The black musician in America has created a unique musical experience in a style peculiarly Afro-American, that is often identified as America's distinct contribution to world culture. Yet it has had little impact on the music curriculum of the American educational system. A major challenge for the music education profession has been in the area of curriculum development to meet the needs of urban schools. For the minority students, music education must include the musical activities and contributions of black Americans. In order to meet this challenge, music educators require access to special resources and teaching strategies for the urban classroom. The purpose of this study is twofold: (1)to establish a reference/resource guide in Afro-American music for classroom and individual study; (2)to introduce three instructional modules based on rhythm, melody and harmony in black music. The rationale for this study is based on the underlying assumptions that: (1)the need exists for up-to-date resource materials on Afro-American music; (2)self motivation toward the study of black music will be reinforced through a comprehensive listing of available aural and written resources; (3)a knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of black music will motivate the student toward an appreciation and study of all music; (4)the keys to success in music education are innovative approaches to music instruction and sensitivity to student needs. Based on a review of the literature and currently available record albums, a discography of Afro-American music was compiled including over one thousand long playing records. Brief historical sketches and descriptions introduce each style listed in the discography. Among the many musical styles documented on recordings in this discography are jazz music from ragtime to jazz-fusion, blues forms from the country blues to rhythm and blues, gospel music, reggae, new wave rock and black concert music. Utilizing the information compiled in the discography and accompanying historical sketches, three instructional modules were created to explore the fundamental elements of rhythm, melody and harmony in Afro-American music. Each module was intended as an audio cassette tape presentation including brief histories and selected concepts of rhythm, melody and harmony with illustrative musical excerpts drawn from the discography. The module on rhythm in black American music introduces the rhythmic concepts of swing, snycopation, the "juba," "after-beat," "two and four," and "four on the floor." The module on melodic materials in Afro-American music examines the development and application of the scale constructions of the blues scale, the modes, pentatonic, hexatonic, and "gypsy" scales. The module on harmonic concepts in Afro-American music introduces the distinct "blue harmony," substitute harmony and "outside" harmonic and melodic practices. The instructional modules and listing of resouce materials are intended to increase recognition of Afro-American music as a major contribution to world culture. These material should help music educators overcome the biases of white racism in American schools and society.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UMASS/oai:scholarworks.umass.edu:dissertations-7496 |
| Date | 01 January 1981 |
| Creators | CRINER, CLYDE |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst |
| Source Sets | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest |
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