MUH6515: Musics of the World Listening Journal (von Jena)

Drum Talk Game John Scalici and students American Schools, West African Drumming This video, although a little longer, offers several drum circle games that teach students to listen. As Lew and campbell (2005) say, "(play) assists them (children) in their development of language and reasoning skills, and it fosters social competence and peer-group interaction" (p. 58). In this game, students listen for  three signature beat patterns which must be repeated immediately after they are heard. If a student misses the cue, than they will be out! I think this is a great way to excite students in African drumming because it socializes students in a large group setting (really any size group) and has a fun, competitive nature. Lew, J. C., & Campbell, P. S. (2005). Children's natural and necessary musical play: Global contexts, local applications.  (5), 57-62.

"Muting duandi" ("A Shepard's Flute") - He Luting Performed by Yuja Wang China Piano "Notes & Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus" - The Power of the Pentatonic Scale Bobby McFerrin Voice I have included two videos this week in my post. The first is of "Muting duandi" ("A Shepard's Flute") composed byHe Luting and performed by Yuja Wang. This video shows a young performer performing an authentic Chinese piano composition that uses the pentatonic scale. This is very common in Chinese music. The second video is of Bobby McFerrin demonstrating the pentatonic scale, and having the audience participate in performing an improvised melody using this scale. As Campbell (2004) says, "students can compose from a very early age and with even limited training" (p. 197). This video show that, while adults, anyone can create a melody with a very basic introduction to it. I think that an excellent extension to a...

This week's reeding focuses on authenticity. We read Koops's (2010) publication "Can't We Just Change the Words?" This is something that as a vocal teacher, I encounter all of the time. When I say to my students that we are going to perform or listen to something in another language, I always get some eye rolls or sighs because it is so different for a lot of my students. I always think it is important to perform a piece as it was intended to be perform. I try and provide as much contextual background and assistance in students accessing the material so it does not seem as daunting as it once did. In fact, most students end up loving the experience. That being said, I think that while I can convince students to step out of their comfort zone in the safety of my classroom, most will not on they own time. Here is an example: not too long ago, I witnessed a group of students singing this summer's "hottest song" "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi feat....

This is a traditional dragon dance from the 2013 Chinese New Year celebration in Hong Kong, China. The piece is performed by Kwok's Team. The peace features dancers, as well as mostly percussion sounds (some wind and string as well). Dance and musical structure go hand in hand. In the Chinese dragon and lion dances, the music is focused on percussion. The different rhythms are assigned to different movements, and tell the performers what they will be doing next in the dance. In a way, the music tells a story of how the dragon should move and change throughout the performance. In this example, although the music is not performed live, the team changes movements when the rhythms change in the music. The dancers also rely on the sounds to stay together for a flawless performance. This music is designed to accompany a dance, and the two go hand in hand.