Two Cultures

SKU: GI.G-10365

ISBN 9781622775248.

This vibrant collection of folk songs and activities for elementary and middle school students explores the cultures and rich music traditions of four West African countries: Liberia, Senegal, Nigeria, and Ghana. Each song in this marvelous and practical collection includes a wide variety of pedagogical strategies, including: solfege and rhythm reading, call and response singing, listening and rote learning lessons, recorder and various percussion instrument activities, creative movement, harmony and part-singing, and more. Throughout the book, authors Kwasi Dunyo and Karen Howard treat cultural context—including details about each country’s history, people, languages, and traditions—with equal importance. They also provide translations, phonetic pronunciations, and background information for each song. Dance Like a Butterfly includes access to supplemental online resources, including PowerPoint slides, recordings of the songs with pronunciation guides, videos of movement activities, and dozens of links to more resources about West Africa and its music. As part of the World Music Initiative series, this book thoughtfully guides teachers in using West African songs in the music classroom while respecting the authenticity and stories of the people behind the music. These captivating songs are certain to expand the minds and spark the creativity of students and teachers in fresh and exciting ways! Kwasi Dunyo, born in Ghana, is a master drummer and expert on Ghanaian music. He has performed and taught extensively throughout Canada and the United States and is on the faculties of York University, University of Toronto, and the Royal Conservatory of Music. He is founder and artistic director of Kekeli Drum and Dance Ensemble (Toronto) and the West African Cultural Exchange Centre in Ghana. Karen Howard is Associate Professor of Music at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she teaches courses in music education, vocal pedagogy, research, and global music traditions. She has extensive training in global vocal, instrumental, and dance traditions from many music cultures, including Ghana, and her research interests and publications include works on world music cultures, music activism, and global singing traditions. Visit www.giamusic.com/dancelikeabutterfly to access digital downloads and online resources.

SKU: PR.114419970

UPC: 680160684670. 9 x 12 inches.

Flamenco is an art form involving highly dramatic music and dance. The form is strongly associated with the Andalusia region of southern Spain. Its actual origins are less clear, though historians theorize that gypsies brought the predecessors of flamenco to the region as they migrated from India prior to the 15th century. The form took on traits from cultures that the gypsies encountered in Andalusia, including Spanish, Sephardic, Islamic, and Moorish musical traditions. Over the centuries, Spain's ruling classes undertook systematic persecutions of populations who did not agree with their religious ideals, forcing gypsies to take refuge in Andalusia's isolated mountain regions to survive. Not surprisingly, the topics of the gypsies' songs frequently touch on longing, despair, rage, anguish, and hope.
Suenos de Flamenco (Flamenco Dreams) portrays a young gypsy couple who dance the flamenco with great longing, passion, and vigor. The piece was commissioned by Duo Montagnard (Joseph Murphy, saxophone, and Matthew Slotkin, guitar). In 2020, I made new editions of the piece for clarinet and guitar, and flute and guitar.
Flamenco is an art form involving highly dramatic music and dance. The form is strongly associated with the Andalusia region of southern Spain. Its actual origins are less clear, though historians theorize that gypsies brought the predecessors of flamenco to the region as they migrated from India prior to the 15th century. The form took on traits from cultures that the gypsies encountered in Andalusia, including Spanish, Sephardic, Islamic, and Moorish musical traditions. Over the centuries, Spain's ruling classes undertook systematic persecutions of populations who did not agree with their religious ideals, forcing gypsies to take refuge in Andalusia's isolated mountain regions to survive. Not surprisingly, the topics of the gypsies' songs frequently touch on longing, despair, rage, anguish, and hope. Suenos de Flamenco (Flamenco Dreams) portrays a young gypsy couple who dance the flamenco with great longing, passion, and vigor. The piece was commissioned by Duo Montagnard (Joseph Murphy, saxophone, and Matthew Slotkin, guitar). In 2020, I made new editions of the piece for clarinet and guitar, and flute and guitar.
Flamenco is an art form involving highly dramatic music and dance. The form is strongly associated with the Andalusia region of southern Spain. Its actual origins are less clear, though historians theorize that gypsies brought the predecessors of flamenco to the region as they migrated from India prior to the 15th century. The form took on traits from cultures that the gypsies encountered in Andalusia, including Spanish, Sephardic, Islamic, and Moorish musical traditions. Over the centuries, Spain’s ruling classes undertook systematic persecutions of populations who did not agree with their religious ideals, forcing gypsies to take refuge in Andalusia’s isolated mountain regions to survive. Not surprisingly, the topics of the gypsies’ songs frequently touch on longing, despair, rage, anguish, and hope.Sueños de Flamenco (Flamenco Dreams) portrays a young gypsy couple who dance the flamenco with great longing, passion, and vigor. The piece was commissioned by Duo Montagnard (Joseph Murphy, saxophone, and Matthew Slotkin, guitar). In 2020, I made new editions of the piece for clarinet and guitar, and flute and guitar.

