Benchmark+Activity+6+-+Influence+of+West+African+Music



**Objective:** Demonstrate the influence of West African music upon your society by creating a song that communicates your civilization’s Five Pillars of Practice.

**Step 1** - Read pages 168 - 169 in your History Alive textbook to learn more about West African music.

**Step 2:** Write a set of lyrics that use the “__**call and response**__” method that could be used by the members of your civilization to communicate or teach the Five Pillars of Practice.

**Step 3:** Using GarageBand, compose a **FIVE** layered soundtrack for your call and response song that uses instruments and sounds similar to those found in West Africa.

Use the model below to guide you.
 * Track 1 - Your call and response audio
 * Track 2 - **Balafon:** a xylophone like sound.
 * Track 3 - **Ngoni:** a small stringed instrument made out of a hollowed-out piece of wood.
 * Track 4 - **Kora:** harplike sound
 * Track 5 - Strong drum sounds

**Step 4**: Record your West African influenced song. When completed, export the finished product to iTunes.

**Step 5:** Upload your finished song to your [|blog post]. Copy and paste the text of your song underneath your audio recording. Write a single paragraph that explains the elements of your song and how those elements were influenced by the West African culture or created by the resources available to you in your geography.
 * **Title:** Civilization Benchmark #6 - Influence of West African Music
 * **Tags**: armstronghistory7, civilization

**Resources**

**West African Call & Response Song Samples**
 * [|Ella Jenkins - The Hi-de-ho Man] (#112 at the bottom of the page)
 * [|Key Key Kule] - Click the purple "Listen to this Song" button
 * [|Call & Response by Ella Jenkins] (iTunes - Click the song number to preview the song)


 * Call & Response**
 * [|U.S. Army Airborne Run Cadence] **-** Click on the play buttons to listen to a sample
 * [|U.S. Army Rangers Run Cadence] **-** Click on #15 Rolling, Rolling, Rolling