6.16.

2016

GRADE 4 EXPLORING AFRICAN MUSIC

Subject & Grade Level
Mus i c Gra de 4

Prepared By
Ms . Fi llman

Outcomes
Music GCO 4 Students will be expected to respect the contribution to the arts of
individuals and cultural groups in local and global contexts, and value the arts as a record of
human experience and expression.
Music GCO 5 Students will be expected to examine the relationship among the arts,
societies and environments.

Lesson 50 minutes
Intro (10 mins)
-

Students will come in and make a circle around the instruments on the floor (instruct them not to touch them
yet)

Have text to Fanga Alafia on the whiteboard with phonetics written in a different colour underneath. Explain
they will be singing this African welcome song (which was learned last day) and playing percussion instruments

Have students take a percussion instrument (about 4 kids at a time) and bring it to their spot
Play the track

Main Lesson (35 mins)

-

Students will return the instruments to the middle of the circle

Using the map (or a map projected on the whiteboard), have a discussion with the students about Africa

Does anyone know where Africa is? Do you know any countries in Africa? What else have you heard about it?
Have a quick discussion about how music is used in Africa We learned the Welcoming Song from Ghana, so, we
know that music is shared in Africa. However, music is also a very big part of their culture because they use it to
empower each other and themselves. African people often sing about spiritual things (things they believe in) and
about the good things they are grateful for.

Play youtube track of Siyahamba https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw5Cw_ZnOJw and tell them that it is a

spiritual song meaning we are marching in the light of God the South Africans believe in this

Teach melody with la la la

Have text to Siyahamba on the board with phonetics written in a different colour underneath

Teach the text as required by the level of students in the class (gauge how many syllables at a time)
Try to sing through it all together, slowl y (use the piano to guide notes if necessary)

Closure/Reflection (5 mins)
-

Show students a few instruments frequently used in Africa (Djembe, Kalimba, Shekere, photo of Marimba) and
allow them to be passed around

Materials Required
- Sma rtBoard
- La ptop
- Photo of world map (African countries
l a belled), photo of marimba, youtube
l i nks to Siyahamba and Fanga Alafia
- Text to Si ya hamba and Fanga Alafia
- Al l cl assroom percussion instruments
- Djembe, Shekere, Ka limba
Differentiation
- Us e prepared beat boxes to assist
s ome students in understanding the
rhythm of Si ya hamba
- Gui de students through words of both
s ongs with a pointer even when
s i nging
- Swi tch up kids instruments when
pl a ying
- Ha ve s ome individual l yric sheets for
s tudents who wish to follow wi th their
fi nger
Assessment
- Onl y observa tion this class on what
s tudents a re grasping about Afri can
cul ture and music

Notes
- Prepa re texts a head of class ti me

Lesson 50 minutes
Extension
-

Some students may pick up new songs easily, perhaps let them play percussion as well
Start to assign parts (maybe even a harmony line) to some students

Next Steps
-

Students will start to use some percussion instruments with Siyahamba and singing another line

Students will look at African instruments and listen to some pieces with those instruments in them (as well as any
other examples that can perform the sounds of the instruments)

Read aloud from The Village of Round and Square Houses by Ann Grifalconi to give students a little more insight
into some African culture

Cross-Curricular
-

The discussion about African life can be related to the You and Your World curriculum as we spend some time
talking about how we are very fortunate in Canada but some countries in Africa are very poor, etc.

This can also be related to literacy by use of the phonemes to pronounce the words in Zulu

Reflection
-

A review on the text will be needed

Students may not connect the music with the culture for some time, find an alternative song that is more about
empowerment than spirituality to play for them