SKU: HL.49018099

ISBN 9790001158428. UPC: 884088567347. 8.25x11.75x0.457 inches. Latin - German.

On letting go(Concerning the selection of the texts) In the selection of the texts, I have allowed myself to be motivated and inspired by the concept of 'letting go'. This appears to me to be one of the essential aspects of dying, but also of life itself. We humans cling far too strongly to successful achievements, whether they have to do with material or ideal values, or relationships of all kinds. We cannot and do not want to let go, almost as if our life depended on it. As we will have to practise the art of letting go at the latest during our hour of death, perhaps we could already make a start on this while we are still alive. Tagore describes this farewell with very simple but strikingly vivid imagery: 'I will return the key of my door'. I have set this text for tenor solo. Here I imagine, and have correspondingly noted in a certain passage of the score, that the protagonist finds himself as though 'in an ocean' of voices in which he is however not drowning, but immersing himself in complete relaxation. The phenomenon of letting go is described even more simply and tersely in Psalm 90, verse 12: 'So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom'. This cannot be expressed more plainly.I have begun the requiem with a solo boy's voice singing the beginning of this psalm on a single note, the note A. This in effect says it all. The work comes full circle at the culmination with a repeat of the psalm which subsequently leads into a resplendent 'lux aeterna'. The intermediate texts of the Requiem which highlight the phenomenon of letting go in the widest spectrum of colours originate on the one hand from the Latin liturgy of the Messa da Requiem (In Paradisum, Libera me, Requiem aeternam, Mors stupebit) and on the other hand from poems by Joseph von Eichendorff, Hermann Hesse, Rabindranath Tagore and Rainer Maria Rilke.All texts have a distinctive positive element in common and view death as being an organic process within the great system of the universe, for example when Hermann Hesse writes: 'Entreiss dich, Seele, nun der Zeit, entreiss dich deinen Sorgen und mache dich zum Flug bereit in den ersehnten Morgen' ['Tear yourself way , o soul, from time, tear yourself away from your sorrows and prepare yourself to fly away into the long-awaited morning'] and later: 'Und die Seele unbewacht will in freien Flugen schweben, um im Zauberkreis der Nacht tief und tausendfach zu leben' ['And the unfettered soul strives to soar in free flight to live in the magic sphere of the night, deep and thousandfold']. Or Joseph von Eichendorff whose text evokes a distant song in his lines: 'Und meine Seele spannte weit ihre Flugel aus. Flog durch die stillen Lande, als floge sie nach Haus' ['And my soul spread its wings wide. Flew through the still country as if homeward bound.']Here a strong romantically tinged occidental resonance can be detected which is however also accompanied by a universal spirit going far beyond all cultures and religions. In the beginning was the sound Long before any sort of word or meaningful phrase was uttered by vocal chords, sounds, vibrations and tones already existed. This brings us back to the music. Both during my years of study and at subsequent periods, I had been an active participant in the world of contemporary music, both as percussionist and also as conductor and composer. My early scores had a somewhat adventurous appearance, filled with an abundance of small black dots: no rhythm could be too complicated, no register too extreme and no harmony too dissonant. I devoted myself intensely to the handling of different parameters which in serial music coexist in total equality: I also studied aleatory principles and so-called minimal music.I subsequently emigrated and took up residence in Spain from where I embarked on numerous travels over the years to India, Africa and South America. I spent repeated periods during this time as a resident in non-European countries. This meant that the currents of contemporary music swept past me vaguely and at a great distance. What I instead absorbed during this period were other completely new cultures in which I attempted to immerse myself as intensively as possible.I learned foreign languages and came into contact with musicians of all classes and styles who had a different cultural heritage than my own: I was intoxicated with the diversity of artistic potential.Nevertheless, the further I distanced myself from my own Western musical heritage, the more this returned insistently in my consciousness.The scene can be imagined of sitting somewhere in the middle of the Brazilian jungle surrounded by the wailing of Indians and out of the blue being provided with the opportunity to hear Beethoven's late string quartets: this can be a heart-wrenching experience, akin to an identity crisis. This type of experience can also be described as cathartic. Whatever the circumstances, my 'renewed' occupation with the 'old' country would not permit me to return to the point at which I as an audacious young student had maltreated the musical parameters of so-called contemporary music. A completely different approach would be necessary: an extremely careful approach, inching my way gradually back into the Western world: an approach which would welcome tradition back into the fold, attempt to unfurl the petals and gently infuse this tradition with a breath of contemporary life.Although I am aware that I will not unleash a revolution or scandal with this approach, I am nevertheless confident as, with the musical vocabulary of this Requiem, I am travelling in an orbit in which no ballast or complex structures will be transported or intimated: on the contrary, I have attempted to form the message of the texts in music with the naivety of a 'homecomer'. Harald WeissColonia de San PedroMarch 2009.

