Africa and the Middle East Lesson

Music Around the

World

Africa and the Middle East

Africa

●The second largest continent, covering about one-fifth of the total land surface of Earth.

● Africa is the most centrally located continent in the world. Both the prime meridian (0 degrees
longitude), and the equator (0 degrees latitude) cut across it.

●Islam is the dominant religion in Africa. Christianity is the second. Arabic
is also the most widely-spoken language in Africa.

●Throughout Africa, the people speak a variety of languages including:
Xsoha, Swahili, Afrikaans, Zulu and many more languages that have
been developed due to how spread out villages are.

●Africa has the shortest coastline of any continent.

●They have fewer national disasters than expected for such a large
continent.

Facts about Africa.

Multiple Choice

Which continent is the most centrally located in the world?

• North America

• Asia

• Africa

• Europe

Multiple Choice

What is the dominant religion in Africa?

• Hinduism

• Christianity

• Buddhism

• Islam

South Africa

●There are 11 official languages of South Africa.

●South Africans share a community of values embodied by these words: freedom, fairness, opportunity and diversity.

●29 years ago, South Africa underwent an Apartied that cause a revolution and the election of the first Black President Nelson Mandela.

Multiple Choice

Which country in Africa has 11 official languages?

• Ghana

• South Africa

• Kenya

• Nigeria

African Music

●Uses lots of percussion instruments.

●Strong influences in Jazz with South African Jazz and Afrobeat.

●Is regularly used in ceremonial dance nd preparation for war

The Big 3 Instruments

Djembe

Talking drum

Dunun

Multiple Choice

What kind of music has strong influences from African music?

• Rock music

• Classical music

• Hip hop

• Jazz

Multiple Select

What are the 3 main types of drums used in African Music?​ ​ ​ ​

• Djembe
• Talking Drum
• Dunun
• Snare
• Bass Drum

African tribes use drums to communicate messages between villages and ebrate life events. In sacred ceremonies, drumming has always been a social and communal activity. Historically, these circles were not just about music; they were about storytelling, passing down traditions, and coming together as a community.

​

​African Drum Circles

Multiple Choice

What is used for ceremonies and war preparation?

• Drum Circles

• Parties

• Arabic

• Hula

Middle East

●Includes the lands around the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran and North Africa.

●18 separate countries make up this region: Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel,
Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Northern Cyprus, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria,
Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

●The largest ethnic group in the Middle East are Arabs.

●Many countries in the Middle East are wealthy because they have large quantities of crude
oil.

Multiple Choice

What is the largest ethnic group in the Middle East?

• Turks

• Kurds

• Persians

• Arabs

Middle Eastern Music

●Emphasis on only melody. Their is only one line of music happening.

●Complex rhythms.

●*Ornamentation* -things added to music to provide decoration.

●Quarter tone- a pitch halfway between the usual notes.

Instruments

Oud

Zither

Multiple Choice

What is the main emphasis in Middle Eastern music?

• Rhythm

• Melody

• Harmony

• Lyrics

Multiple Choice

What is added to Middle Eastern music to provide decoration?

• Ornamentation

• Silence

• Reverb

• Distortion