A Selection from Ghana. Orff-Schulwerk has been translated and adapted for use in many countries and there are editions in numerous languages, with a comprehensive range of supplementary material. Those teachers using the various English editions will find here a rich and exciting source of traditional folk songs, dance melodies and original material from other countries, which will enlarge and enrich the activites and experiences of their pupils. Discover the Orff-Schulwerk in the African tradition, a selection from Ghana by W. K. Amoaku. Based entirely on African material./ Recueil / Voix et Orff-Instruments

A Musical Journey Through the African Savannah-Let's go on a safari with Ward and Lilly Didi Daniel Melissa Wally and a host of safari guides! Through song and dialogue we'll learn about the exciting African Savannah wildlife of lions giraffes geckos bushbabies servals weaverbirds crocodiles and elephants! Either as a staged performance with characters or simplified speaker parts for a revue-style presentation this well crafted mini-musical will create a smart and fun-filled learning experience for students and audiences. The Teacher Edition is filled with quality performance material including piano/vocal arrangements a helpful production guide and 2 script options: an engaging and fact-filled drama scriptwith a lively collection of 9 characters that will entertain your audience and a narration script which can be read by 2-25 (or more!) characters. Split or combine some of the lines to meet your specific needs. Singer PDFs are included via digital download. To perform with recordings there are 2 options. A Performance/Accompaniment CD is available separately. For cost-saving value the Performance Kit/Audio includes the Teacher Edition (with downloadable Singer PDFs) and perf/accomp audio recordings via digital download. About 35 minutes in length. Suggested for grades 2-5.

The Frog (Frøen) for Narrator and Orchestra (2009). Text by Carl Quist Møller. Commissioned by Aarlborg Symphony Orchestra. A crazy liar story about the first love frogs turning into royal Africans and a lobster which is really a submarine. The Frog is written for children’s concerts for children between five and ten years old. The narrator reads the story while the orchestra plays in the background. Occasionally the orchestra plays longer section without narrator; these sections are commenting on the story.The sections without narrator can be performed as a10 minutes long orchestral work. The music is a wild visually evocative all fun-mixture of modern pop- and dance-music African folk music and Western European avant-garde music.  

Brenda Rattray's The Joy of Singing is for children young people and adults in primary schools secondary schools youth groups and churches who would like to build a singing community. Whether a musician or not the twenty fun songs in this collection will bring variety and enjoyment - perfect for reinforcing confidence in any choir! A wealth of material in here... there are unison songs simple part-singing songs with four or more parts; arrangements of well-known spirituals including: Wade In The Water Rocka My Soul Kumbayah and Swing Low Sweet Chariot; and original songs including African and gospel styles and influences. Detailedteaching notes on each song are included with discussion points and extension activity suggestions. Citizenship and PSHE themes are also incorporated making the material ideal for Key Stage 2-3 (Scottish P3-S2 plus). The accompanying 2 CDs contain Audio backing and performance tracks as well as a PDF of lyrics on the Enhanced CD for easy printing/projection.

An International Holiday Celebration-CELEBRATE December traditions center stage this holiday season as 'round the world we go! DISCOVER the special preparations for Chinese New Year Germany's St. Nicholas Day tradition of a hidden pickle in the Tannenbaum the sevenprinciples of Kwanzaa from our African ancestors the miracle and lights of Jewish Hanukkah the festive atmosphere of Mexico's Las Posadas and Christmas American-style! SHARE the universal messages of peace hope and goodwill inyour school and community all year long. Ideal for upper elementary to middle school performers this 40-minute holiday revue features seven original songs for unison voices with some optional harmony connecting narration easilyadapted to casts of varying sizes and John Jacobson's choreography and production tips. Available: Teacher Edition Singer Edition 5-Pak Preview Pak (1 Singer book 1 Preview CD) Preview CD (with vocals only) Performance/Accompaniment CD Performance Kit/CD (Teacher 20 Singer books P/A CD). Performance Time: Approx. 40 min. For Grades 4-8.

Opera Vocal Score-'More than anything else Margaret Garner is an opera that reminds us that we all belong to the same human family and it demonstrates what can happen when we forget this fundamental truth... - RichardDanielpour This Opera by Grammy-winning composer Richard Danielpour tells the story of Margaret Garner an enslaved African-American woman in pre-Civil War America who gained notoriety for killing her owndaughter to prevent her from suffering the degradation of a life of slavery. In this adaptation of the famous tale Edward Gaines acquires his deceased brother’s Kentucky estate and pledges to let all of the slave familieson the Maplewood Plantation stay together. However when he takes a special interest in one of the slaves Margaret Garner it is not long before her husband Robert is sent away alone to another plantation. One night Robertsneaks back to Maplewood and attempts to escape with Margaret and their children to the ‘Free State’ of Ohio. They are caught and Margaret murders her children in a crime of passion sparing them from a life of slavery. Margaretis condemned to death and although she is granted clemency at the last minute she chooses the freedom of the gallows over life as a slave. The tragic work features a libretto by Toni Morrison and gained highcritical praise at its first performance in Philadelphia in 2006. Watch a clip from the performance here:

