Call and response has an important history in traditional West African music, especially in spiritual music and protest movements. Although the specific expression of this practice varies across the diaspora depending on the geographic location and musical lineage of practitioners, there are striking similarities in seemingly disparate locations, like the southern United States, Cuba, and northern Brazil. The preservation of call and response practices within these locations (and many others) suggests the importance of collectivity when healing from systemic oppression.
With this interest in mind, David Diaz invites students to join into this call and response by listening to and producing sounds and/or movements as they are comfortable. In joining a collective, there is also space for individuality, and even dissonance. In that interest, students can recognize the shared histories and practices that the music reveals, as well as the particularities of specific cultures and historical actors.
- Subject:
- Arts and Humanities
- Ethnic Studies
- History
- Performing Arts
- Religious Studies
- Social Science
- U.S. History
- World History
- Material Type:
- Lecture
- Reading
- Provider:
- The Pedagogy Lab
- Provider Set:
- 2021 Pedagogy Fellowship
- Author:
- David Diaz
- Date Added:
- 04/01/2021