SKU: GI.G-10661

ISBN 9781622776399.

Harambee (Swahili): a festive gathering for singing and dancing. This beautiful collection of songs and games for elementary and middle school students showcases the vibrant and varied musical traditions of Tanzania, and in particular those of the Wagogo people of central Tanzania. As with all books in the World Music Initiative series, this collection guides students and teachers to an understanding of world music traditions by providing cultural and historical context for each selection, including information on geography, ethnic groups, languages, music genres, and traditional instruments—complete with pictures and video links. Audio recordings—both a spoken pronunciation track and a singing track—are available online for all songs and chants, as well as PowerPoint slides for many of the materials. Each selection also includes notation, translations, phonetic pronunciations, and optional ideas for pedagogical extensions. Created with the generous support and input of many Tanzanian children, teachers, and friends, this collection presents the music of Tanzania in an accessible way that honors the music’s original context while adapting it for a new context and to teach new musical concepts. Kedmon Mapana is a senior lecturer of music in the Department of Creative Arts at the University of Dar es Salaam, founder of the Cigogo Music Festival, and is one of the directors of the Chamwino Arts Centre. As a member of the Wagogo ethnic group of Tanzania, his research and community interests include highlighting local communities throughout Tanzania and empowering young Tanzanians. Karen Howard (series editor) is Associate Professor of Music at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she teaches courses in music education, vocal pedagogy, research, and global music traditions. She has extensive training in global vocal, instrumental, and dance traditions from many music cultures, and her research interests and publications include works on world music cultures, music activism, and global singing traditions. CLICK HERE to download the Online Resources.

SKU: CF.BPS130F

ISBN 9781491156278. UPC: 680160914814. 9 x 12 inches.

The Kolomoki Mounds is one of the largest and earliest Woodland Period earthwork mound complexes in the Southeastern United States and the largest in Georgia. These mounds were constructed between 350-600 A.D. The eight mounds include a Great Temple Mound, a ceremonial mound, several burial mounds and a large plaza in the center where some 1,500 residents lived in a large village of thatched houses. Kolomoki celebrates the Swift Creek and Weeden Island Indian cultures. Using the first six notes for young band, the piece begins with a rhythmic statement from the brass and percussion. A simple melody is introduced by the woodwinds and later found in the trumpet part. The middle section features smaller sections. The piece ends with restatement of the main theme with a woodwind counter melody. This piece is designed to make your beginners sound great.
The “Kolomoki Mounds” is one of the largest and earliest Woodland Period earthwork mound complexes in the Southeastern United States and the largest in Georgia. These mounds were constructed between 350–600 A.D. The eight mounds include a Great Temple Mound, a ceremonial mound, several burial mounds and a large plaza in the center where some 1,500 residents lived in a large village of thatched houses.Kolomoki celebrates the Swift Creek and Weeden Island Indian cultures. Using the first six notes for young band, the piece begins with a rhythmic statement from the brass and percussion. A simple melody is introduced by the woodwinds and later found in the trumpet part. The middle section features smaller sections. The piece ends with restatement of the main theme with a woodwind counter melody. This piece is designed to make your beginners sound great.

