"If a person can't read or write, you don't assume that this person is incapable of it, just that he or she hasn't learned how to do it. The same is true of creativity. When people say they're not creative, it's often because they don't know what's involved or how creativity works in practice." wrote Sir Ken Robinson in his book THE ELEMENT. Hopefully, this site can open a door for parents, teachers and our beloved children.
Showing posts with label World Lullabies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Lullabies. Show all posts
Turkey is a very special country with very rich culture. It is a Eurasian country located between Europe and Asia. Naturally, Turkish culture is a mixture of Eastern and Western culture. You may click and access to the Turkish Culture Foundation to discover more about this country. Now, let's listen to a Turkish lullaby.
The Jews have gone through a lot of tough times in history; it is not hard to find traces of bitterness in Jewish music. Listen to this lullaby and refer to the translation below, you would be able to empathize some of the deep emotions that mothers and children carry.
By the Wayside stands a tree
By the wayside stands a tree, bent against the storm.
All the birds have deserted it, leaving it alone and unprotected.
A child says to his mother:"I will become a bird
and sit in the tree to comfort it with my song during the winter."
"No, my child," his mother weeps,
"you will freeze to death, sitting in the tree.
But if you really must, be sure to put on your scarf and galoshes,
your fur hat and warm underwear."
The child sings:
"I lift up my wings but cannot fly. My clothes are too heavy. Sadly I gaze into my mother's eyes, knowing that it was her love for me that prevented me from soaring like a bird."
A very old Jewish instrument - Shofar
The Shofar is the horn of a ram. It is mentioned a lot in the old testament of the Holy Bible. In Jewish tradition, the shofar is played during religious ceremonies. In modern time, composers have incorporated the sound into their music. Let's listen to the shofar's sound.
In class, we have also discussed about the Wailing Wall at Jerusalem, you may click HERE to see the view the scene at the Wailing Wall.
Among the over 140,000,000 Russians, there lives many small ethnic groups. One of them is the CHUKCHI tribe. "Chukchi" means rich in reindeer - yes the Chukchi tribe leads a life which us, city dwellers, cannot imagine. Chukchi children learn to herd reindeers, build their homes which keep them warm and they learn to hunt whales - all the skills that is necessary for the tribe's survival in the cold weather. The following video tells you a bit about the Chukchi tribe.
Music exists in every culture, even at the end of the world! Chukchi people sing and dance and they have a unique music culture. Let's listen to a Chukchi song along with a video that shows you the life of this tribe.
Let's listen to a Chukchi lullaby and find out how Chukchi parents calm a baby!
Norah Jones is a famous singer in the USA. She also plays the piano, the guitar and makes occasional appearance in movies. She started her singing career in 2002; her songs are very popular and have brought her a few Grammy Awards. Miss Jone's full name is Geethali Norah Jones Shankar - her father, Ravi Shanker, is one of the best sitar player in the world. You may click HERE to see a performance of Ravi Shankar. Now, let's listen to Norah Jones' Rosie's Lullaby, a track from her 2007 album, Not too Late.
Hinduism is an important religion in India; it also plays a huge influence in arts. India has a rich music culture; its music system is totally different from the Western music's system. (for example, they don't go by d-r-m-f-s-l-t-d') Therefore, you can expect that Indian music sounds very different from what our ears are used to. Let's start with a lullaby. The following lullaby, Krishna, an Indian god, and his mother.
The SITAR is a plucked stringed instrument commonly used in Indian music; it is like a guitar with 21, 22 or 23 strings. One of the most famous sitar player in history is Ravi Shankar (born 1920), who also brought sitar music to European countries. Let's lisetn to his performance.
The Tabla drum is also very important to Indian music. Let's hear a demonstration introduced by Ravi Shankar. You will start to notice how differently the Indian musicians feel rhythms. Please click HERE to learn some of the most popular Indian tala. (For teachers, click to view an Indian Music Worksheet)
The Western world is inspired by Ravi Shankar's virtuostic playing. Perhaps his musical gene is in his blood; he has definitely passed his musicality onto his daughter. Miss Shankar has established a very successful singing career in the USA; we know her as Norah Jones. You may click HERE to hear a lullaby that's from her 2007 album "Note too late."
There was once a weaver princess called Orihime and a cow herder named Hikoboshi living beyong the Mily Way. The Princess' father and king decided that Hikoboshi was a good candidate as his daughter's husband. But after the two of them met each other, they fell so much in love that they forgot their jobs and played all the time. The king was angry with them and separated them on opposite sides of the river. But when the king saw how much grief his daughter felt, he made a deal with the couple. The king allowed them to meet only once a year on 7th July. This become the Star Festival (Tanabata) in Japan.
Not only is this a legendary folktale in Japan. The 7th July in also celebrated by the Chinese in the name of the two lovers. In fact, as we have discussed in class, Japanese culture and Chinese culture do have a lot in common
Let's now watch a performance of traditional Japanese music, which includes the Koto (琴 or 箏), the Shamisen (三味線) and the Shakuhachi (尺八). (You may click HERE if you would like to read more about Traditional Japanese music)
Traditional music has lost its popularity because of its slow speed and repetative sound. There are many ways to save these traditions. One of them is to play these instruments in a pop style, although the older generation may frown at this, the Shamisen version of Lady Gaga's Paparazzi can certainly draws more attention from the young generation!
If you'd like to learn more about Japanese culture, you may visit KIDS WEB JAPAN.
Azerbaijan is the largest country in the region of EURASIA - at the crossroad of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Azeri music has long tradition. Its style is a mix of Turkish and Iranian music. Let's start our unit by listetning to a lullaby from Azerbaijan which tells the story about an Azeri baby's dream.
English Translation
Sleep very very sweet my baby grow up,
Become big and clever my baby
One day you'll add your voice
To the voice of universe, my baby
Every passing bird, every river says lay-lay to you
My baby in our most joyful and beautiful motherland
You are my pride and joy
You are my soul that is within my own soul
Your breath is so clean and innocent
Like the light wind in the field
Let's watch another video which is a clip of Iranian cartoon. You can see some instruments that are common around the Eurasia area. You can also see and hear the two Azeri strings instruments which we have discovered in class, Tarand Kamancheh.
That's right! There is a pair of handy percussion instruments right in your house! Spoons play a role in many kinds of music from different cultures, including American Folk Song, Russian music and Turkish music. Let's look at a video below and find out different styles of spoon-playing!
You can work with wooden spoons or metal spoons; as long as you have a pair in your hands, you can start playing spoon music! The following video teaches us how to play this instrument from the kitchen!
Bregovic is a modern composer from Eastern Europe. His song, like this one, carries the musical heritage of Serbian and Romanian themes. Hopefully, this can serve as an alternative to Classical music listening.
