Marking 60 years of diplomatic ties between Washington and Amman, the Boston Children's Chorus is on a visit to the Kingdom to perform melodies originating from different parts of the world reflecting the America's multi-ethnic makeup.

"Our message is to let these children, who come from different backgrounds, represent America, as many people here don't know America," Daniel Ernst, public diplomacy officer at the US embassy in Amman, told reporters on Sunday prior to a performance in Zarqa, some 20 kilometres to the northeast of the capital.

He said the visit provides a chance for youth from both countries to experience a "cultural interaction," away from policy and diplomacy.

America's image in the Middle East has been affected by US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as policies in the region, various polls have shown.

A recent survey by Ipsos News Centre conducted in six Arab countries revealed that 56 per cent of Jordanians have an "unfavourable" view of the United States, while 43 per cent of polled Arabs said they have "unfavourable" views of America, compared to 33 per cent who see the US in a "favourable" light.

Improving the image of the US was one of 14-year-old Pablo Lebret-Gonzales' motives in joining the chorus on their summer tour in Jordan.

"I was excited to come - because the US doesn't have a good relationship with the Middle East now with all this turmoil going on," he told The Jordan Times, referring to ongoing conflicts in the region.

As part of their visit to Jordan, the group met Jordanian peers at the Children's Museum and the Queen Zein Al Sharaf Institute for Development, where they performed two separate concerts last Thursday.

The tour gave 15-year-old chorus member Max Anthony the opportunity to explore Jordan and meet new people his age, he told The Jordan Times after the one-hour performance.

Max and his colleagues aim to take Jordanian audiences on a "musical journey" that includes Europe, South America, Africa, Russia, the Middle East and the United States reflecting America's diverse heritage, according to the choir's maestro Anthony Trecek-King.

Under the title, "This is the Sound of the World Singing," they performed pieces from Denmark, Hungary, Venezuela, in addition to two Russian and South African folk songs.

Using Arabic folkloric melodies and English lyrics, the Boston chorus sang "Hot Tea, Mint and Olives," a piece composed by Syrian Kareem Roustom for the occasion, concerning the importance of tea in Arab culture, Trecek-King told the audience.

Twelve-year-old Sarah Daaja from Zarqa was one of some 120 people who attended Sunday's concert.

"This is brilliant - it shows you how much foreigners admire Jordan," she told The Jordan Times.

Tawjihi (General Secondary School Certificate) student Arwa Mousa, 18, had recently finished her exams when she came to the concert at the city's King Abdullah II Cultural Centre.

"This is my first time listening to these types of music," she told The Jordan Times.

Mohammad Assi, 16, said he understood "a little" of the music but admired the chorus' choreography.

Established in 2003 to "celebrate cultural diversity in Boston and neighbouring areas," the Boston Children's Chorus features 300 singers and nine choirs, according to chorus executive director David Howse.

Children between the ages of 11 and 17 of different races, religions and economic statuses take part in the organisation, which aims to use "cultural diplomacy" to promote better understanding in each country they visit, Howse told The Jordan Times in an interview following a concert in Zarqa.

The troupe will perform its final concert today in Karak as part of this year's Jordan Festival. Admission to the performance is free and the event is open to the public.