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Music of Africa

February 05, 2021

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This month 5th-grade students are beginning to learn about the music and instruments of Africa. We first learn about how diverse Africa is and that we can only really cover about 10% of the instruments and culture. According to our Missouri State Standards, 5th-grade students need to have an understanding of how music in other cultures influences the music in America. The first instrument that comes to mind is a cajon, because they originate in Africa but because we easily manipulate the sounds of a cajon it is widely used in music right here in the United States. The introductory video of our unit begins by telling us that in a lot of African countries, music is used for work, ceremonies, celebrations, and entertainment, this sounds identical to how we use music in our own homes. It is so important that students learn that in America we are heavily influenced by other people, places, and cultures. It is so exciting to see students learn that we have so much in common with the rest of the world but also celebrate the differences too.