MAORI MUSIC

MAORI MUSIC

by Diana Baquerizo

​MAORI MUSIC

​In New Zealand, music is an important part of national culture. Wellington is the country’s capital, and it is home to the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, which sometimes tours overseas.

The New Zealand School of Music is also based in Wellington.

New Zealand’s most famous musical export is the opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa, who has appeared on stage around the world for five decades. She has performed with opera singer Jose Carreras and won many awards, including a Grammy in 1984. A soprano with a high singing voice, Kiri Te Kanawa is of Maori origin.

​The Maoris are the native people of New Zealand and their traditional music uses special instruments, such as flutes made of animal bones – like the nguru flute – trumpets made of sea shells and drums made with

wood and the skin of sharks. Some of New Zealand’s biggest rock, hip-hop and folk groups combine Maori music with European influences.

Open Ended

What are some

of the special instruments the Maori

people use to make music?

Multiple Choice

Where is the New Zealand School of

Music?

• Auckland

• Wellington

• Christchurch

Multiple Choice

What type of singer is Jose Carreras?

• JAZZ

• POP

• OPERA

Multiple Choice

When did Kiri Te Kanawa win a Grammy?

• 1994

• 1984

• 1986

Multiple Choice

What type of singer is Kiri Te Kanawa?

• contralto

• soprano

• mezzo-soprano

Multiple Choice

Traditional Maori drums are made using...?

• shark skin

• animal

• sea shells

Open Ended

What did we learn today?