Did you know?

Did you know that early African-Americans used music to help them work? They used calls, rhyme songs, and other types of singing to keep them going whilst doing their hard tasks. One of them was the 'call and respond' method, where one person would sing a line and all of the others would respond. This kind of music is called a cappella, which means music that uses only voices and has no instruments.

Early music used very basic instruments, like hitting two sticks together, singing, clapping and even slapping your thigh!

Some African cultures see music as something very human, some Native Americans see music as something that began as a way for spirits to communicate. For Native Americans, music is part of communication: they use it to try and make it rain, to cure someone who is ill, or to help win in a battle. In the Western World, we use music to celebrate, bring pleasure and simply to have a good time. But whatever the culture, all over the world music is something that is coupled with dancing, and it can bring people together.