I listened to two renditions of the song/game Sorida, which is a South African Greeting song. The song, in its original version, features male and female voices with a beat played by a drum. In the original version, there are hand movements that accompany the song. The rendition by Rosephayne Powell is arranged for SATB, acappella, with percussion. Her rendition features layered vocal patterns (ri da ri da, da da da) and a solo.
I feel that both of the renditions of the song can be taught to various age groups. The original song/game can be used to teach awareness of beats, cadence points, and eye/hand coordination. The combination of aural, visual, and movement is a powerful way to help students internalize rhythm, become aware of the body, and realize extramusical goals, such as following directions. This would be a good song to teach to children who in the second to fourth grade.
The other rendition of the song is an original work that is loosely based on the song/game. The song was written by an American, who studied the African folk song. She added her own lyrics, melody, and harmonies, but they are based on another African folk song that plays on the syllables of the word "sorida." This song could be used to teach more advanced musical techniques to high schoolers. I think that, if using this piece in a high school, the teacher should teach and expose the authentic song and its hand movements to the students before beginning to teach the modified song, so that some authenticity can be preserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment