Although it may look a bit like a sitar, the Indian veena (or vina) is a unique instrument that dates back at least to 1,500 BCE and has its own distinctive place in Hindustani as well as the Carnatic style South Indian music. A person who plays the veena is known as a vainika.
Mentioned throughout ancient texts such as Bhagavata, the veena is often seen being held by Saraswati, the Hindu patron Goddess of learning and the arts. The Goddess is usually depicted seated on a swan and playing the instrument. In addition to Saraswati, Lord Shiva is also depicted as playing or holding a veena in a form known as a Vinadhara,” meaning “bearer of the vina.”
The modern veena (seen above) has quite a few variations as it evolved throughout various regions and playing styles. Generally, a modern veena is a beautifully constructed plucked stringed instrument that is about four feet in length. It has 7 strings, can be fretted or fretless and has a gourd-like resonator, like the sitar. The vainika plays while seated cross-legged and the instrument is tilted slightly away from the player. The veena can be used to play both classical Indian music or contemporary musical songs or themes.
In addition to the modern veena, there is also an ancient veena which is related to the Burmese harp. Arched harps; like the ancient veena, appeared in the artwork of ancient Egypt and India and were also found widely throughout Southeastern Asia and East Africa.
Links and Resources
SRUTI India Music and Dance Society (Philadelphia, PA USA)
The internet has some really handy compilation sites. We’ve recently discovered a Wikipedia page that shares the national instruments from a variety of diverse countries of the world.
What’s a national instrument? It can be an instrument discovered or played in a country, like the South African vuvuzela horn. It can also be a musical instrument that holds cultural and symbolic importance for a state, a nation, culture or a particular race or ethnicity of people. Included in this list are distinctive drums, percussion instruments, stringed instruments and more, each one representing the unique character of the country and culture it’s identified with.
Think of the balalaika of Russia Or the ukulele of Hawaii. And if you take a moment to check out this list, you’ll notice that each instrument has a clickable link to a more detailed page with additional description, pictures and musical information. In short, this is an amazing place to begin any study or exploration of world music and world music instruments.
Can a country have more then one “national instrument”? Yes, you’ll notice that several countries have multiple instruments listed as their national instruments. For instance, Peru has both the Afro-Peruvian cajón (box drum) and the Andean charango, a stringed instrument made from the shell of an armadillo.
So what is the national instrument of Bhutan? It’s a long-necked, seven-stringed lute called the drayen. To find out more, you’ll just have to check out the link, here:
Although there’s no formal written history of early indigenous cultures in the region of Southern California, a variety of resources give us a glimpse into the music and ceremonial life of these various tribes. While visiting the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California, I was allowed to photograph and share a few of the beautiful music-related artifacts from their vast collection that reflect the early life of Native American tribes in this region.
Ringing Rocks or Bell Stones
Similar to Chumash culture, which originated north of the museum’s Santa Ana location, the pre-1600 AD tribes of this area also discovered, used and revered “ringing rocks” or bell stones. Pictured here (left) is a huge bell stone identified with Tongva/Agaemen(Gabrieliño/Juaneño) cultures with several man-made areas which were probably used for striking particular notes or for grinding medicinal plants. Most often, these large boulders were positioned on top of other rocks to give them more resonance and were “played” by tapping with smaller stones in different areas. Each area that is struck produces a slightly different tone.
Soapstone Instruments And A Fish “Pipe”
Also attributed to the early “Channel Island” peoples were an abundance of soapstone whistles and flutes of various shapes and sizes. Found throughout this area, soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a softer rock related to shist that has been used as a medium for carving in many cultures for thousands of years.
Displayed among the musical instruments is also this large and beautiful soapstone pipe (below) that was excavated from a location in Malibu. Shaped like a fish, it could have been used as a sacred pipe or as a musical instrument. It’s design and decoration share many similarities with the more northern Chumash people’s ceremonial items.
Gifted artisans and basket-weavers, it may be hard to know exactly what the music and dance from this time and place were. However, these important and beautiful items can help us piece together many valuable details of these meaningful and important cultures. To learn more about Chumash music or to see how stones and rocks are used as musical instruments, check out the related posts below.
