What do we teach when we teach world

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What do we teach when we teach world music? The University of Sheffield Music

What do we teach when we teach world music? The University of Sheffield Music Teacher Conference: Teaching World Music Monday 18 June 2018 Andrew Killick a. killick@sheffield. ac. uk

World/Traditional Music and Ethnomusicology at U. of Sheffield Undergraduate modules: MUS 125 Music of

World/Traditional Music and Ethnomusicology at U. of Sheffield Undergraduate modules: MUS 125 Music of the World MUS 140 Folk Music Participation MUS 354 Ethnomusicology MUS 383 Traditional Music in the Modern World Ensemble: TUOS Folk Taught postgraduate courses: MA in Ethnomusicology (full time or part time) MA in World Music Studies (part time, distance learning) MA in Traditional Music of the British Isles (part time, distance learning) Research students (individual supervision): Current Ph. D projects include: Taiko in the UK; Irish Traditional Music on Radio; Music of Chinese Indonesians; Archival Sources on British Ballads…

Who we are and what we’ll be doing today Fay Hield Working with resources

Who we are and what we’ll be doing today Fay Hield Working with resources in the world/traditional music classroom 1: 45 -2: 30 John Ball, with Andrew Davey The power of music to engage minority children 10: 45 -11: 30 Andrew Killick What do we teach when we teach world music? 10: 05 -10: 45 Simon Keegan. Phipps Teaching traditional music in an institutional setting 12: 00 -12: 45 YOU Discussion & evaluation 2: 30 -3: 00

Outline of this session 1. Why teach world music? 2. A global approach to

Outline of this session 1. Why teach world music? 2. A global approach to music history 3. A global approach to music theory & notation

1. What do we teach if we just teach classical music? Musical culture is

1. What do we teach if we just teach classical music? Musical culture is international – specifically, European; The best music was created by men who died before we were born; Music consists of “works”; Works are “composed” and set in a fixed form in notation; The performer’s job is to play what the composer wrote; Good musicians can read music; Classical music is intrinsically better than other kinds: If it doesn’t “speak” to you, it’s your fault.

What do we teach if we include (in principle) all forms of music? Music

What do we teach if we include (in principle) all forms of music? Music is a phenomenon common to all humanity; Music is a process or activity, not just a “product”; Reading music is not always necessary or helpful; Different people make and use different music to meet their different needs; No one kind of music is intrinsically better than another: it depends what the music is for; Your music is valid and valuable (whatever kind it is).

2. Reverse history: Starting with the familiar What does most popular music have in

2. Reverse history: Starting with the familiar What does most popular music have in common?

Two concepts of 4/4 time European classical concept (hierarchical): Rock ’n’ roll concept (with

Two concepts of 4/4 time European classical concept (hierarchical): Rock ’n’ roll concept (with backbeat): Standard rock ’n’ roll drumming pattern (backbeat on snare): Hi-hat cymbal: Snare drum: Bass drum: 1& 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 2& 3 & 4 & 2 3 1 & 4

Backbeat recognised as a “black beat” “Now it was the standard joke with blacks,

Backbeat recognised as a “black beat” “Now it was the standard joke with blacks, that whites could not, cannot clap on a backbeat. You know—ain’t got the rhythm? What Motown did was very smart. They beat the kids over the head with it. ” Isaac Hayes

How did the backbeat originate? Gunther Schuller’s theory (in Early Jazz, 1968): “In jazz

How did the backbeat originate? Gunther Schuller’s theory (in Early Jazz, 1968): “In jazz so-called weak beats… are not underplayed as in ‘classical’ music. Instead, they are brought up to the level of strong beats, and very often even emphasized beyond the strong beat. ” “These characteristics [in] jazz relate to its African heritage. ”

What did Schuller know about African music? He’d read A. M. Jones’ Studies in

What did Schuller know about African music? He’d read A. M. Jones’ Studies in African Music (1959). Jones had worked with a master drummer to produce transcriptions of African ensemble music. Jones’ examples came from the Ewe people of Ghana.

Slaves were taken primarily from West African areas like Ghana

Slaves were taken primarily from West African areas like Ghana

A sample genre from the Ewe people: Kpegisu Instrumentation: Three drums of different sizes;

A sample genre from the Ewe people: Kpegisu Instrumentation: Three drums of different sizes; Bell; Rattle; Plus handclaps, singing, dancing… Musical structure based on a repeating cycle of 12 fast beats:

Kpegisu basic patterns Bell : high low Rattle: (and dancers’ feet) Kagan: optional strokes

Kpegisu basic patterns Bell : high low Rattle: (and dancers’ feet) Kagan: optional strokes Kidi: strong hand weak hand press bounce handclaps (1) handclaps (2)

Back to Schuller: backbeat as an African American invention In traditional African ensemble music,

Back to Schuller: backbeat as an African American invention In traditional African ensemble music, “Many points of rhythmic emphasis coexist naturally and autonomously. ” Each “layer” in the texture “fills the gaps” in others. So overall, all the beats tend to sound equal in stress…

European and African metre combined European metre is hierarchical: some beats are stronger than

European and African metre combined European metre is hierarchical: some beats are stronger than others. African American musicians might have “evened this out” by accentuating the “weak” beats… …so that overall, all the beats “feel” equal. 1& 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 2& 3 & 4 & 2 3 1 & 4

What do we teach by teaching this? Purely rhythmic music is not necessarily “simple”!

What do we teach by teaching this? Purely rhythmic music is not necessarily “simple”! Music history is not just about individual musicians, traditions or “cultures”: “Fusion” has been the norm, not the exception; The music that is all around us has been shaped by ideas from diverse cultural sources (i. e. people); This is no less true of classical music.

3. What happens when we apply Western theory & notation to all music? e.

3. What happens when we apply Western theory & notation to all music? e. g. Tibetan Buddhist chant, similar to: As notated, it would sound like this: Western staff notation teaches that all music has… definite pitch steps based on 12 semitones to the octave; definite long and short notes in proportion to a pulse…

What’s the alternative? A notation system designed to represent any way of organising musical

What’s the alternative? A notation system designed to represent any way of organising musical sound… …and not to make one way look more “normal” than another: AK’s “Global Notation” website Temporary URL: www. globalnotation. group. shef. ac. uk Permanent URL coming soon: www. globalnotation. org. uk

Concluding thoughts We teachers always have to work within the constraints of our curricular

Concluding thoughts We teachers always have to work within the constraints of our curricular structure, student body and assessed outcomes; But where we have a choice, let’s bring in more “global” perspectives and examples!

You may also be interested in… Professional development through postgraduate study at U. of

You may also be interested in… Professional development through postgraduate study at U. of Sheffield MA in Ethnomusicology (full time or part time) www. sheffield. ac. uk/music/prospective-pg/taught/ma-ethnomusicology/overview MA in World Music Studies (part time, distance learning) www. sheffield. ac. uk/music/prospective-pg/taught/ma-world-music-studies/overview MA in Traditional Music of the British Isles (part time, distance learning) www. sheffield. ac. uk/music/prospective-pg/taught/ma-traditional-music-of-the-britishisles/overview