Music of the Caribbean

Ideas and inspiration for exploring some popular musical traditions of the Caribbean islands with your class

TRINIDAD

Calypso music originated in Trinidad, born out of the Kaiso music of West African slaves - a form of music where a leader called a ‘griot’ or ‘chantwell’ told stories through song.

Calypso music originally used lyrics to discuss the most important issues of the day, such as politics and societal problems. Calypso singers (Calypsonians) saw themselves as representatives of the people, who challenged the status quo and tried to make a difference to ordinary people’s lives. This might be why they often gave themselves fanciful names like ‘Growling Tiger’ or ‘Mighty Sparrow.’ At one time calypso songs were the islanders’ primary and most trusted source of news.

Musically, Calypso is usually in 4/4 time, and uses syncopated rhythms alongside simple harmonies, within a verse and chorus structure. A great (and feminist!) example to share with your class would be Calypso Queen by Calpso Rose, the first woman to win Trinidad’s prestigious Calypso Monarch competition.

The golden age of Calypso was in the 1920s-30s when the first calypso recordings were produced, and then after the war this music spread across the world as Trinidadians migrated to other countries to fill the worker shortage.

With your KS2 children you could use calypso music to have an interesting discussion about race, by comparing two songs by Lord Kitchener who arrived in London in 1948. ‘London is the place for me’ was sung as he disembarked and is full of positivity, but ‘If you’re brown’ was written after he had encountered the racial prejudice there. It would also be interesting to compare the different instrumentation of each song, with the later one clearly influenced by the mainstream jazz and big band styles that Lord Kitchener would have heard while in the UK

CUBA

Salsa music was actually invented by Cuban immigrant communities in New York in the 1960s, but finds its roots in the son Cubano musical style from eastern Cuba.

Salsa music is most heavily influenced by son Cubano - an Afro-Cuban style. This style fuses European and African music with the melodic aspect coming from Spanish music, and the rhythmic aspect from the Bantu region of central Africa. Listen to Chan Chan by Buena Vista Social Club with your class for an example of this style.

Salsa is a form of dance music which has strong use of rhythm, including lots of syncopation. The music is usually made up of repeated one or two bar patterns each played on a different instrument, and utlises many Latin percussion instruments including bongos, congas, claves, cowbells and timbales. The piano is also often used and there is usually a horn section as well. Unusually for such happy, bouncy music, it is often in a minor key, which could prompt an interesting discussion about tonality with your pupils debugging the Major/Happy Minor/Sad myth!

With your class you could build up a salsa band using your classroom percussion instruments to play some of the traditional salsa rhythms (which can easily be found all over the internet!) You could also invent your own call and response vocals to go over the top, which is another common feature of salsa music.

For Salsa listening inspiration try Celia Cruz, Hector Lavoe or Ruben Blades and for a truly authentic experience you could even try learning some salsa dance moves. This tutorial from Strictly Come Dancing’s Janette Manrara can get you prepared to teach some salsa moves to your class!

JAMAICA

Jamaica is responsible for a plethora of musical styles which have become famous all across the world.

In the 1950s, a form of Jamaican folk music similar to calypso became extremely popular. Mento was a precurser to ska and reggae music which are still popular styles today.

Ska is a form of fast dance music which was first invented at the end of the 1950s from a fusion of rhythm & blues (R&B) with mento rhythms, usually using electric guitars and a horn section, and characterised by off beat rhythms. A classic example is A Message to you Rudy by The Specials.

Rocksteady emerged in the 1960s and was a form of dance music with more relaxed rhythms than ska, and emphasis on beats 2 and 4 of each bar, an example of which can be found in the song You can get it if you really want by Desmond Dekker.

Slower still than Rocksteady was Reggae which also became popular in the 1960s. This form of music is associated with Rastafarianism, and often has political themes in its lyrics. Musically, there are usually guitar riffs and use of dub remixing where effects are added, underpinned by a reggae rhythm which emphasises missing beats. One Love by Bob Marley is probably the most famous example of this style.

Discussing these different styles with your class can help them to understand how music evolves over time, and could make the basis of an interesting KS2 ‘history of music’ project.