(9/2000)
We use our repertoire of songs and a variety of traditional instruments as bridges to understanding the social and historical context of the people of Latin America. Songs and instruments also provide contrasting examples that we use to explain many of the concepts of the structure of music in general. Programs can be designed to supplement specific K-12 curriculum. Two sample programs follow.
Music reflects the everyday life of different people.
Music has variety but shares common elements.
Title | Country | Ethnicity | Style | Instruments | Theme | Time |
Uma festa | Brasil | Mestizo, Cowboy | Forro | Accordion, Zabumba, Triangle, Voice | Rural party | 3:00 |
Aguas de Março | Brasil | Mestizo | Pagode | Guitar, Voice, Ganzá, Surdo, Cuica | Urban imagery | 4:00 |
Balderama | Argentina | Mestizo, Cowboy | Zamba | Bombo Legüero, Voice, Guitars, | Nostalgia about life in Las Pampas | 4:13 |
Bananas | Nicaragua | Mestizo | Tropical | Congas, Guitar, Cowbell | People everywhere like bananas | 3:17 |
Canción al campesino | México | Mestizo | Son | Guitar, Voice, Requinto, Bongos, Claves, Mandolin | Describes the hard life of a farmer | 3:45 |
Candombe del mucho palo | Uruguay | Mestizo | Candombe | Guitars, Congas, Voice, Claves | Love | 3:34 |
Capoeira de Santana | Brasil | African | Capoeira | Conga, Voice, Birimbau, Agogô, Pandeiro | Martial arts | 4:00 |
Chacarera de las piedras | Argentina | Mestizo, Cowboy | Chacarera | Voice, Bombo Legüero | How a "Gaucho" deals with love | 3:00 |
Chiquinquirá | Venezuela | Mestizo | Cuatro, Guitar, Voice, Mandolin, Maracas | A mother's worries about her wayward son | 2:00 | |
Concensação | Brasil | Mestizo, Cowboy | Forro | Accordion, Zabumba, Triangle, Voice | Love | 3:00 |
Consuélate como yo | Cuba | Mestizo | Rumba | Congas, Palitos, Voice | Love | 3:45 |
Corridos | México | Mestizo | Corrido | Guitars, Voice | Various | 3:00 |
Cruz de Mayo | Venezuela | Mestizo | Fulía | Cuatro, Guitar, Mandolin, Congas, Maracas, Voice | Celebration of Spring | 3:00 |
Dos de Febrero | Colombia | African | Cumbia | Bombo, Congas, Maracas, Voice, Flauta de millo | Pregnancy | 3:45 |
El cantar tiene sentido | Venezuela | Mestizo | Polo margariteño | Cuatro, Voice, Guitars, Maracas | Various | 2:45 |
El Coco | México | Mestizo | Son jarocho | Jaranas, Requinto, Voice | Sea shanty; birds and animals | 3:00 |
El Colás | México | Mestizo | Son jarocho | Jaranas, Requinto, Pandero, Voice | flirtation | 3:00 |
El Gavilán | Colombia, Venezuela | Mestizo, Llanero | Joropo | Cuatros, Voice, Maracas | Animals, rural life | 2:45 |
El ratón | Cuba | Mestizo | Son | Guitars, Güiro, Claves, Bongos, Congas, Cow bell | Love | 4:00 |
Entre a mi pago sin golpear | Argentina | Mestizo, Cowboy | Chacarera | Voice, Guitars, Bombo Legüero, Violin | Friendship | 4:00 |
Gaitas de tambora | Venezuela | African | Gaita | Congas, Maracas, Voice | Procession of San Benito | 4:00 |
Gracias a la vida | Chile | Mestizo | Tonada | Charango, Voice, Guitars, Bombo | Love | 3:45 |
Inspiración | Ecuador | Mestizo | Albazo | Rondador, Guitar, Bombo | Musical piece | 2:00 |
La Bamba | México | Mestizo | Son jarocho | Jaranas, Requinto, Pandero | life in Veracruz | 3:00 |
La Guanábana | México | Mestizo | Son jarocho | Requinto, Jaranas, Voice | Describes fruit and love | 3:00 |
La Jardinera | Chile | Mestizo | Cueca | Guitars, Voice, Charango, Bombo Legüero | Love | 3:25 |
La Tierra del Olvido | Colombia | Mestizo | Vallenato | Accordion, Voice, Guitars, Bongos, Conga | Love | 4:00 |
La vaca Mariposa | Venezuela | Mestizo | Joropo | Cuatro, Guitar, Voice, Maracas | A cow worries about her calf | 2:12 |
Magdalena | Brasil | Mestizo | Baion | Surdo, caixa, Triangle, Congas, Voice | Rural life | 4:00 |
Mano a mano | Argentina | Mestizo, Cowboy | Chacarera | Voice, Guitars, Bombo Legüero | Love | 4:00 |
Maria lando | Perú | Mestizo | Lando | Guitars, Voice, Cajón, Quijada de burro, Cow bell | Maria's hard life as a slave | 4:00 |
Moliendo Café | Perú | Mestizo | Cumbia Andina | Sikus, Congas, Guitar | Instrumental | 2:30 |
Negra presuntuosa | Perú | Mestizo | Lando | Guitar, Voice, Cajon, Cow bell | Love | 4:00 |
Ojos Azules | Bolivia | Mestizo | Huayno | Guitar, Voice, Charango, Bombo, Sikus, Chajkchas | Love | 2:00 |
