Foundation Course in African Dance Drumming is part of a larger website called African Music and Dance. It is an online textbook primarily devoted to the history, culture and art of African drumming. The site is divided into five sections: Preface, Introduction to Anlo-Ewe Culture, Drums and Drumming, Rhythmic Principals and Sub-Saharan Dance Drum Culture. The site includes text, photos, maps and a video clip: Priestess of Yeve in Sacred Ritual Dance.
Type of Material:
Reference material and structured learning sequences (short courses).
Recommended Uses:
This site could be used to supplement a lesson or as an introductory text. There are exercises in the Rhythmic Principals section that novice students could undertake with or without supervision.
Technical Requirements:
The site requires a media player to run the video clip.
Identify Major Learning Goals:
The major learning goals of this site are to introduce students to the history, culture, art and music of the Anlo-Ewe people of Ghana.
Target Student Population:
Primarily high school and university level; some material appropriate for younger students. Undergraduate students intending to specialize in ethnomusicology as well as percussion students would find this site especially interesting. The site may be used for music appreciation students as well.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Some areas require the ability to read traditional rhythmic notation.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
The site explains in clear and non-technical language the fundamental ideas and philosophy behind the art of African drumming. The text is well written, organized and chunked so that other instructors may use part or all of the site as it fits into their lesson strategies. The site has many photos and maps as well as a video clip to illustrate the accompanying text. Additional video clips and photographs are found in the larger site African Music and Dance.
Concerns:
None.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
This site would be an excellent supplement to a lecture class on African music as well as a stand alone introductory text. This is a well-designed site. The modular organization of the text makes it easy for instructors to isolate individual topics for use in their course sequence. The text in combination with the photographs, maps and video maximize the effectiveness of this site as a teaching tool.
Concerns:
The site includes little interactivity.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
The site is easy to navigate and use. Areas and sub-areas are clearly labeled.
Concerns:
Interface varies somewhat from area to area; cross-indexing may be confusing because cross-indexing links appear in different locations within different areas of the site.
Other Issues and Comments:
None.
Creative Commons:
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