This course is designed to provide a practical and theoretical introduction to traditional West African music and culture. Students experience the rhythms, songs, movements, and languages of Ghana and its neighboring countries through oral transmission, assigned readings, film viewing, and guided listening to commercial and/or field recordings. This interdisciplinary approach to learning is in keeping with the integrated nature of drumming, dancing, singing, and hand clapping in West Africa. Students learn to play a range of instruments including drums, metal bells, and gourd rattles. |