Pajarillo | Venezuela | African | Sangueo | Congas, Voice | Procession of San Juan | 2:38 |
Para cantar he nacido | Argentina | Mestizo, Cowboy | Chacarera | Voice, Guitars, Bombo Legüero, Flute | How the "Gaucho" sees life | 3:00 |
Para conjurar la tristeza | Perú | Indigenous | Bailecito | Sikus, Bombo | Instrumental | 3:00 |
Prende la vela | Colombia, Venezuela | African | Mapalé | Bombo, Congas, Maracas, Voice | Celebration | 4:00 |
Seis figureao | Venezuela | Mestizo | Son de Tamunangue | Congas, Cuatro, Maracas, Guitar, Voice | Various | 4:00 |
Sirviñaco | Argentina | Mestizo | Bailecito | Voice, Guitar, Charango, Quena, Bombo | Love-Marriage | 3:25 |
Soledad | Colombia | Mestizo | Cumbia | Bombo, Voice, Congas, Maracas, Flauta de millo | Struggle, Gabriel García Márquez | 3:15 |
Vai Passar | Brasil | Mestizo | Samba | Cavaquinho, Surdo, Ganzá, Agogô, Repinique, Voice | Carnival | 4:00 |
Veinte años | Cuba | Mestizo | Son Cubano | Guitars, Voice, Bongos, Claves, | Nostalgia | 3:25 |
Vermelho | Brasil | Mestizo, Cowboy | Bumba meu boi | Charango, Surdo, Ganzá, Voice | Carnival | 3:25 |
Zamba malató | Perú | Mestizo | Lando | Guitars, Voice, Cajón, Cow bell, Conga | Syncretism of African and European religions | 4:00 |
Zamba para olvidar | Argentina | Mestizo, Cowboy | Zamba | Voice, Guitars, Bombo Legüero | Love | 4:25 |
Zamba por vos | Argentina | Mestizo, Cowboy | Zamba | Voice, Guitars, Bombo Legüero | Love | 3:30 |
Name |
Type |
Countries |
Origin |
Materials |
Agôgô |
Percussion |
Brasil |
African |
Metal |
Birimbau |
Percussion |
Brasil |
African |
Various |
Bombo |
Percussion |
Argentina, Perú, Bolivia, Chile |
Indigenous, Mestizo, African |
Wood, llama skin |
Bongos |
Percussion |
Cuba, Venezuela, México |
Mestizo |
Wood, skin |
Caixa |
Percussion |
Brasil |
European |
Metal |
Cajón Peruano |
Percussion |
Perú |
Mestizo |
Wood |
Claves |
Percussion |
Cuba |
African, Indigenous |
Wood |
Conga |
Percussion |
Cuba, Venezuela, Perú, Colombia, Uruguay |
African |
Wood, cow skin |
Cow bell |
Percussion |
Cuba |
European |
Metal |
Cuica |
Percussion |
Brasil |
African, European |
Metal |
Quijada de burro |
Percussion |
Perú, México |
Mestizo |
Donkey jaw |
Ganzá |
Percussion |
Brasil |
Indigenous |
Metal |
Maracas |
Percussion |
All |
Indigenous, African |
Gourd, seeds |
Pandeiro |
Percussion |
Brasil |
European |
Wood |
Pandero |
Percussion |
México |
European |
Wood |
Repinique |
Percussion |
Brasil |
Mestizo |
Metal |
Surdo |
Percussion |
Brasil |
Mestizo |
Metal |
Triangle |
Percussion |
Brasil |
European |
Metal |
Zabumba |
Percussion |
Brasil |
European |
Metal |
Cavaquinho |
String |
Brasil |
Mestizo |
Wood |
Cuatro |
String |
Venezuela, Colombia |
Mestizo |
Wood |
Charango |
String |
Bolivia, Argentina, Perú, Ecuador, Chile |
Mestizo |
Wood, armadillo |
Guitar |
String |
All |
EuroPerúan |
Wood |
Jarana |
String |
México |
Mestizo |
Wood |
Mandolin |
String |
Venezuela, Perú |
European |
Wood |
Requinto Jarocho |
String |
México |
Mestizo |
Wood |
Violin |
String |
All |
European |
Wood |
Accordion |
Wind |
all |
European |
Wood, metal |
Flauta de millo |
Wind |
Colombia |
Indigenous |
Bamboo |
Flute |
Wind |
All |
European |
Metal |
Quena |
Wind |
Bolivia, Perú, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador |
Indigenous |
Cane, bone |
Rondador |
Wind |
Ecuador |
Indigenous |
Cane |
Sikus |
Wind |
Bolivia, Perú, Argentina |
Indigenous |
Cane |
Concepts |
Activities |
contrasts |
perform the music of different people |
culture |
describe the people who play the music |
environment |
explain how people use materials from their environment to make an instrument, or explain how the environment affects the theme |
geography |
point out on a map and describe the country where a style is performed |
history |
explain the origin of a song or instrument |
multiculturalism |
describe the ethnicity that uses an instrument |
multiculturalism (7-12) |
explain the differences between ethnic boundaries and political boundaries using the distribution of song styles |
language |
perform songs in different languages |
Spanish |
students sing a song in Spanish |
emotions |
perform happy and sad songs |
organology |
compare and contrast percussion, winds, strings |
timbre |
play the same note on various string instruments and ask students to describe the differences |
pitch |
demonstrate different sized string instruments and ask students about how they sound different; demonstrate how to tune instruments; students blow and listen through different sized tubes and notice differences |
volume |
perform loud and soft songs, have students shout and whisper |
rhythm, slow/fast |
students clap along with slow and then fast songs |
rhythm, syncopation |
different sections of the class clap along with a song using polyrhythms |
instrument making |
students make a simple shaker, drum, or flute, and then perform along with a song |
performance technique |
demonstrate how an instrument is played |
Main Idea: Music has variety but shares common elements.
Concepts |
Activities |
Minutes |
|
1. |
geography |
On a world map, ask students to point to the US, Mexico, and Latin America. |
2 |
2. |
volume |
Ask students to listen to the next two songs and shout the word "loud" for the loud song and whisper the word "soft". Perform "Pajarillo" (loud) then "Vaca Mariposa" (soft) |
6 |
3. |
pitch |
plays instruments separately, have students raise their hands during high pitches and touch the floor during low pitches, using voice, congas, strings, sikus. |
5 |
4. |
organology |
define the terms percussion, strings, explain how the sound is made in the previously demonstrated instruments. Define winds and explain how the sound is made then perform "Para conjurar la tristeza" |
5 |
5. |
multiculturalism |
Go back to the map and ask students to point to the origins of sikus, congas, and guitars. |
3 |
6. |
conclusion |
Perform "Moliendo café" using sikus, congas, guitar |
4 |
Main idea: Music reflects the everyday life of different people.
Concepts |
Activities |
Minutes |
|
1. |
introduction |
perform "Ojos azules" and introduce the following concepts |
3 |
2. |
geography |
show on a world map and/or map of Latin America the countries where the following music will be performed |
2 |
3. |
multiculturalism |
explain the differences between ethnic boundaries and political boundaries, using Colombia and Venezuela as an example. Introduce the historical context of Simón Bolivar and nation building, and the geographical context of the coast and llano, and the settlement patterns of Blacks and Mestizos. Ask students to compare and contrasts the following two songs. Perform "El Gavilán" and "Prende la vela." Elicit discussion from students, explain that in this case ethnicity and geography cross political boundaries. Ask students to categorize the following song. Perform "Seis Figureao." Explain the combination of musical styles and ethnicities. |
15 |
4. |
patterns of global change |
Elicit discussion about the factors which affect musical style and instruments. Describe the origin of Samba and how it combines the instruments and musical styles of different ethnic groups that were brought together through colonialism, slavery, industrialization, and urbanization. Perform "Canto das tres raças." |
6 |
5. |
language |
contrast the Portuguese of "Canto das tres raças" to the Spanish of previous songs and explain the different colonial histories that divided Latin America. |
3 |
6. |
Spanish |
Have students sing along with the chorus to "Coco" |
3 |
7. |
social function |
Explain the social function of "Coco" as a Mexican sea shanty |
2 |
8. |
timbre |
play the same note on various string instruments and ask students to describe the differences in sound |
2 |
9. |
rhythm, syncopation |
students on different sides of the room clap along with "Zamba malató" in two against three. |
4 |
10. |
conclusion |
summarize above concepts, perform "Candombe del mucho palo" |
5 |
Orientation: With a large map we will introduce several regions of South and Central America (including Mexico). We will invite the students to take a trip with us to these diverse areas and briefly describe the climate and culture of each region, which includes the Andes (mountains), the coast, and the city. We will then play a traditional song from the various regions. The instruments used will originate from the region, which will help to illustrate how the land and ethnic groups affect the culture. In addition, with each song we will introduce a musical concept, like melody, rhythm, and tempo.
