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Shosholoza

12

Category

vocal

Age

10+

Number of participants

8-30

Duration

approx. 35 min.

Working method

group work

Musical abilities of the trainers

1  2  3  4  5  6

Equipment and instruments
  • music player / app to play the song
  • optional: percussion instruments
Competences
  • learning and memory skill
  • cultural / intercultural sensitivity
  • improvisation
  • perception
  • attention
  • concentration
  • rhythm recognition

Shosholoza

An easy-to-learn, often-repeated African melody that can be paired well with exercises such as the Storm game (13).

AIM

The melody is extremely simple and can be learned quickly based on the group leader or one of the videos. The melody can be accompanied by a wide variety of rhythms and movements, which encourage the participants to develop creative solutions.

Description

  1. Listening of the song performed by the facilitator or choose from the useful links below
  2. Explanation of the text
  3. Learning melody and lyrics with many repetitions
  4. Applause and drumming of different rhythms associated with the melody
  5. Add movement improvisation in smaller groups

Lyrics

Shosholoza
Kulezontaba
Stimela siphume South Africa.
Wen u ya baleka
Kulezontaba
Stimela siphume South Africa

Translation:

Work, work, working in the rain
Till there’s sun again
Shosholoza
Push, push pushing on and on
There’s much to be done
The steam train to South Africa.

This song meaning: “Shosholoza, this train is gaining speed and steaming for South Africa”.

Comments for facilitators

Shosholoza has become a national traditional song in South Africa for past decade.
“Shoshaloza” has no specific meaning & was derived from the onomatopoeic & repetitive sound of the train wheels transporting the migrant workers back to their families in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe).

Be Zulu

14

Category

vocal

Age

12+

Number of participants

6-40

Duration

approx. 20 min.

Working method

group work

Musical abilities of the trainers

12  3  4  5  6

Equipment and instruments
  • music player / app to play the song
Competences
  • cultural / intercultural sensitivity
  • empathy
  • attention
  • creativity
  • movement coordination
  • cooperation
  • concentration
  • sense of rhythm

Be Zulu

Getting to know the music and dances of a distant culture.

AIM

Initiate movement improvisation through an easy-to-learn Zulu folk song based on the movements of the singers in the video.

Description

With the help of the facilitator or the videos, the participants learn the Zulu tune „Siyahamba”. (With the help of the recordings and sheet music, it can be learned in several parts, but it is also absolutely perfect in unison.)

They watch the videos again and observe the movements the Africans make while singing the song.

They try them out together or in smaller groups.

The participants create their own choreography from the movement elements they like best, which they perform while singing the song or playing the recording.

LYRICS

Siyahamba, ekukanyen’ kwenkos’,
Siyahamba, ekukanyen’ kwenkos’,
Siyahamba, siyahamba, oh,
Siyahamba ekukanyen’ kwenkos’.

We are marching in the light of God.
We are marching in the light of God.
We are marching, we are marching, ooh,
We are marching in the light of God.

Dance with Us

15

Category

vocal
rhythm

Age

8+

Number of participants

6+

Duration

approx. 30 min.

Working method
  • playing in pairs
  • group work
Musical abilities of the trainers

1  2  3  4  5  6

Equipment and instruments
  • music player / app to play the videos
Competences
  • cultural / intercultural sensitivity
  • attention
  • movement coordination
  • cooperation
  • concentration
  • perception
  • expression
  • sense of rhythm

Dance with Us

Get to know the culture of other European countries
through music and dance.

AIM

The purpose of the game is to strengthen the unity between the group members and in a cultural sense with the other nations living in Europe.

Description

With the help of the videos below, get to know the specifics of the dances of different nations together with the group, and try to imitate the movements!

Cooperative Vers(us)e

17

Category

vocal

Age

8+

Number of participants

8-20

Duration

approx. 30 min.

Working method
  • group work
Musical abilities of the trainers

1  3 4 5 6


Competences
  • collaboration
  • creativity
  • attention
  • concentration
  • rhythm recognition
  • sense of rhythm

Cooperative Vers(us)e

Creating lyrics together as a team and singing in canon.

AIM

Helps group dynamics, improves creativity and vocality.

Description

Everybody stands in the circle. The facilitator explains the task.
The participants have to figure out short lyrics.
Possible variations depending on the abilities and motivation of the groups:
– use well known songs – change the lyrics
– use only the lyrics without music, only rhythm like rap
– create your own music as well along with the lyrics

The facilitator divides the group of ~4 small groups.
The lyrics they created has to be singed as follows:
First group starts singing the first verse.
When first group finishes the first line, the second group starts singing the song from the beginning.
When second group finishes the first line, the third group starts singing the song from the beginning.
And so on…

For example:

1st group – La La LA La La     – Le Le LE Le Le       – Lu Lu LU Lu Lu

2nd group                                – La La LA La La      – Le Le LE Le Le

3rd group                                                                  – La La LA La La

Composition Game

19

Category

vocal

Age

8+

Number of participants

8-25

Duration

approx. 15 min.

Working method

group work

Musical abilities of the trainers

1  2  3  4 5 6

Competences
  • creativity
  • collaboration
  • attention
  • concentration
  • musical hearing
  • rhythm recognition

Composition Game

In this game sheets with special characters – any character
that are not on a classic sheet – have to be created
and performed by the team.

AIM

This is a game for improving cooperation skills and developing focus in a creative way. Creating the sheet and coming up with a song with rhythms is a great team building exercise. By listening to the song to be performed, it adds to the fun atmosphere.

Description

The facilitator creates two groups and explains the task.

First group has to find a simple song that the other group needs to play on a music device or by heart. This part of the game is like a music sheet creation task: they have to capture the song, however they cannot use classic notes but symbols.

For example:
instead of „ ♪ ♫ ” they can use symbol “$” and they have to explain it means: sing „LA”
or with the symbol „❤” they want the other group to sing another note
etc

When the first group finishes, the second group performs it based on the instructions – as a music reading task.