Overview

LADAMA: Movement, Music, and Community in South America introduces students to the music, dance, and culture of South America in an interactive way.

Through four lessons, students learn to sing, dance, and perform the traditional rhythms of selected musical styles in Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil. In addition, they play games and examine handouts that introduce them to South American history, culture, and ecology.

At the conclusion of the unit, students plan and perform their own South American Arts & Culture Showcase.

Lessons

lesson:
Colombian Cumbia: African, Indigenous, and Spanish Roots of Rhythm

Grades: Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects: General Music, Geography, Physical Education, Social Emotional Learning

What is Cumbia, and how do you play its traditional rhythms?

lesson:
Joropo: Music Inspired by Nature from the High Plains of Venezuela

Grades: Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects: General Music, Geography, Physical Education, Social Emotional Learning

What is Joropo, and how is it inspired by nature?

lesson:
Ciranda: The Brazilian Music and Dance that Creates Community

Grades: Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects: General Music, Geography, Physical Education, Social Emotional Learning

What is Ciranda, and how can group singing and dancing help us feel like a part of a community?

lesson:
Quitiplás: Deep Listening and Rhythm Building with Afro-Venezuelan Bamboo Drums From Barlovento

Grades: Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects: General Music, Geography, Physical Education, Social Emotional Learning

What is Quitiplás, how does it incorporate the natural world, and how is it an example of polyrhythm?

lesson:
ChocQuibTown: Embracing Cultural Identity through Colombian Rap

Grades: Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects: General Music, Geography, Physical Education, Social Emotional Learning

How can the music of ChocQuibTown, from the Pacific Coast of Colombia, help students express and celebrate their cultural identity through Rap?

Featured Artists

Trace It Back:
LADAMA

Grades: All Ages, Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects: General Music, Geography, Physical Education, Social Emotional Learning