Music Around the World
Exploring Different
Cultures
and Their Musical
Experiences
In This Unit, We Will…
Explore music by REGION and CULTURE
Learn how cultures effect music and vice versa
Listen to examples of music
Sing music from different regions/cultures
Learn rhythmic patterns from different cultures
“What Will I Be Doing?”
You will be doing three different things…
#1: Creating connections between content areas – Geography,
History, Art, Technology, and Music
#2: Listening to new music that you may never have heard
before
#3: Learning melodies, harmonies, and rhythms from different
cultures
First Things First… What is Music?
You might think this is an easy question, but really, what makes
music…. music?
What are the elements of music?
What is the function of music?
“What are the Elements of Music?”
Melody
Notes/Rests
Harmony
Rhythm/Percussion
Tonality
Timbre
Instrumentation
“What Are the Elements of Music?”
MELODY: Variations in pitch along with rhythm
HARMONY: Different pitches played at the same time
RHYTHM: Patterns, pulses, and repetition in music; beat
NOTES/RESTS: Sound and silence in music; noise
INSTRUMENTATION: Instruments used in a composition
TIMBRE: The quality of an instrument’s sound
TONALITY: One note in a song that has significance –
the “gravitational center” that a melody always has
“What are the Functions of Music?”
Enjoyment
Movies
Ceremonial
Religious
“Mood Music”
Occupation
Celebration
And who KNOWS
what else!
“What are the Functions of Music?”
Other than to get “FUNK”-y… 
CEREMONIAL
“The Wedding March,”
“Pomp and Circumstance”
RELIGIOUS/SACRED
“Hallelujah Chorus,”
“Arise, Shine…”
ENJOYMENT/SECULAR
“Happy Birthday,”
“Hedwig’s Theme,”
“MOOD MUSIC”
“William Tell Overture”
“Carmen Overture”