Sarah Quartel's Snow Angel for SSAA solo Cello Djembe and Piano. Already a firm favourite with choirs across the world Snow Angel is an evocative five-movement choral work that explores themes of love rebirth and beauty through the eyes of children and the heavenly army of angels that watch over them yearning to make a difference to their lives. The work may be performed with narration in which three angels present their perspectives on their earthly charges. Sarah Quartel weaves a haunting and poignant Cello line throughout the work and a vibrant part for Djembe in movement four 'Sweet child' carriesthe listener from the ethereal and mystical realm the work predominantly inhabits into an emphatic anthem with a distinctly African feel. The musical language is emotive and pictorial allowing performers to play an active role in the storytelling. Snow Angel is also available in a version for SATB.

Anthology of African-American Spirituals-The history of the African American people was one of physical hardship and emotional anguish yet the music arising from this struggle – the spiritual – was one of deeply-felt emotion. This collection of spirituals arranged by Rene Boyer-Alexander for voices and Orff instruments is much more than a mere song collection. It is a chronicle of expression that will enrich and uplift both children and adults in classrooms choirs communitygatherings and churches. In three volumes or one complete edition it includes arrangements of over 55 songs historical background suggested program uses and cultural connections.Available: Volume I Volume II VolumeIII Complete Edition. For all ages.

Zimbe! Come sing the songs of Africa! is the 40-minute choral fusion of African song and jazz for SATB chorus children’s choir and jazz quintet which established composer Alexander L’Estrange's name worldwide and spawned a hugely successful series of large-scale works for the same forces. The addition of the children’s choir provides an opportunity for adult or secondary school SATB choirs to team up with local primary school or youth choirs bringing communities together through singing something for which L'Estrange has long been a passionate advocate. The work opens and closes with anattention-grabbing Njooni Zimbe*! Nyimbo za Africa! imploring us to 'Come sing the Songs of Africa!'; by the time you've heard the vibrant sequence of twelve songs which includes playground wedding funeral drinking protest worship songs and lullabies you will want to do just that. Zimbe! is the ideal piece for choirs who have enjoyed performing L'Estrange's Songs of a Rainbow Nation works by Karl Jenkins or David Fanshawe's African Sanctus. (* 'Zimbe' is the anglicised version of the Swahili word 'Ziimbe')

During his time in America (1892-95) Dvorák suffered with homesickness. It was whilst living in New York that he began his String Quartet In A Flat Major but he did not complete the piece until afterhis return to Bohemia in December 1895.There is no trace of the influence of Indian or African-American music in this his final chamber work; rather the piece is striking for the amount of cantabile themes and motives and their contrasting and artistic treatment. It seems that his relief at seeing his children and family again directly influenced the work. Dvorák himself wrote in a letter during its composition that 'Almighty God hasgranted us this cheerful moment and thus we all feel unutterably happy'.This Henle publication is the first Urtext edition of the Quartet since 1955.

Pièces sélectionnées par John York Table des matières : * Little Toccata fr Diversions (Fine) * A Walk on the Beach (Norton) * Autumn Dreams fr Poetic Fancies (Poldini) * Gay Story fr 6 Children's Pieces (Shostakovich) * Infinity fr Sound Pictures (Diemer) * Kinderstuck (Webern) * Lake Lonely Rough-and-Tumble fr Piano Miscellany (Binkerd) * Life of a Shadow (Hogarth) * Little Legend (Goldschmidt) * Lumen Christi (MacMillan) * Menuet voor Marianne (Andriessen) * Pipe Tune, Bells fr Colla Sinistra (Rowley) * Regrets and rags (York) * Rigadoon (Barratt) * Silent and Soft and Slow Descends the Snow fr Fantasies for Piano Solo Bk2 (Benjamin) * Slumber Song fr Cameos for Young Pianists (Esipoff) * The Blue Cockatoo fr Chelsea Sketches (Besly) * The Juggle (Kenins) * The Little Men, Rain fr 7 Pictures for Piano (Rooper) * The Magic Cave fr Land O'Faery (Eden) * To an African Violet fr Suite a la mode (Wolford) * Valse pour les enfants (Stravinsky) * Visions Fugitives 17 (Prokofieff) * Waltz fr Miniature Pastorals 1st set (Bridge) * Whimsies, 2nd set, no 3 (Taylor)

'Sista? visits the grief of an African family losing a beloved child, as well as the deep connection to the spirit world of the ancestors, which makes it possible for family and friends to carry on after her death. Polyphonic layers of song in the finale reflect the polyrhythmic nature of the traditional Ghanaian music which helped inspire this piece / Choeur D'Enfants