Australian music: Students-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

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