Music Practices JSS2 Cultural & Creative Arts (CCA) Lesson Note

Music Practices

Subject: Creative Arts (Cultural and Creative Arts)

Class: JSS2

Duration: 40 minutes

LESSON OBJECTIVES

By the end of this lesson, pupils should be able to:

1. Explain what listening means in music practice
2. Demonstrate good aural skills (active listening)
3. Identify at least five popular music genres
4. Describe the characteristics of Highlife, Fuji, Juju, Makossa, Afrobeat, Gospel, and Rock music
5. Listen to music samples and identify the genre

MATERIALS NEEDED

• Audio player (phone, speaker, or computer)
• Music samples of different genres (Highlife, Fuji, Juju, Makossa, Afrobeat, Gospel, Rock)
• Pictures of popular Nigerian musicians (Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Sir Shina Peters, etc.)
• Chart showing characteristics of each music genre
• Blank paper for pupils’ listening exercise

PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE

Pupils have learned about the history and early forms of music. They understand that music has rhythm, melody, and can be performed with instruments or voices.

LESSON CONTENT

INTRODUCTION (4 minutes)

The teacher enters the classroom and immediately plays a popular Nigerian song (maybe Highlife or Afrobeat) for about 20 seconds, then stops it abruptly. The teacher asks: “What were you just doing while the music was playing?” Some pupils might say “listening,” others might say “enjoying,” “nodding,” or “tapping.” The teacher responds: “Yes! You were listening to music. But listening is not just hearing with your ears – it’s an important musical skill. Today, we’ll learn how to listen properly to music and discover different types of popular music around us.”

STEP 1: Listening as a Music Practice (8 minutes)

What is Listening in Music?

The teacher explains: Listening in music means paying close attention to sounds with your ears, mind, and heart. It’s different from just hearing. You can hear something without really listening, but when you listen, you focus and understand what you’re hearing.

Difference Between Hearing and Listening:

The teacher gives examples:

• Hearing: Music is playing in a shop while you’re buying something – you hear it but don’t pay attention
• Listening: You sit down, close your eyes, and focus on the music – you notice the drums, the voices, the message

Why is Listening Important?

1. Helps you appreciate music better
2. Helps you learn songs faster
3. Helps you understand the message in music
4. Improves your ability to sing or play instruments
5. Helps you identify different types of music
6. Makes you a better musician if you want to perform

Aural Skills – The Ability to Listen Well:

The teacher writes AURAL SKILLS on the board and explains: “Aural comes from the word ‘ear.’ Aural skills means the ability to use your ears effectively to understand music.”

What Good Aural Skills Include:

1. Identifying Instruments: When you listen, can you tell if it’s a drum, guitar, piano, or trumpet playing?
2. Recognizing Rhythm: Can you clap along with the beat?
3. Hearing Melody: Can you hum or sing the tune after hearing it?
4. Understanding Lyrics: What is the song saying? What’s the message?
5. Feeling Emotions: Does the music make you happy, sad, excited, or peaceful?
6. Identifying Genre: What type of music is this? Is it Highlife? Gospel? Fuji?

Listening Exercise:

The teacher plays a short music clip (about 30 seconds) and asks pupils to close their eyes and listen carefully. After it stops, the teacher asks:

• What instruments did you hear?
• Was it fast or slow?
• How did it make you feel?
• Did you hear singing or just instruments?

This exercise demonstrates active listening versus passive hearing.

STEP 2: Popular Music Genres (25 minutes)

The teacher explains: “Now that we know how to listen well, let’s learn about different types of popular music we hear around us every day.”

1. HIGHLIFE MUSIC

Origin: Started in Ghana and Nigeria in the early 1900s

Characteristics:

• Uses guitars (electric and acoustic) as the main instrument
• Has a happy, dancing rhythm
• Combines Western instruments with African rhythms
• Lyrics often tell stories about life, love, and society
• Very popular at parties and celebrations

Famous Highlife Artists:

• Rex Lawson (Nigeria)
• E.T. Mensah (Ghana)
• Osita Osadebe (Nigeria)
• Victor Olaiya (Nigeria)

When You Hear It: At wedding parties, birthday celebrations, oldies music programs

The teacher plays a Highlife sample. Pupils listen and notice the guitar sounds and danceable rhythm.

2. FUJI MUSIC

Origin: Created by Yoruba Muslims in Nigeria in the 1960s

Characteristics:

• Heavy use of talking drums (dundun, gangan)
• Fast, energetic drumming patterns
• Singing is mostly in Yoruba language
• Originally performed during Ramadan (Islamic fasting period)
• Call-and-response style between lead singer and chorus
• Very percussive (lots of drums and percussion)

Famous Fuji Artists:

• Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister (the creator of Fuji)
• King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (KWAM 1)
• Obesere
• Pasuma

When You Hear It: At Yoruba parties, Islamic celebrations, owambe parties

The teacher plays a Fuji sample. Pupils notice the dominant drum sounds and fast-paced rhythm.

