Resource 6

National Association of Music Educators
Community cohesion and the prevention of violent extremism
A resource for teachers to use in the classroom


Resource title
Global Music Lesson Plans
Source: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources - enter the website, select 'curriculum area' and select 'Music'.
Outline
There are many resources that explore music from different cultures, but most of them deal with individual cultural traditions, thereby tending to focus on the differences between them. These Oxfam plans focus more generally on musical features or conventions, which are recognisable to young people in this country, and explore them using examples from different traditions. This helps to emphasise the similarities and connections between different cultures.

There are 5 lesson plans each for KS 3 and KS 4. Each focuses on a distinct musical feature and explores it cross-culturally. Lessons are structured with starters, main activities and plenaries. Resources such as song words, texts and music notation are provided, and links are given to websites providing video examples and other material. The resource shows how the lessons contribute to the music curriculum as a whole. However, in the light of revisions to the KS 3 curriculum since the lessons were devised, you may need to redefine the learning objectives.

The lesson plans for KS 3 are:
  1. Free and metrically organised music - composition project using examples from UK, Balkans, Ireland and Germany
  2. Improvising Traditions - India, USA and Europe
  3. Polyrhythmic Drumming Styles - comparing Japanese Taiko drumming and Brazilian Samba Batucada
  4. Royal Court Music - looking at UK, Nigeria and Uganda
  5. Songs of Mass and Individual Protest - with examples from USA, Jamaica and S Africa
The lesson plans for KS 4 are:
  1. Britten and Japan - looking at how Japanese Noh music inspired Benjamin Britten
  2. Mnemonics - examples from Africa and India
  3. Songs of Fela Kuti (Nigeria)
  4. Songs of Slavery - linking Africa, America and Europe
  5. Steve Reich - showing influences from Ghana, Bali and Germany
Some of the plans can be extended to two lessons. You can also extend the activities by adding further musical examples that you are familiar with.
Links across other subjects within resource
All the units have clear links to Geography. In addition, there are links with History (KS 3, lessons 4 & 5; KS 4, lesson 4); Languages (KS 4, lesson 2); Dance (KS 3, lessons 1 & 3); PSHE education (KS 3, lesson 5, KS 4, lessons 3 & 4).
Additional support
Websites
  • NAME Hard 2 Teach resource: guidance on teaching about world music at KS 3 in a cross-cultural way. Go to http://www.name.org.uk click on "projects", then "becta" and "hard to teach" and scroll down to "world music"
Books Educational resources
Opus, published by Heinemann - KS 3 scheme of work containing units which explore musical conventions through different cultures. For instance, Opus 2, Unit 2 (for Y8) looks at improvising within African, Chinese and Indian traditions. Further information at http://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk/Home.aspx

Recorded music
There are many themed collections available, which you can use either to supplement these units or develop new ones of your own. A short selection is given here:
  • Dreamland. Putumayo PUT-212 lullabies from around the world
  • Souffle (Breath). Musique du Monde 92704-2 compilation of music on wind instruments
  • Magical Lute. Auvidis A 6259 compilation of plucked stringed instruments
  • Choeurs des Cinq Continents. Wagram 3038562 double CD of vocal groups from around the world
  • Global Accordion Wergo SM 1623 2 early recordings of "the ultimate global instrument"
  • Global Celebration. Ellipsis CD 3231/2/3/4 4-CD collection of music from festivals and celebrations around the world
  • Global Voices. Music of the World MOW 149 3-CD set of vocal music organised under traditional, sacred, contemporary
You can visit the companies' websites for information on further themed resources. For example, on the Putumayo World Music site http://www.putumayo.com, go to 'shop catalogue' and look under 'global' and 'Putumayo kids'.