# Travel Around with Songs

## Overview

This chapter introduces students to the musical and cultural diversity of India through songs in different languages. It encourages learning melodies, understanding rhythm and dynamics, using body percussion, and engaging in group activities that make learning music interactive and joyful.

## Key Topics Covered

### 1. Sing a Song in a New Language!
- **Activity Objective**: Learn and present a song from home or elders in any language (about seasons, festivals, patriotism, etc.).
- **Interactive Game**: Hide-and-seek object game using dynamic singing — louder when the seeker is closer to the object, softer when far away.
- **Skills Developed**: Listening, vocal dynamics, teamwork.

### 2. Learn About Dynamics
- **Concept**: Dynamics in music refer to the loudness or softness of sound.
- **Application**: Used in the previous activity to guide the seeker with volume changes in the song.

### 3. Learn an Odia Song
**Song**: *Bolodo Gaadi Re Mu*
- **Theme**: A joyful bullock cart journey through a scenic village.
- **Visual Imagery**: Mountains, rivers, birds singing, flowers blooming, and children dancing.
- **Rhythm**: Performed in a 4-beat cycle with actions like clapping or twirling.

### 4. Keep Rhythm with Syllables
- **Rhythmic Syllables (Konnakol Style)**:
- tha dhi dhom num
- num dhom dhi tha
- tha tha dhi dhi dhom dhom num num
- **Hindustani Rhythmic Patterns**:
- dha dha te Te
- dha dha tun na
- ta ta te Te
- dha dha dhun na
- **Practice Method**: Use claps, sticks, or simple instruments while reciting the syllables in rhythm.
- **Learning Outcome**: Internalising beat and rhythm through spoken syllables.

### 5. Learn to Sing in Kashmiri
**Song**: *Bumbro Bumbro*
- **Theme**: Celebration involving a bumblebee, filled with joy and emotion.
- **Cultural Note**: Traditional Kashmiri folk song used during festive occasions.
- **Activities**: Focus on rhythm, pitch, and expressive singing.

### 6. Learn to Sing in Konkani
**Song**: *Undra Mojea Mama*
- **Meaning**: A playful warning to a rat to avoid a cat.
- **Language**: Konkani (Goan folk tradition).
- **Message**: Gentle moral about danger and caution.
- **Activity**: Singing with expressive voices and possible role-play.

### 7. Learn to Sing in Tamil
**Song**: *Chinna Chinna Chittu*
- **Theme**: Description of a little bird that flies swiftly, pecks at grains, and whistles on rooftops.
- **Imagery**: Bird in natural settings — fields, skies, rooftops.
- **Skills Practised**: Observation, imagination, singing with emotion.

## New Terms and Simple Definitions

| Term | Definition |
|---------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| dynamics | The variation in loudness or softness in music |
| folk song | A traditional song passed down through generations in a particular culture |
| rhythm | A pattern of sounds or beats in music |
| syllable | A unit of sound used in speaking or rhythm |
| bumblebee | A large, black-and-yellow bee known for buzzing sounds |
| bumbro | A Kashmiri term used in the song for bumblebee |
| konnakol | A South Indian way of vocalising rhythm patterns |
| beat cycle | A repeated group of beats in music (like a 4-beat loop) |
| percussion | Sound made by striking instruments or using body like claps or stomps |
| tunna/te/tha | Spoken rhythm sounds used in Indian classical music |

## Practice Questions

### Easy (3)

1. **What is the main theme of the Odia song?**
*Answer*: A happy bullock cart journey to the village.
*Explanation*: The lyrics describe a peaceful ride through scenic nature.

2. **Which animal is warned in the Konkani song?**
*Answer*: A rat.
*Explanation*: The song tells the rat not to go near the cat.

3. **What does the Tamil song describe?**
*Answer*: A small bird flying, eating grains, and whistling.
*Explanation*: The song celebrates a bird's beauty and actions.

### Medium (2)

4. **What is meant by "dynamics" in music?**
*Answer*: Loudness or softness of sound.
*Explanation*: It helps express emotion and guide performance, like singing louder when close.

5. **What is "konnakol"?**
*Answer*: A style of saying rhythm syllables aloud.
*Explanation*: It's used in South Indian classical music to teach and perform rhythm.

### Difficult (3)

6. **How is rhythm shown in the Hindustani style?**
*Answer*: With syllables like "dha dha te te" and "dha dha tun na".
*Explanation*: These represent drum patterns and help in learning beats.

7. **Why do we use different syllables like ‘tha dhi dhom num’?**
*Answer*: To learn and feel rhythms through vocal practice.
*Explanation*: Saying these in time with claps trains the sense of rhythm.

8. **What is the function of body percussion in music learning?**
*Answer*: To express rhythm using parts of the body.
*Explanation*: Clapping or tapping helps internalise timing and beat.

### Very Difficult (2)

9. **Explain how a musical hide-and-seek game helps learn dynamics.**
*Answer*: The louder or softer singing acts as a clue.
*Explanation*: It teaches volume control based on proximity to an object.

10. **Describe how songs in different languages promote cultural understanding.**
*Answer*: They share traditions, emotions, and stories of that culture.
*Explanation*: Learning songs from Odia, Kashmiri, Tamil, and Konkani traditions helps us appreciate diversity and unity.

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