36
African & African American Music in the Classroom
African & African American Music in the Classroom
Don’t Be Scared of It! HAVE FUN WITH IT! Lederrick Wesley, Presenter
Bardstown Primary School-Bardstown City [email protected]
Lets Get Up and Moving!!!Beyonce-Move Your Body Jackson 5-I Want You BackPerfect People-The Walls GroupClips used from www.Youtube.com
Why Use it? African and African American music is a very important part of American culture. When slaves arrived in America, their music and traditions followed them. All American music was influenced by the music and culture of the slaves. Slaves expressed themselves and communicated through song. They had to use their voices and bodies as instruments. There are common characteristics that have involved out of songs from slaves:
1) Conversation-call and response; voices and music interact back and forth
2) Improvisation3) The voice as an instrument4) The instrument as a voice 5) Syncopation
Remember when teaching early music such as spirituals that lives of slaves were full of hardship and often mistreated. Songs and dances were created to easy their pain and provide a way of entertainment and way for expression.
It’s a part of American History and world history.
Covers National Standards in Music, Social Studies Standards, Dance Standards
Exposes kids to a new culture and a new way of thinking; YOU HAVE TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
It stretches and grows you as a person! African Americans have an intense history. Research and study it! You and your kids will learn a lot from it!!
Evolution of African American Music
Encyclopedia of African American Music
Musical Genres that can be used in the classroom1) Blues 2) Jazz 3) R&B4) Rap & Hip Hop 5) Pop 6) Country 7) Secular and Sacred Folk Music8) Gospel 9) Rock 10) Ragtime11) Reggae 12) Opera and Concert Music13) Traditional and Contemporary Music from Africa
Classroom Lessons Here We Go Zudio
This African American game song is sung to movements described with lyrics and movements. Many African American music and styles emphasize rhythm and self expression.
This singing game comes from the African American playground tradition. Pairs can be placed to make a straight alley or by forming a double circle.
http:// www.ket.org/education/video/kmarto/kmarto000112.htm
http://ket.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/afriam.arts.music.zudio/africanafrican-american-culture-zudio/
Singer Paula Larke shares this information about the song: “We used to play this as ‘Willoughby’ or ‘Willabee’ in Winston-Salem, but when I was in South Carolina, teachers and students knew it as ‘Zudio.’ Since my father was from South Carolina, I do this version to think of him.
“This song is sung to movements which are described with the lyrics and demonstrated on the video. To begin, have children line up in two lines facing each other. The two children facing opposite each other are partners. This is one way to play late at night in a good clean way. The nightmare isn’t bad; it’s the people who do bad things at night that give night a bad name!”
“Zudio,” or “Zoodio,” is widely known as a children’s game song danced in both urban and rural settings. African-American in origin, it probably has its roots in slave times. Written documentation about enslaved African childrenis very scarce. When African Americans are mentioned in print, they
are usually referred to in terms of the labor they provided, their value, or as runaways. Likewise, there is practically no information about the games African-Americanchildren played. Even though enslaved children were expected to work as soon as they were physically mature enough to do so, they certainly had time to play as well.
Some African-American games taught children to work together—often to a cadence—as a well-coordinated team. Working to a rhythm relieved boredom and helped field workers establish a measured pace for their work. “Zoodio” may well have developed as a game to help children learn how to work together.
Children’s game songs from the African-American tradition include rhymed and unrhymed chants and songs that typically include some type of movement or bodily kinesthetic accompaniment. The physical movements may includeactions that physically depict a story or narrative, improvised movements or motions, simple or complex patterns of hand clapping used to accompany the song by providing a steady beat, and other types of body movement or body percussion.
Here we go zudio, zudio, zudio,Here we go zudio, all night long. Step back Sally, Sally, Sally,Step back Sally, all night long. Walking through the alley,Alley alleyWalking through the alley All night long Look over yonder and what did I seeA great big man from Tennessee.I bet you five dollars you can’t do this To the front to the back to the side side sideTo the front to the back to the side side side
Parting hands back aand forth to the beat of the music while moving bent knees up and down. Partners walk back and clap to the beat. Walk on the around the room, find a new partner.Put hand to forehead and look from side to side. Hands mime a large stomach.Right hands make a ‘high five’ on new partner’s hands.Jump forward and then back.Jump from side to side. Begin again with new partner.