SKU: CF.CM9703

ISBN 9781491160107. UPC: 680160918706. Key: D major. English. Traditional Scottish-Irish blessing.

Blessing of Light is an excerpt from a Scottish-Irish benediction of anonymous authorship, which may have originated from old Celtic traditions. The rich, poetic language encourages hospitality for both friends and strangers and a charge to cultivate the inner spirit as a beacon of light for others. This SAB-setting offers additional options for soprano or alto divisi and comfortable ranges for men. Drawing primarily from the soundscape of a gently sweeping Mixolydian mode, this piece is designed to remind the listener of the distant past and its connection to our present. Modes have been utilized in many cultures at least since the earliest days of recorded history. Ancient Greek musical modes were revived and explored during the Middle Ages, and are sometimes considered the fathers of the scales we use today in what is often labeled tonal music, or music rooted in Western European musical practices. Blessing of Light is an accessible introduction to modal harmony for mixed choirs. Modes are characterized by combinations of half or whole steps that form a unique scale. The Mixolydian scale in this piece, for example, is identical to the major scale with the exception of a lowered (or flatted) 7th scale degree. For ease of use in sight-reading, key signatures are indicated by the melodic tonal center with the chromatically altered lowered 7th. When introducing this piece, it may be beneficial for the conductor to begin with warm-ups or vocalizes utilizing the scales below.
Blessing of Light is an excerpt from a Scottish-Irish benediction of anonymous authorship, which may have originated from old Celtic traditions. The rich, poetic language encourages hospitality for both friends and strangers and a charge to cultivate the inner spirit as a beacon of light for others. This SAB-setting offers additional options for soprano or alto divisi and comfortable ranges for men.Drawing primarily from the soundscape of a gently sweeping Mixolydian mode, this piece is designed to remind the listener of the distant past and its connection to our present. Modes have been utilized in many cultures at least since the earliest days of recorded history. Ancient Greek musical modes were revived and explored during the Middle Ages, and are sometimes considered the fathers of the scales we use today in what is often labeled “tonal music,” or music rooted in Western European musical practices.Blessing of Light is an accessible introduction to modal harmony for mixed choirs. Modes are characterized by combinations of half or whole steps that form a unique scale. The Mixolydian scale in this piece, for example, is identical to the major scale with the exception of a lowered (or flatted) 7th scale degree. For ease of use in sight-reading, key signatures are indicated by the melodic tonal center with the chromatically altered lowered 7th. When introducing this piece, it may be beneficial for the conductor to begin with warm-ups or vocalizes utilizing the scales below.

SKU: GI.G-DVD-919

UPC: 785147839194.

With the ever-increasing Asian presence within American Christian communities, church musicians who serve these communities will do well to explore the musical roots of the diverse cultures represented therein. To date there has been no tool to assist in this musical study that approaches the accessibility, diversity, comprehensiveness and appeal of this DVD recording of the great teacher, I-to Loh, at work. Experience the beauty of indigenous hymnody from China, Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Philippines and other Asian cultures, each with their unique scales,  melodic structure, ornamentation and accompaniment styles. Though sung primarily in English, some pieces incorporate easily sung phrases in original languages, printed phonetically. The scores for all of the music taught and performed on this DVD are included in a set of downloadable PDF files. These may be reproduced without further permission for study purposes. To reproduce multiple copies for performance, go to OneLicense.net,  or contact the publisher.   “First came Sound the Bamboo—music on paper from the pioneering work of I-to Loh across Asia.  Then came its hymnal companion, giving us more of his thinking, with wisdom, stories, and passion.   And now, the next best step: a DVD with songs come to life in sight and sound with teaching by I-to Loh.  The testimonies also will inspire those who seek the unity of the church by honoring these treasures from the East that will bless churches everywhere.” Emily R. Brink Senior Research Fellow Calvin Institute of Christian Worship  .