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Global Rhythms Journey Worksheet

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Global Rhythms Journey Worksheet

Read the music snapshots below. Imagine each sound, then use musical clues—such as beat, tempo, instruments and texture—to compare the traditions. There is no single correct personal response; support your ideas with details from the snapshots.

Three musical snapshots

A. A West African djembe ensemble: hand drums play interlocking patterns. Some beats repeat while other players add contrasting rhythms; the energy builds as the group plays together. B. Hindustani classical music from India: a sitar plays an expressive melody over the steady drone of a tanpura. A tabla player adds rhythmic patterns. The performance can develop from spacious and unhurried to faster and more intricate. C. Salsa music from Cuba and across Latin America: percussion, bass, piano and brass create a lively dance groove. Repeated rhythmic patterns support a tune that may be played by instruments or sung. These short descriptions are listening prompts, not rules for every performance. Each tradition is diverse, and musicians make their own choices.

Notice the musical clues

Use the snapshots as evidence. When a question asks for your opinion, more than one answer may be reasonable if you explain it.

1.Which snapshot describes a steady drone beneath an expressive melody? Choose one and name the instruments that provide those parts.

2.In snapshot A, several drummers play interlocking patterns. What does interlocking suggest about how their rhythms fit together?

The players take turns making one long solo.
Different patterns fit together like pieces of a musical puzzle.
Every player must copy exactly the same rhythm.
The group stops whenever a new pattern begins.

3.Which snapshot describes music that may develop from spacious and unhurried to faster and more intricate?

A: West African djembe ensemble
B: Hindustani classical music
C: Salsa music

4.Match each musical clue to the snapshot it describes.

Interlocking hand-drum patterns
Sitar melody over a tanpura drone
Lively dance groove with percussion, bass, piano and brass

C: Salsa music
A: West African djembe ensemble
B: Hindustani classical music

5.A group keeps a repeating rhythmic pattern while other parts change around it. What musical effect can this create? Choose the best answer.

A sense of a musical foundation that helps hold the piece together
A guarantee that the music has no beat
A melody with no accompaniment
A sudden change in the instruments' names

6.Choose two snapshots. Describe one similarity and one difference in their musical textures (the way musical parts are layered). Use details from the descriptions.

7.A classmate says, “All music from one place sounds the same.” Use the snapshots to explain why this is an unreliable assumption.

8.An Australian community music group combines hand percussion with guitar and voices. Give one way it could connect to a feature in the snapshots, and one reason it would still be its own musical creation.

9.Plan a short “global rhythms” performance using two contrasting layers. Name an instrument or sound for each layer and explain how the layers will fit together. Do not claim your invented piece represents a whole culture.

Draw two horizontal sound layers for your invented performance. Use symbols, shapes or a simple pattern to show how they repeat or change. Label each layer.