Résumés
Abstract
Babatunde Ọlátúnjí’s Drums of Passion (1960) caught the attention of prominent American musicians from John Coltrane to the Grateful Dead and turned on subsequent generations to West African djembe drumming. The inclusion of djembe drum circles in education is alarming because they are “based on the partial appropriation and transformation” of African-based drumming. This article suggests how to get out of drum circles by recognizing and embracing African melody, especially pitched idiophones and ensemble singing. We describe a program at two Historically Black Colleges that combines more equitable and accurate representation of African cultures with technological literacy and a greater range of learning modalities.
Résumé
Drums of Passion (1960), l’album iconique du percussionniste nigérian Babatunde Ọlátúnjí, a attiré l’attention de musiciens américains éminents, de John Coltrane à Grateful Dead, et a incité les générations subséquentes à découvrir le djembé et les polyrythmies de l’Afrique de l’Ouest. Actuellement, la prolifération dans des contextes pédagogiques de cercles de tambours djembés est inquiétante, car ces cercles sont « basés sur l’appropriation et la transformation partielle » des traditions de la percussion africaine. Notre article propose des alternatives aux cercles de djembé en reconnaissant et embrassant la mélodie africaine, en particulier les idiophones à hauteur déterminée et le répertoire choral. Nous décrivons un programme, crée par deux « Historically Black Colleges » aux États-Unis, qui aborde une représentation plus équitable et plus précise des cultures africaines grâce à la littératie technologique et une grande variété de modalités d’apprentissage.
Parties annexes
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