Little Sally Walker European game that changed into a ring play Adapted by African Americans; learned from white neighbors Three versions of song; concluding stanzas added by African Americans “flying to the east and west” “Shaking It” “Let your Backbone slip”
From Step It Down: Games, Plays, Songs, & Stories from the Afro-American Heritage by Bessie Jones and Bess Lomax Hawes
We are doing Version 2 and 3
Choose 1 person to start in the center on the groundPerson in the center puts their face in their hands and pretends to cry; other children around moving in a circle around the person in the centerCenter person stands and wipes cheeks R L R Turns Right step, step, step Turns Left—step, step, stepTurns to find a partner Hands on hip, switch hips—R L R Then switch L R L Alternate hip switching change place with partner on last word. Partner becomes next sally Walker
Fourth version is the modern versionLittle Sally Walker walking down the streetShe didn’t know what to do so she stopped in front of me Saying Hey girl do yo thang do yo thang and switch Hey girl do yo thang do yo thang and switch
Freedom SongsMost of the singing of the civil rights movement was congregational; it was sung unrehearsed in the tradition of the Afro-American folk church
The core song repertoire was formed from the reservoir of Afro-American traditional song performed in the older style of singing. This music base was expanded to include most of the popular Afro-American music forms and singing techniques of the period.
Activist song leaders made a new music for a changed time. Lyrics were transformed, traditional melodies were adapted and procedures associated with old forms were blended with new forms to create freedom songs capable of expressing the force and intent of the movement.
http:// ctl.du.edu/spirituals/freedom/civil.cfm
We Shall Not be Moved by Sweet Honey and the Rock We shall not, we shall not be moved We shall not, we shall not be movedJust like a tree planted by the waterWe shall not be moved
Other linesFighting for our freedom, we shall not be moved. Singing everybody, we shall not be movedStand up, everybody, we shall not be movedWe ain’t going no where, we shall not be moved
Woke Up This Morning
Woke up this morning with my mind Stayed on freedom Woke up this morning with my mind Stayed on freedom Woke up this morning with my mind Stayed on freedom Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah.I'm walking and talking with my mindstayed on freedomI'm walking and talking with my mind
stayed on freedomI'm walking and talking with my mindstayed on freedomHallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah.Ain't nothing wrong with my mindStayed on freedomOh, there ain't nothing wrong with keeping my mindStayed on freedomThere ain't nothing wrong with keeping your mindStayed on freedomHallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah.I'm singing and praying with my mindStayed on freedomYeah, I'm singing and praying with my mindStayed on freedomHallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah.
Spirituals Follow the Drinkin’ Gourd http://www.followthedrinkinggourd.org/
The American folksong Follow the Drinking Gourd was first published in 1928. The Drinking Gourd song was supposedly used by an Underground Railroad operative to encode escape instructions and a map. These directions then enabled fleeing slaves to make their way north from Mobile, Alabama to the Ohio River and freedom. Taken at face value, the "drinking gourd" refers to the hollowed out gourd used by slaves (and other rural Americans) as a water dipper. But here it is used as a code name for the Big Dipper star formation, which points to Polaris, the Pole Star, and North.
In the ensuing 80 years, the Drinking Gourd played an important role in the Civil Rights and folk revival movements of the 1950s and 1960s, and in contemporary elementary school education. Much of theDrinking Gourd's enduring appeal derives from its perceived status as a unique, historical remnant harkening back to the pre-Civil War South – no other such map songs survive. But re-examining the Drinking Gourdsong as history rather than folklore raises many questions. And the Drinking Gourd as it appears in roughly 200 recordings, dozens of songbooks, several award-winning children's books and many other places is surely not "traditional." The signature line in the chorus, "for the old man is awaitin' for to
carry you to freedom," could not possibly have been sung by escaping slaves, because it was written by Lee Hays eighty years after the end of the Civil War.
African SongsTuWe TuweThis chant is from Ghana which is a country in Africa. It makes you want to get up and dance. Sweet Honey and the rock does a great version of this! They make it sound so beautiful!
Tuwe tuwe, barima tuwe tuweTuwe tuwe, barima tuwe tuweAbofra ba ama dawa dawaTuwe tuweAbofra ba ama dawa dawaTuwe tuweBarima tuwe tuwe
Gospel Songs
I Need You to Survive—Hezekiah Walker
I need You You need me We’re all apart of God’s body Stand with me agree with meWe’re apart of God’s body It is His will that every need be suppliedYou are important to meI need you to survive You are important to me I need you to survive I pray for you You pray for me I love you I need you to survive I won’t harm you with words from my mouth I love you I need you to survive
*If you don’t want to include God, you can say “This Body”Explain to the kids how we need each other and should support each other
Yes You Can- Donnie McClurkin
Listen, gather 'round, I found something that you can useAnd if you listen, well, I'm here to tell you, you cannot lose, ohA simple song, simple melody, yea yea, to remind you that you can beThe greatest ever, defeated never, ohEven though sometimes you may lose, oh my
Yes you can, you can do anything if you try, just tryYes you can, but you have to believe and rely on what you have insideYou can make it through your trials, for your trials will just make you strongYou can do anything, yes you can, oh oh oh
Teach your children well, it's time to tell them just who they are, oh oh ohTrain them as they go to let them know that they can go far, ohOh my brother why do you wait, now tomorrow just might be too lateFor God gave the provision, made the decision, yeaYou can do all things through your faith, c'mon you all say
Yes you can, you can do anything if you try, just tryYes you can, but you have to believe and rely on what you have insideYou can make it through your trials, for your trials will just make you strongYou can do anything, yes you can, oh oh oh
Yes I can, I can do anything if I try, just tryYes I can, but I have to believe and rely on what I have insideI can make it through my trials, for my trials will just make me strongI can do anything, yes I can, oh oh oh
I can, I can, I can, yes I can do anythingI can, I can, I can, yes I can do anythingI can, I can, I can, yes I can do anythingI can, I can, I can, yes I can do anything
No matter what if you can just conceive itIf you believe it, then you can achieve itNo matter what if you can just conceive itIf you believe it, then you can achieve it
*More of an inspirational song. I have performed this with my chorus for the MLK Day Program. AUDIENCE LOVED IT!
