Australian music: Extension-Performance

Aboriginal Music

Music and culture

Music is part of everyday life in Aboriginal culture. Traditional music is performed all over Australia. There are also many contemporary Aboriginal bands incorporating aspects of traditional music into pop and rock music.

Music is linked to many sacred ceremonies as well as a person’s ancestry. Their music often reflects Australia’s animals, plants and landscape. You may have heard this before. An example is the didgeridoo being used to imitate animals such as wombats, emus and snakes.

Some of the events linked with music making include healing, winning battles and the coming of rain. Much like dreamtime stories, Aboriginal music is taught to later generations by performing, rather than recording. The diversity of Aboriginal groups is reflected in their music.

Performance Task

In class, download and open this file. GarageBand will open, with the track ready to go. Your task is to come up with some lyrics about Australia. You must then record your lyrics over the backing track.
You may choose to perform the lyrics as rap, or as a melody.  Try singing/rapping your lyrics over the track a few times before you record. This will help you to figure out how you will perform your lyrics before you record your performance. Feel free to move loops around and change any aspect of the track! Can you hear any traditional instruments in the backing track? Below are some ideas as to what you might like to write about. Have fun!

• Australian wildlife
• Australian landscapes
• A current or historical issue such as climate change or the stolen generation
• What life is like in Australia
• Australian politics

Once you have completed this task, go to “save as” and save your song under a different name, so you have two versions. Now, take out all the loops so that you only have your performance of your lyrics left. Your task is to create a whole new version. Instead of performing words over music, you are now performing music to words. Instead of using loops, use the midi keyboard to play new music to the words. You can add as many layers as you like!
Have a go at playing your own beat on the keyboard. If you really want to challenge yourself, try adding some orchestral sounds, such as strings and brass instruments.

Once you have finished, you must upload both songs to your student blog. You are then required to write a reflection on each performance. Mention the differences you noticed between writing words for music as opposed to writing music for words. Give specific examples.

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