Song #1: SAMBA
Country: Brazil
Geographic region: City
Instruments featured: Metal drums with plastic heads (which can be found in cities). surdo (translates to large bass drum), repinique (pronounced HEP-a-ni-ki, is the lead drum that originates the calls), a-go-go (two toned bell), ganza (shaker)
Musical Concept: Call and Response*
Activity: Dance (Several students who you select will be given a rudimentary dance lesson on stage while we play.)
Background: SAMBA is the carnival music of Brazil, namely the southern region which includes Rio de Janeiro. This music is played by large baterias comprised of several hundred drummers. Samba refers to the musical style, the characteristic Afro-Brazilian rhythm, and the dance form. Samba is linked to carnival, celebration and Rio de Janeiro is known for the colorful and large costumes. This will be the relatively loud and exuberant.
* call and Response is a large component of African music and rhythm and refers to communication between instruments. We will describe call and response as a language, where one person speaks and then another person replies. This dynamic can happen between drummers with a rhythmic idea and between melodic instruments (popular in jazz improvisation). One common form of call and response in African music is between the lead soloing drummer and dancer.
Song #2: PAJARILLO (Little Bird)
Country: Venezuela
Geographic region: Coast
Instruments featured: Congas (drums made of wood with dried skin heads from Africa)
Musical Concept: Polyrhythm, referring to two distinct rhythms interweaving to create one rhythm.
Activity: Clapping. (Half of the group will clap to one rhythm while the other half of the group will clap a complimenting rhythm.)
Background: This segment is upbeat yet calmer than samba. We will focus on getting the group to maintain their rhythm, which we will reinforce with the music. Several students with relatively stable rhythm can be selected to stand in front with a teacher and lead half of the larger group as the song is played.
Song #3: OJOS AZULES (BLUE EYES)
Country: Bolivia
Geographic region: Andes-mountains
Instruments featured: Charango (guitar like instrument made from armadillo), Bombo (large wooden drum with llama skin), sampoñas (pan pipes made from bamboo)
Musical concept: Tempo (this song starts very slowly and gradually speeds up)
Activity: Clapping to the downbeat, which will speed up.
Background: This song is a traditional ballad with the familiar Andean sound. The beginning is soothing and calm and although it accelerates, it retains a grounded feel.
NOTE: The following songs may be substituted for any of the songs listed above with 24hr. notice.
Song #4: COCO
Country: Mexico
Geographic region: Coast (Veracruz)
Instruments featured: Jaranas (guitar-like stringed instruments of various sizes)
Musical concept: Pitch. We will use the various instrument sizes to illustrate pitch.
Activity: Sing-a-long. Repeating a very simple chorus.
Background: This is a song from Veracruz and is a sea shanty.
Song #5: PARA CANTAR HE NACIDO (I was born to sing)
Country: Argentina
Geographic region: Plains
Instruments featured: Violin, flute, and guitar.
Musical concept: Melody. We will use the various instruments to illustrate the melody.
Activity: Listening to and identifying the melody.
Background: This musical style is called chacarerá typically played by the Gauchos, or Argentine cowboys.
Song #6: CANDOMBE DE MUCHO PALO
Country: Uruguay
Geographic region: Urban
Instruments featured: Voice
Musical concept: Harmony. We will illustrate vocal harmony.
Activity: Clapping. Students will clap to a clave a repeated rhythmic phrase.
Background: This rhythm from Uruguay is called candombe and is of African origin.
PRE PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES (Suggested) K-6
-Discuss the geography of Latin America
-What kind of materials are available in different areas (such as shells, animal skins, wood,etc)
and what you can use to make instruments.
-Realize that in Latin America there are different ethnicities living together.
-Spanish is the most spoken language in Latin America.
POST PREFORMANCE ACTIVITIES
-Discuss/write about the students reactions to the performance
-What instrument did they like best? What song? Why?