Brazilian Music in the Elementary School Beatriz Ilari ([email protected]

Brazilian Music in the Elementary School
Beatriz Ilari ([email protected]) & Kamile Levek ([email protected])
University of Southern California & Federal University of Bahia
Welcome to Brazil! Seja bem vindo ao Brasil!
Brazil is the largest country in South America and the largest Portuguese speaking nation
in the world! There are many musical genres in Brazil. Today, we will learn 3 different
ones: (1) traditional children’s song, (2) ciranda, and (3) capoeira.
Genre #1 – Traditional Children’s Song: Escravos de Jó (Slaves of Joe)
Brazilian Music in the Elementary School – Ilari/Levek, CASMEC 2015 - 1
Words & Translation
Escravos de Jó
Jogavam caxangá
Tira, bota
Deixa ficar
Refrão
Guerreiros com guerreiros
Fazem zigue, zigue, zá!
Guerreiros com guerreiros
Fazem zigue, zigue, zá!
The slaves of Joe
They play the caxangá
Take out, pour out
Let, let it stay
Refrain
Warriors with warriors
They do the zigue, zá!
Warriors with warriors
They do the zigue, zá!
How to play
Children sit on the floor in a circle. Each child holds a small stone, a piece of wood or a
cup that will be passed around. As they sing, each child must pass the object to the friend
who is sitting on her right hand side, and hold the one passed by the child who is in the
left, in a continuous, collective movement. The children must follow the strong beats of
the melody. When they sing zigue, zigue the children must hold the object in the hand,
albeit continuing the the motions described above. When they sing the word zá! they
must pass the object to the child who is sitting next to her (at the right side). They must
repeat the last two verses of the refrain. Once the children know the game well, the
tempo should be accelerated. In each repetition of the melody, a certain difficulty may be
added, for example, the melody can sung with bocca chiusa or whistled, and children can
also make the gestures while singing in their heads (without any sounds coming out of
their mouths).
Genre #2: Capoeira
Capoeira is a Brazilian type of martial art that can be used as a starting point for music
educators who are interested in introducing their students to the music of Brazil. It works
wells as a complement to movement-based instruction. There are capoeira “rodas” (or
circles) throughout the world, including here in Fresno!
Some videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWgqB84-_o0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nFrwXjNCpE
Build your own berimbau and learn about this traditional dance-martial arts form.
Brazilian Music in the Elementary School – Ilari/Levek, CASMEC 2015 - 2
Genre #3 – ciranda: Casa de farinha (flour house)
This song is a traditional ciranda, a dance-form found especially in the state of
Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil. No one knows for sure what is the true origin of the
ciranda; while some scholars believe that it originated in Europe (Portugal), others
suggest that it may have been created by Fishermen who observed the movement of the
waves and tried to imitate it.
The ciranda is a circle-dance, with unlimited participants (see picture below). Usually,
there is a leader (the mestre), who leads the ciranda (or pulls it, as we say in Portuguese).
The mestre often stays in the middle of the circle and leads the group, singing, but this
varies. People who sing and dance cirandas are called cirandeiros. Dona Lia de
Itamaracá, one of the most well-known cirandeiras of Brazil, once said: “The ciranda
follows the waves in the sea, always with the left foot”.
What’s nice about the ciranda, is that anyone can join in and leave the circle as they
please. Ciranda circles often start small and enlarge, as people are captivated by the
music and join in.
Words & Translation
Ciranda - Casa de Farinha
Mandei fazer uma casa de farinha
Bem maneirinha que o vento possa levar
away
Oi passa sol, passa chuva, oi passa vento
through
Só não passa o movimento do cirandeiro a rodar
cirandeiro
Achei bom bonito
Meu amor brincar
Ciranda maneira
Vem cá cirandeira
Vem cá balançar
Ciranda ‘Flour House’
I requested a flour house
So light that the wind may carry
the sun, the rain, the wind may pass
but not the movement of the
I thought it was beautiful
To see my love play
Light ciranda
Come here, cirandeira
Come move (with us)
Performance
This ciranda talks about the flour house, or the place where flour is made. Here, men and
women practice their abilities, which were developed after years of interaction with
nature.
A typical ciranda normally includes voices, and percussion instruments like a zabumba
(a type of wooden drum), a tarol (snare drum: a small cylindrical drum with two heads
stretched over a shell of metal. The upper head, which is struck with two drumsticks, is
called the “batter head”) and small shakers. The zabumba gives the strong beat in a 4/4
meter. This is when the cirandeiros stomp their left foot in the center. The ciranda
always moves to the right, and the participants make arm movements to accompany,
imitating the waves.
Brazilian Music in the Elementary School – Ilari/Levek, CASMEC 2015 - 3
Teachers can teach this song in many ways. Advanced students may sing it in canon or in
two parts.
Mandei fazer… along with Achei bom bonito…
Where to find more information about Brazil and Brazilian music
Books
Appleby, D. (1983). The music of Brazil. Austin: University of Texas Press.
Murphy, J. (2005). The music of Brazil. Oxford: OUP.
Websites
http://www.brazilianmusic.com/
http://www.greatbrazilianmusic.com/greatalbums.html
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/2000/5/00.05.03.x.html
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