Gospel Goes classicalwww.gospelgoesclassical.com
Juanita Bynum & Jonathan ButlerGospel Goes Classicalhttp://jazztimes.com/articles/18777-gospel-goes-classical-juanita-bynum-jonathan-butler
By Brian Soergel
Guitarist Jonathan Butler’s hard-earned reputation as a solid smooth-jazz acoustic guitarist is well deserved. The guy can sing, too. But those who’ve witnessed his revivalist energy onstage know that preaching the Good Word is equally as important to him as laying down a groove. Now, Butler has followed a 2004 gospel release titled The Worship Project with an ambitious two-CD set with Juanita Bynum. Recorded live at the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center in Birmingham, Ala., with the 60-piece Gospel Goes Classical Symphony Orchestra and 100-member choir conducted by Henry Panion III, the project is crammed with joyous vocal tunes, spoken-word spirituals and testimonials.
You won’t hear much of Butler’s sweet acoustic sounds here, unfortunately. Instead, he shares the spotlight with Bynum and sings his original songs “Falling in Love With Jesus,” “Don’t You Worry,” “Love Never Fails” and “We Need You Lord.” On the latter, as the chorus builds, Butler is truly in his element in a profoundly spiritual moment. Butler and Bynum share the stage on one tune, Bynum’s “I Don’t Mind Waiting,” which is unfortunate on a two-disc project. They go well together.
Bynum is the founder of Juanita Bynum Ministries in Waycross, Ga., and is self-described as a Bible teacher, prophet, psalmist, author and television personality. She’s also blessed with amazing vocal chops. Her latest solo CD reached No. 1 on Billboard’s gospel charts.
She sings with an evangelical fervor in a voice reminiscent of Gladys Knight, exhorting the crowd into whoops and cheers on an evening that was surely heaven-sent.
Other Resources You can UseSimply Sung Folk Songs Arranged in Parts For Young Singers by Mary Goetze Beat it! Group percussion for beginners by Evelyn Glennie & Paul Cameron Silver Burdett Making Music Series DRUM Discipline, Respect, and Unity Through MusicBy Jim Solomon The Book of Call and Response You Sing, I Sing by John Feierabend Put Your Hand on Your Hip by Bessie Jones
Ideas for Future Lessons 1) Students create dances to African American songs 2) African American dances 3) African drumming 4) Student created pieces inspired by African American music 5) Listen to more African & African American music and create lessons that incorporate movement, syncopation, rhythm, drums, call and response, and other elements from the style of music
Final thoughtsDon’t be scared! It’s ok to step out into new territory!Covers many standardsIf you don’t know something, ASK!! Gain exposure through workshops, videos, conferences, go to an African American church service or event. Learn as much as you can so you can give the full experience. Have fun in your classroom! Loosen up and feel the music
SourcesKentucky Education Televisionhttp :// ket.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/afriam.arts.music.zudio/africanafrican- american-culture-zudio/
Price, Emmett George, Kernodle, Tammy L, Maxile,Horace Joseph. (2011).Encyclopedia of African American music. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO.
http://books.google.com/books?id=nVxgs_E57_EC&pg=PA1023&lpg=PA1023&dq=african+american+music+presentation&source=bl&ots=hENlm6k4i_& sig=z_UeS5kA1J8l3hl3I4e0Ds4y57A&h l=en&sa=X&ei=4LPtUpyYGtPHqAHx84GQDw&ved=0CG8Q6AEwCA#v=twopage&q&f=false
Little Sally Walker Bessie Jones
http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJVnuQEhfCU
http:// www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute/publicationsprizes/discoveries/ discoveriesspring2001/03sullivan.pdf
Spotlight on Music Curriculum
Gospel Goes Classical http://www.gospelgoesclassical.com /
Bessie Jones and Bess Lomax Hawes “Step It Down”
“Still the Same Me” CD by Sweet Honey and the Rock
“Woke Up this Morning” by Sweet Honey and the Rock
Yes You Can-Donnie McClurkin
I Need you to survive-Hezekiah Walker
As American As Apple Pie folk songs, games, and dances for children by Jeff Kriske and Randy Delles
http://www.followthedrinkinggourd.org /
The History of Spirituals http://ctl.du.edu/spirituals/freedom/civil.cfm
