Music: World Music Traditions and Instruments
Exploring instruments, rhythms, and cultural connections
Music: World Music Traditions and Instruments
Exploring instruments, rhythms, and cultural connections
Music - Grade 6-8
- 1
The sitar is a plucked string instrument often used in Hindustani classical music from North India. Name one way a sitar is different from a typical acoustic guitar.
Think about the number of strings and the sound they create.
A sitar is different from a typical acoustic guitar because it has a long neck, many strings, and sympathetic strings that vibrate along with the main melody strings to create a ringing sound. - 2
West African djembe drumming often uses call and response. Explain what call and response means in music.
Call and response means one musician or group plays or sings a musical idea, and another musician or group answers with a related musical idea. - 3
Match each instrument to its region or tradition: taiko, didgeridoo, mariachi trumpet, and steelpan. Use Japan, Australia, Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Think about where each instrument is most strongly associated culturally.
Taiko is connected with Japan. The didgeridoo is connected with Aboriginal traditions in Australia. The mariachi trumpet is connected with Mexico. The steelpan is connected with Trinidad and Tobago. - 4
A class listens to a song from a Brazilian samba tradition. They hear layered percussion, a steady groove, and syncopated rhythms. What does syncopation mean?
Syncopation means placing accents on unexpected beats or between the main beats, which can make the music feel energetic and rhythmically surprising. - 5
The kora is a West African instrument with strings stretched over a large resonating body. It is often played by griots. What role can a griot have in a community?
Think about how music can help people remember history.
A griot can be a musician, storyteller, historian, and keeper of family or community traditions. - 6
Listen to or imagine a song that uses a steady drone, such as some Indian classical music or bagpipe music. Describe what a drone is.
A drone is a continuous or repeated note that stays in the background while melodies are played or sung above it. - 7
The gamelan tradition from Indonesia often includes metallophones, gongs, and drums. Describe one feature that makes gamelan music recognizable.
Focus on texture, instruments, or repeated patterns.
One recognizable feature of gamelan music is the layered sound of many tuned percussion instruments playing interlocking patterns, often with gongs marking important points in the music. - 8
In many music traditions, instruments are grouped into families. Put these instruments into the correct family: djembe, erhu, pan flute, and oud.
The djembe is a percussion instrument. The erhu is a string instrument. The pan flute is a wind instrument. The oud is a string instrument. - 9
Mariachi music often includes violins, trumpets, guitars, vihuela, and guitarrón. How does the guitarrón support the ensemble?
Think about what bass instruments usually do in a group.
The guitarrón supports the mariachi ensemble by playing low bass notes that help create the rhythm and harmony of the music. - 10
Explain why it is important to learn about the cultural context of a musical tradition instead of only learning the names of instruments.
It is important to learn the cultural context because music is connected to history, language, ceremonies, dance, community identity, and the people who created and perform it. - 11
Some Middle Eastern music uses the oud, a fretless plucked string instrument. How can a fretless instrument affect the notes a musician can play?
Compare a fretless fingerboard with a guitar fingerboard that has metal frets.
A fretless instrument allows the musician to slide smoothly between notes and play pitches that may fall between the notes of a standard Western scale. - 12
The steelpan was developed in Trinidad and Tobago. It is made from a metal drum with tuned areas. How does the player make different pitches on a steelpan?
The player makes different pitches by striking different tuned areas on the surface of the steelpan with mallets. - 13
Compare a taiko drumming performance and a string quartet performance. Name one musical difference and one performance difference you might notice.
Think about sound, instruments, movement, and ensemble setup.
A musical difference is that taiko drumming often focuses strongly on powerful rhythms, while a string quartet often uses melody and harmony played by bowed strings. A performance difference is that taiko performers may use large body movements, while string quartet players usually sit or stand with smaller movements. - 14
Many Andean music traditions use panpipes or pan flutes. Describe how a pan flute produces different pitches.
A pan flute produces different pitches because each pipe has a different length. Shorter pipes usually make higher sounds, and longer pipes usually make lower sounds. - 15
Choose one world music instrument from this worksheet and write two respectful questions you could ask a musician who plays it.
Ask questions that show curiosity about learning, culture, and musical meaning.
A strong answer includes two respectful questions, such as: How did you learn to play the instrument? What traditions or events is this instrument connected to in your community?