Viz

MUSC 245: Music of Africa

Music
Instructor: Melinda Russell
Fall 2011
Course Description
An introduction to the music of sub-Saharan Africa, including music of the Manding, Yoruba, Ashanti, Mbuti, and Shona. Traditional and popular styles explored. Music is examined in its cultural context with particular attention to ethnic identity, political life, religion, and gender roles. Eight sessions are spent on applied group instruction in West African drumming and Shona karimba.

Introduction

This assignment is productive in many ways. Such work helps me show non-majors that they are capable of very fine-grained musical analysis; helps us discuss music in class while being sure everyone knows where we are in the piece; facilitates switching between large-scale formal structure and smaller-level detail in musical discussion; and shows me exactly what a student hears (or does not hear) in a piece, something surprisingly hard to grasp without illustration.

Assignments

Musical Map Assignment (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 103kB Dec13 11)

Sample Assignments 1 (Acrobat (PDF) 2.9MB Dec13 11)

Sample Assignments 2 (Acrobat (PDF) 128kB Dec13 11)

Sample Assignments 3 (Acrobat (PDF) 452kB Dec13 11)