A Practical Introduction to African Music

Abstract

Only recently has the patronizing attitude of many Westerners toward the music of Africa given way to an awareness of its validity and technical sophistication. For too long, African music was looked on as primitive, a term that implies simplicity and a lack of development. As a high school music teacher, I have attempted to dispel this misconception in my classes in an active and experiential way.' A colleague and I have been trying to provide our students with an understanding of the musics of other cultures. Our aim is to help these students realize that there are many different musics in this wide world and that although they may not use our rhythmic, harmonic, or melodic techniques, they are nevertheless musically valid, and aesthetically rewarding. And they may be just as sophisticated rhythmically or melodically as our music is harmonically. We teach these concepts as part of our general music curriculum in a unit that includes from eight to ten lessons.