Resources And Related Links
Bowers Museum, 2002 Main Street, Santa Ana, CA 92706 (714) 567-3600
Cocoon Rattles, Bear’s Claws and Bullroarers– Instruments From Chumash Culture
Popular music in the USA in the 1960’s spoke out on many topics.
Although this balled (written in 1968 by Dick Holler and first recorded by Dion) “spoke out quietly”, it tied together a string of assassinated leaders that were loved, admired and changed the course of American politics.
On MLK Day 2015, we thought we’d share the lyrics and video with you. Mentioned in the song by name are Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. The video below is a moving version of the song, remade by Marvin Gaye.
“Abraham, Martin and John”
Has anybody here seen my old friend Abraham? Can you tell me where he’s gone? He freed a lot of people, But it seems the good they die young. You know, I just looked around and he’s gone.
Anybody here seen my old friend John? Can you tell me where he’s gone? He freed a lot of people, But it seems the good they die young. I just looked around and he’s gone.
Anybody here seen my old friend Martin? Can you tell me where he’s gone? He freed a lot of people, But it seems the good they die young. I just looked ’round and he’s gone.
Didn’t you love the things that they stood for? Didn’t they try to find some good for you and me? And we’ll be free Some day soon, and it’s a-gonna be one day…
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby? Can you tell me where he’s gone? I thought I saw him walkin’ up over the hill, With Abraham, Martin and John.
Officially Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 – October 15th each year and if you’re wondering about the unusual dates, check out the post below from the official US government site. But any time of year is good for exploring the wide diversity of cultures that share a Hispanic heritage by starting with the instruments that create their signature sounds and popular music. From Afro-Cuban bongo drums to Andean panpipes, from guitars that trace their roots back to Spain to new world guiros, making musical crafts is a great, hands-on way of exploring these rich cultural heritages.
We’ve just released this new E-book what explores the background of 10 musical instruments, offers crafts projects and also 5 black and white coloring pages for kids. Check out the link below from TeachersPayTeachers or get a copy free – until October 31st on DARIA’s world music for kids website. Make sure you scroll down, as this E-book give-away is the last item on the page, here:
Although Earth Day began in the USA in 1970, the idea of loving and caring for our planet is a universal concept. When I was growing up, I remember hearing a Native American group sing the words: “The Earth Is Our Mother, We Must Take Care of Her”. All over the globe, people express their love for “Mother Earth” through music, songs, culture and in so many other meaningful ways.
In 2004, I adapted a new version of the beautiful African-American spiritual: “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands” and added lyrics based on a project done with elementary school students. Since that time, the song has been used in China, Singapore, South America, Scotland and in dozens of other venues across the world. This year, a wonderful bilingual blogger translated the lyrics into Spanish.
Spanish Translation
The Spanish version was written by Cecilia Fencer, head and heart of Spanglish.house.com . She loves diversity and equality. Translating this spiritual to an Earth Day captured her imagination because she believes God made us responsible to take care of his creation.
(Lyrics to the original “We’ve Got The Whole World In Our Hands” song can be seen below as well as a video of a project using the song in Malaysia.)
Tenemos Todo El Mundo En Nuestras Manos
New version of lyrics in English
c 1994 Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou
c 2104 Spanish translation Cecelia Fencer
Tenemos todo el mundo en nuestras manos. Tenemos todo el mundo en nuestras manos. Tenemos todo el mundo en nuestras manos. Tenemos todo el mundo en nuestras manos.
Debemos reciclar, ahora que podemos. Reducir, reusar y reciclar Reducir y reciclar ahora que podemos. Tenemos al mundo en nuestras manos.
Tenemos plantas y animales en nuestra tierra, plantas y animales en nuestra tierra. Tenemos plantas y animales en nuestra tierra. Tenemos al mundo en nuestras manos.
Tenemos todo el mundo en nuestras manos. Tenemos todo el mundo en nuestras manos. Tenemos todo el mundo en nuestras manos. Tenemos todo el mundo en nuestras manos.