3. JUJU MUSIC

Origin: Yoruba people of Nigeria, started in the 1920s

Characteristics:

• Combines traditional Yoruba rhythms with guitars
• Uses talking drums along with guitars
• Slower and more melodious than Fuji
• Singing primarily in Yoruba
• Uses many praise songs (oriki)
• Accordion and steel guitar often featured

Famous Juju Artists:

• King Sunny Ade (very famous worldwide)
• Ebenezer Obey
• Sir Shina Peters
• Sunny Neji

When You Hear It: Traditional Yoruba ceremonies, parties, cultural events

The teacher plays a Juju sample. Pupils notice the blend of guitar and talking drum.

4. MAKOSSA

Origin: Cameroon (our neighbor country) in the 1950s

Characteristics:

• Very energetic and danceable
• Uses electric guitars, horns, and keyboards
• Has a distinctive bass guitar pattern
• Singing often in French or local Cameroonian languages
• Popular across West Africa including Nigeria
• Makes people want to dance immediately

Famous Makossa Artists:

• Manu Dibango (most famous – “Soul Makossa”)
• Sam Fan Thomas

When You Hear It: Dance parties, nightclubs, international events

The teacher plays a Makossa sample. Pupils notice the strong bass and dance rhythm.

5. AFROBEAT

Origin: Nigeria in the 1960s-70s, created by Fela Anikulapo Kuti

Characteristics:

• Combines West African music with jazz, funk, and highlife
• Very long songs (some last 15-20 minutes!)
• Strong political and social messages
• Heavy use of horns (saxophone, trumpet)
• Complex rhythms with many instruments playing together
• Repetitive patterns that build energy

Famous Afrobeat Artists:

• Fela Kuti (the pioneer)
• Femi Kuti (Fela’s son)
• Seun Kuti (Fela’s younger son)
• Burna Boy (modern Afrobeat)
• Wizkid (modern Afrobeat fusion)

When You Hear It: Concerts, political rallies, modern clubs, international music festivals

The teacher plays an Afrobeat sample. Pupils notice the horns, complex rhythm, and energetic feel.

6. GOSPEL MUSIC

Origin: Christian religious music, found worldwide including Nigeria

Characteristics:

• Songs praising God and spreading Christian messages
• Can be slow and worshipful or fast and celebratory
• Uses various instruments: keyboards, drums, guitars
• Strong emotional expression
• Often has choir singing
• Lyrics focus on faith, hope, salvation, and praise

Famous Nigerian Gospel Artists:

• Tope Alabi
• Nathaniel Bassey
• Sinach
• Mercy Chinwo
• Tim Godfrey

When You Hear It: Churches, Christian programs, gospel concerts, Christian radio stations

The teacher plays a Gospel sample. Pupils notice the worshipful or celebratory mood.

7. ROCK MUSIC

Origin: America and Britain in the 1950s

Characteristics:

• Heavy use of electric guitars with distortion
• Strong, steady drum beats
• Often loud and energetic
• Can have rebellious or emotional themes
• Bass guitar is very prominent
• Sometimes includes guitar solos (one guitarist plays alone)

Famous Rock Artists (International):

• The Beatles
• Rolling Stones
• Queen
• Bon Jovi

When You Hear It: International music stations, movies, action film soundtracks

The teacher plays a Rock sample. Pupils notice the loud guitars and strong drums.

COMPARISON CHART

The teacher creates a simple chart on the board:

EVALUATION (3 minutes)

Listening Test: The teacher plays short clips (10-15 seconds each) of three different music genres without announcing them. Pupils write down what they think each one is. After all three, the teacher reveals the answers and discusses the clues that helped identify each genre.

Questions:

1. What is the difference between hearing and listening?
2. What are aural skills?
3. Which music uses talking drums heavily – Fuji or Rock?
4. Who created Afrobeat music?
5. Which music type is mainly for praising God?
6. Name two Highlife musicians.

CONCLUSION

The teacher summarizes: “Today we learned that listening is an important music practice that requires aural skills – the ability to pay attention and understand what we hear. We also discovered seven popular music genres: Highlife, Fuji, Juju, Makossa, Afrobeat, Gospel, and Rock. Each has its own special sound, instruments, and purpose. As Nigerians, we’re blessed to have many of these music styles in our culture. When you listen to music from now on, don’t just hear it – really listen! Notice the instruments, feel the rhythm, understand the message, and identify the genre.”

The teacher encourages pupils to explore different music types and develop their listening skills by paying attention to music around them.