African Kingdoms
If you are wanting to run a Music Unit for early primary years in the theme of 'African Kingdoms'. Please feel free to use the following ideas and outlines I've created and see all the useful resources, blogs and references I've used or followed.
Inquiry Theme
Students will learn about how music was used for communication and celebration in African Kingdoms.​
Task: You're the musical leader of an African Kingdom. A long lost relative has been reunited with your tribe. You must teach them the musical traditions of your community and express yourself through a musical greeting who shows them who you are.
Musical Skills
Students learn about the history of different African music. They will take part in drumming exercises and create their own drumming patterns. They will use the Xylophone to create simple repetitive melodies. In Groups, they will create music that describe themselves and their community.
Step 1 - Gaining an overview of the topic
Now if you are looking for some engaging and informative songs to excite the children, you may find these to be a treat.
​
While 'West African Empires' by Mr. Nicky's World History Songs is not not written with traditional African music, it certainly is a song that will lock the attention of students while teaching historical facts.
I began planning this unit, by researching general information about African Kingdoms. The clip 'African Empires', K. Flewelling is one that briefly describes a number of empires such as Mali Empire, Timbuktu, Mansa Musa, the Great Zimbabwe, and the Swahili people along the eastern coast of Africa.
African Kingdoms
If you are wanting to run a Music Unit for early primary years in the theme of 'African Kingdoms'. Please feel free to use the following ideas and outlines I've created and see all the useful resources, blogs and references I've used or followed.
Inquiry Theme
Students will learn about how music was used for communication and celebration in African Kingdoms.​
Task: You're the musical leader of an African Kingdom. A long lost relative has been reunited with your tribe. You must teach them the musical traditions of your community and express yourself through a musical greeting who shows them who you are.
Musical Skills
Students learn about the history of different African music. They will take part in drumming exercises and create their own drumming patterns. They will use the Xylophone to create simple repetitive melodies. In Groups, they will create music that describe themselves and their community.
Step 1 - Gaining an overview of the topic
Now if you are looking for some engaging and informative songs to excite the children, you may find these to be a treat.
​
While 'West African Empires' by Mr. Nicky's World History Songs is not not written with traditional African music, it certainly is a song that will lock the attention of students while teaching historical facts.
Now if you are looking for some engaging and informative songs to excite the children, you may find these to be a treat.
​
While 'West African Empires' by Mr. Nicky's World History Songs is not not written with traditional African music, it certainly is a song that will lock the attention of students while teaching historical facts.
I began planning this unit, by researching general information about African Kingdoms. The clip 'African Empires', K. Flewelling is one that briefly describes a number of empires such as Mali Empire, Timbuktu, Mansa Musa, the Great Zimbabwe, and the Swahili people along the eastern coast of Africa.
Step 2 - African Kingdom Instruments - Their sound and purpose
Instruments played in African Kingdoms include: The djembe, ​
A
Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning's 'Five(ish) minute drum lesson - African Drumming: Lesson 1: The Djembe' gives not only great examples of how to play the instrument, but also the symbolic meaning of it's physical structure and what it's made of. Interestingly it also explains historical significance of how it was used not solely for music and entertainment, but also as an important communication tool.
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LESSON ACTIVITY IDEA - Students experiment with making their own rhythmic patterns and sounds on the djembe that communicate a special message of their own.
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