Tomemonos de las manos, como hermanos. Tomemonos de las manos como hermanos. Tomemonos de las manos como hermanos, tenemos al mundo en nuestras manos
Encuentra tus sueños y haz lo que puedas, ten tus anhelos y lucha por ellos. Encuentra tus sueños y haz lo que puedas, tenemos al mundo en nuestras manos.
Tenemos todo el mundo en nuestras manos. Tenemos todo el mundo en nuestras manos. Tenemos todo el mundo en nuestras manos. Tenemos todo el mundo en nuestras manos.
We’ve Got The Whole World In Our Hands
(Sung To The Tune of: He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands)
We’ve got the whole world, in our hands We’ve got the whole world, in our hands We’ve got the whole world, in our hands We’ve got the whole world in our hands
We should recycle now – all that we can Recycle now – all that we can Recycle now – all that we can We’ve got the whole world in our hands
Be kind to the plants and animals – of our land Be kind to the plants and animals – of our land Be kind to the plants and animals – of our land We’ve got the whole world in our hands
Join hands with sisters and brothers – throughout the land Join hands with sisters and brothers – throughout the land Join hands with sisters and brothers – throughout the land We’ve got the whole world in our hands
Clean up pollution – everywhere we can Clean up pollution – everywhere we can Clean up pollution – everywhere we can We’ve got the whole world in our hands
Dream your bright dream – then do all that you can Dream your bright dream – then do all that you can Dream your dream – then do all that you can We’ve got the whole world in our hands
We’ve got the whole world, in our hands We’ve got the whole world, in our hands We’ve got the whole world, in our hands We’ve got the whole world in our hands
A shekere (or sekere) is a beautiful and unique instrument originating in West Africa that appears in various shapes, sizes and forms throughout the continent of Africa. Made from a simple dried gourd with a beaded “skirt”, shekeres are a great addition to any environment where children are learning about music or world cultures.
If you’re finding it hard to locate or purchase a shekere for your classroom, home or homeschool, you might consider making your own. Other then the dried gourd, the additional materials are easy to find and the beading process is “easy to moderate” for beginning crafters. In fact, since the stringing and beading is the part of the process that generates the most questions and confusion, we’ve partnered with Carrie P. from a wonderful blog called Crafty Moms Share to develop a step-by-step tutorial for making your own dried gourd shekere. (Complete gourd tutorial and other related shekere posts can be found at the links below).
Beads, Seeds, Nuts or Seashells
Along with beads, almost any small, roundish, rattling object can be used as the noise-makers on a shekere. If you take a close look at the shekeres pictured above, you’ll notice beads as well as seeds woven into the netting. In Africa, some shekeres also use seashells or hard seeds or nuts with holes drilled though them as part of their unique design.
Add Some String
The skirt of a shekere is created from a type of string or twine that is durable and will not break or stretch. Since cotton twine will stretch, nylon or hemp is a better choice for creating a working shekere. Because the top circle or collar of the netting holds all the other strings in place, some craftspeople pick a thicker string for this or braid the twine for a more durable start to the project.
And Some Knots!
With your collar in place around the gourds neck, you are ready to add the strings.
Cut a number of strings (enough to fit around the gourd) approximately 30 inches long. Fold each string in half and make a slip knot with it around the collar. To make a slip knot, put the folded string under the collar with the fold on top and then bring the ends through the loop of the fold and collar and tighten.
Once you have all the strings you desire in place you will tie a loop knot to secure each location. A loop knot is where you make a “6” with your strings and bring the end through the loop of it. This is the type of knot we will be using for the rest of the project.
Add The Beads
Here are Carrie’s great suggestions for getting the hang of adding beads to the skirt:
Adding the beads is where you creativity really comes into play.
You can do many different things with the beads. Some put a bead on each string, others put two strings through a bead. Some put a single bead between knots and others go up to three beads before knotting. The important thing is to work with a string from two different knots.
Once you have your bead(s) in place, tie a loose loop knot. I re-started many of mine because I did not like how the first round looked and found they lay better with looser knots. Do an entire round before starting the next.
Once you have one round complete, start the next. Stay consistent with however you’ve started with beads and knots, but again you want to use strings from different knots. This will bring the beads in the first round closer together. Continue doing a round at a time until you have the skirt you want.
