tale–or rather competition–West African style. Last Sunday morning, I heard a story and song on NPR’s Weekend Edition about a rice rivalry in West Africa, particularly Ghana vs. Nigeria, surrounding a ubiquitous rice dish in the region (Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal) called Jollof. The tune’s nice grooves and rhymes caught my […]
Tijuana’s Youth Orchestra: Bach, Not Banda, Mahler, Not Mariachi
April, 7th 2016 I know about El Sistema and the Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra, where Gustavo Dudamel got his training. I also know about his work with YOLA, the Youth Orchestra of LA, something Dudamel was behind creating. Both El Sistema and YOLA give inner city kids a way off the streets into the world […]