MUS 101-18 - Ugandan Music and Dance Ensemble

1 credits (Fall and Spring)

In this ensemble, students explore the instrumental music, song traditions, and dances of Uganda. The East African nation is home to many instruments, including various strings, a lamellophone with metal keys struck with the thumbs, windblown flutes and horns, drums, and gourd rattles. Aural instruction will not rely on written music, but will instead emphasize listening, energetic response, and group interdependence. The ensemble will support solo opportunities for students who wish to pursue them. Repertories range from children’s songs to the court music of Buganda kingdom in southern-central Uganda to the devotional music of kubandwa/kusamira, a widespread genre of spiritual healing in the “Great Lakes” region of East Africa. Many of these repertories include colorful dances, so we welcome dancers to experience and shape this ensemble’s highly interactive dynamic. Learning Ugandan musical traditions enriches our understanding of this region’s internal diversity through direct experience with the beauty and power of African music.

S/D/F only.
Instructor: Hoesing