Finish The Instrument!
Here are Carrie’s two descriptions for two methods of finishing the skirt and completing the shekere:
Method 1: The first is to have another loop similar to the collar (braided if you used braided) and the same size. Then you tie your ends to the loop so it hangs loosely below the gourd.
Method 2: If your gourd is small you can take an 8-inch string and tie the ends together. This is easier to do with another person holding your shekere for you to tie them together.
Making Music!
If you take a look at the resources below you’ll find many wonderful ways to check out the sound of traditional shekeres or explore music with the ones you’ve created.
National Hispanic Heritage Month was created in the USA under President Lyndon Johnson as a way to recognize contributions of Latin-American and Hispanic peoples to our country’s heritage. In Washington D.C., it is celebrated by a series of presentations, exhibits and activities but a variety of free resources are available at the government site that are used widely across the country and throughout the year.
The starting date for this month (September 15th) is a bit unusual and many people wonder why it begins in the middle of a month. The dates of September 15th to October 15th were chosen because they reflects a time period when eight Latin American countries declared their independence. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Niceragua declared their independence on September 15th. September 16th, 18th and the 21st mark the dates when Mexico, Chile, and Belize did so as well.
Participating in this month of education and celebration are the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
For a complete listing of resources, events and activities, including a section on teaching Hispanic heritage, visit the official website at the link below. For a series of musical crafts and activities that originate in Hispanic culture as well as two musical instrument give-aways, visit DARIA’s world music for children site below.
Not only did he do the right thing. But he did the right thing, under the toughest of circumstances and in the right way. He overcame hatred with the transforming power of love. He stared down ignorance with understanding. And he fought not only for a portion of the population, but for well-being of the entire world, demonstrating his concept of the beloved community. To me, that’s incredibly inspirational.
But how do you share these huge ideas and big concepts with little ears and young listeners? As a musician, I felt moved to write a song and try to put some of these concepts into the lyrics. I hoped the song would be a singable way to talk about MLK’s dream as well as a good place to start conversations about these big ideas and what they might mean to our classrooms, families and communities as we move into a new era.
In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the landmark “I Have A Dream Speech”, we’ve offered the song as a free download as well as coloring pages that share powerful quotes from many of MLK’s inspirational speeches.
We hope that people use and enjoy these resources as they not only look back at this historic event – but dare to look forward and continue to dream!
Most people associate the banjo with bluegrass music or with the culture of the rural South of the United States. But if you dig a bit deeper, it appears that the banjo has African roots. In fact, most scholars and music historians trace the banjo back to amazing, creative “banjo ancestors” found in various regions of Africa.
If you’d like to learn more about the cross-cultural travels of the banjo, check out the resources below.
NPR Reconsiders The Roots of The Banjo
In a short podcast, NPR’s Greg Allen tells to story of Gambian musician, Laemouahuma Daniel Jatta and his banjo-like akonting. The akonting has three strings, a long neck as a fretboard and a main sounding area made from a gourd stretched with goatskin. Jatta, who learned the instrument from his father, belong to the Jola people and the similarities of this instrument to modern American banjos are explored in this short audio podcast with great photos and a striking Youtube video.
Acclaimed US banjo player, Bela Fleck was so intrigued with the banjo’s roots that he took a trip to Africa to make his own comparisons. The result was a documentary called “Throw Down Your Heart” which follows Bela’s journey and offers interviews with African master musicians as well as plenty of jam sessions between instruments. The short excerpt below gives you a taste of this cross-cultural banjo experience.
African “Banjo” Music and Bluegrass
Want to compare African “banjo” music and bluegrass? Here’s Banjo Bloggers list of top 10 songs that can illustrate bluegrass banjo music. Checking out these tunes can show you some striking similarities and differences between the musical styles of both continents.
Although it may look a bit like a sitar, the Indian veena (or vina) is a unique instrument that dates back at least to 1,500 BCE and has its own distinctive place in Hindustani as well as the Carnatic style South Indian music. A person who plays the veena is known as a vainika.
Making Multicultural Music 