Title of the Piece: Baba Yetu
Performer: Iowa All State Music Festival Choir
Culture of Origin: Swahili
Instrumentation: Voice, (Body) Percussion, Piano
Baba Yetu, performed by the Iowa All State Music Festival Choir, is loosely translated to the Swahili version of the Lord's Prayer. While also written for the computer game, Civilization IV, this song captures many of the points from the Koops (2010) reading this week. Koops (2010) discusses the the models of authenticity, which include: authenticity as continuum; historical and personal authenticity; authenticity as reproduction, reality, and relevance; and beyond authenticity. Often times, teachers will modify or change an arrangement to make them fit into the context of the lesson/unit/performance. Doing this drastically alters the context of the piece and also takes away from the overall learning and experience of the piece for the students. Koops (2010) outlines four different models of authenticity, each having their own plusses and minuses when teaching students music from other areas of the world and striving to be as authentic as possible while doing so.
When teaching music from another culture, it is imperative to address the cultural and social contexts of the music. Teaching music without having any emphasis and attention placed on the cultural aspect can create many issues, including creating an unauthentic experience for our students. In order to create a fully authentic and culturally rich musical experience for our students, we need to ensure that as teachers we recognize the historical, cultural and social significance and importance of the music (Koops, 2010). Exposing students to different music is an important part of our job; it is also part of our job to provide them with a solid understanding and appreciation of the importance of culture through music. I believe that as music teachers, we play a vital role in our students' musical experiences and exposure. We help open their minds and provide new opportunities and knowledge for our students.
Koops, L. H. (2010). 'Can't we just change the words?': The role of authenticity in culturally informed music education. Music Educators Journal, 97(1), 23-28.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this piece. I have heard the version of "Baba Yetu" recorded by the BYU men's chorus and watched their music video that shows the choir interacting with the African culture while this song plays (complete with European instruments) over the footage. I think this song is an excellent example of what Koops was addressing in her article this week. Though the piece uses the Swahili language, I wonder how authentic the tune is (or if it is completely composed for this piece of music). I would be interested to hear a field recording of how people in that culture say/sing the Lord's Prayer, and if it sounds at all like this song. Because this is such an important prayer to the Christian religion, I wonder if an arrangement like this or these words set to a new tune would even be viewed as appropriate in that culture. Thanks for sharing!
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this video! I have heard many arrangements and performances of this piece- but this is the first time I have heard this arrangement. I know it is difficult to tell when we do not know the learning process that went behind this performance. But I am curious as to your thoughts on the authenticity of this performance? Katie, you bring up many great points about the authenticity as well and I think you ask a really important question of whether or not it is even appropriate?
In my opinion, I believe this performance probably falls in one of the last two categories of Koops authenticity (as reproduction, reality, and relevance and beyond authenticity). They are singing in Swahili and based on expression (and the simple fact that this is an All-State performance) I assume they know the translation. They also are using percussion instruments, which, while not the same native instruments they would have used help to approximate the sound.
Hi Sadie and Katie,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up some really great points with this. I think that this performance definitely falls in the one of the last two categories from the Koops reading. However, I can't full decide which one, so I am certainly open to more ideas!
Based on the video clip and what I know about All State performances, I am certain that they know the translation for the Swahili and what they are singing. The instruments, while not exactly what you would find in the Swahili culture, helps to reinforce the authentic sound. This recording does depict what Koops was addressing this week, and while there may still be some unanswered questions, it does help spark a good discussion!