The grade 8 students have been wrapping up a long unit looking at the musical styles and genres of the Americans. Starting with understanding the historical impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade on the Northern and Southern American continents, the students looked at how the powerful African rhythms and structures mixed with the melodic traditions of Western Europe, and over centuries, developed into new musical formats. Starting with Blues and Jazz in North America, we traveled south through the Caribbean with Salsa, Rhumba, and Calypso, ending in South America with Brazilian Samba and Bossa Nova. For their summative project, the students were tasked with researching Samba drumming patterns and in small groups, composing and arranging their own compositions. They did a great job and presenting for their peers, and next week we will begin our new unit looking a the modern Music business.
