EMUS 4012: African Music
Kwasi Ampene, Ph.D.
Fall 2003      N 134 Music Building
Meeting Times: TR 9:30 am-10: 45 am  Office Hours: M 1-2:30; T 1-3
Room: C 199      or by appointment
Email: kwasi.ampene@colorado.edu    Phone: 303-492-6439

Course Description
There are four types of music in Africa today: the traditional, neo-traditional, popular (African-Pop), and written art music. Traditional music is based on ethnicity and predates contact with Arabic (Islamic) and European (Christian) cultures and it is tied to the political, social, and cultural institutions that celebrate life-cycle events and festivals.  In addition, traditional music is performed as part of religious rites, economic activities and other areas in community life. Neo-Traditional music is not connected to rituals and ceremonies in traditional Africa. It is performed by ìCultural Groupsî in the cities to entertain urbanized Africans and tourists. The development of Afro-Pop and written art music is the result of interactions with Arabic and European cultures and urbanization.  These three forms are pan-ethnic, a reflection of colonial legacy, and the formation of new social identities in urban centers. Afro-Pop is performed in the cafés, night clubs, ballrooms, and other places of entertainment while written art music is performed in the churches, educational institutions, the armed forces, and concert halls.

Objective
The objective of the course is to develop a deeper understanding of the diversity and the widely shared characteristics of African music. The course examines the characteristics of this music with particular reference to the social context of the music process, the range of instrumental and vocal resources, the structures and procedures that are prevalent in traditional and contemporary musical expressions, melodic structures and modal orientation, and various aspects of performance practices. Additionally, the course will examine contemporary musical types including Afro-Pop and written art music. The course will benefit from my field recordings (audio-visual) and research in traditional, choral, and popular music. Lectures will be supplemented with guest speakers/artists, demonstrations, and audio-visual recordings.

The course is divided into three major sections. The first section investigates traditional music. The second section examines the development of African popular music (Afro-Pop) and the third section is devoted to written art music and examines the development of choral music in Ghana. We shall discuss six African cultures namely the Akan, Ewe (Ghana), the Mande (Sene-Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali and the Ivory Coast), Buganda (Uganda), Shona (Zimbabwe, South Africa) and Yoruba (Nigeria). There will be a mid-term exam and a final exam.