Teacher’s Guide to
“I Just Gotta Sing” by Tom Width Terms: Djembe – drum carved from a single piece of wood with goat or antelope skin across its mouth Sangban – the middle-sized drum of the dundun family: dundunba, sangban, and kenkenyi Krinyi – a hollowed-log drum with slits carved along its sides – its voice changing as it is struck in different places Balafone – ancestor of the modern xylophone, its bars of wood tuned by their length and thickness, with hollow gourds hanging beneath to help the sound resonate Kenken – a dundun bell forged of metal and struck with a metal rod or bolt Caxixi– a leather and fiber sack filled with seeds for rhythmic accents Call and response – songs in which the leader sings a musical phrase, and the group sings that line – or sometimes a different line – back to the leader Slave trade – practice of selling people to be used as laborers (workers) Spiritual – religious songs composed by African-American slaves and often passed on by oral tradition (also known as “sorrow songs”)
Underground Railroad – group of people from all walks of life who created a network of secret routes and safe houses to help slaves escape to freedom Blues – “… songs whose verses lament injustice or express longing for a better life and lost loves, jobs, and money. But blues is also a raucous dance music that celebrates pleasure and success. Central to the idea of blues performance is the concept that, by performing or listening to the blues, one is able to overcome sadness and lose the blues.” (excerpted from mojohand.com) Jazz – music that evolved from ragtime and blues which often includes the key element of improvisation and strong rhythms that can be intimate, lively or both
Is it theater or theatre
?
Either! ‘Theatre’ was the universal spelling for the art form until the late 1900’s, when ‘theater’ became more common in America. In other English-speaking countries, ‘theatre’ is used. Swift Creek Mill Theatre uses ‘theatre’ in our writing, because it’s in our name, of course!
What we learn in this play: African-American music has evolved over hundreds of years from dramatic human events that tell the story of a proud people’s history and culture. Beginning with African music rich with drums and complex rhythms, the call-and-response form still exists today in blues and jazz. spirituals were a way for slaves to express their deep emotions and faith, even when the circumstances in their lives were unspeakable. Spirituals continued to act as a