Grade 10 MAPE Music Lesson: Afro-Latin and Popular Music
Part 1: African Music
Importance of Music in African Culture
- Integral to daily life: work, religion, ceremonies, communication
- Essential activities: singing, dancing, hand clapping, drumming
- Used in ceremonies: birth, death, initiation, marriage, funerals
- Role in religious expression and political events
- Influence on global music, particularly jazz
- Cultural and musical diversity from over 50 African countries
- Colonial legacy influences music and culture
Traditional African Music
- Largely functional: ceremonial rites, work-related, social, entertainment
- Interlocking structural format due to overlapping, dense textures, rhythmic complexity
- Variety of genres and styles
Types of African Music
- Afrobeat: Fusion of West African and Black American music
- Apala (Akpala): Nigerian Yoruba style, uses percussion instruments
- Axe: Brazilian genre, fuses Afro-Caribbean styles
- Jit: Zimbabwean dance music, fast percussive
- Jive: South African lively swing dance variation
- Juju: Nigerian music with traditional Yoruba rhythms
- Quasa Quasa: Dance style from Zaire
- Marabi: South African music evolved into African jazz
African Influences on Latin American Music
- Reggae: Jamaican, influenced by Mento, Calypso, jazz
- Salsa: Cuban, Puerto Rican, Colombian dance music
- Samba: Brazilian rhythmical dance
- Sokha: Trinidadian and Tobago pop music
- Suere: Music for Ramadan, blends African and European styles
- Zouk: Caribbean carnival-like music
Vocal Forms of African Music
- Maracatu: From Pernambuco, uses strong African rhythms
- Blues: Expressive, soulful African-American music
- Soul Music: 1950s/60s genre, combines gospel, R&B, jazz
- Spirituals: African migrants' religious songs in America
- Call and Response: Interactive musical phrases
African Musical Instruments
- Idiophones: Percussion, e.g., balafon, rattles, agogo, slit drum
- Membranophones: Drums with vibrating membranes, e.g., talking drum
- Lamellophones: Mbira, thumb pianos, plucked with fingers
- Chordophones: String instruments, e.g., musical bow, lute, kora
- Aerophones: Wind instruments, e.g., flutes, horns, whistles
Environmental Influence on Instruments
- Use of natural materials like wood, metal, animal skin
- Instruments made from forest materials, clay, metal
- Recycled materials used in modern instruments
This concludes Part 1 of our music lesson focusing on African music. Stay tuned for Part 2 on Latin American music.