From the kraal to the classroom: Shifting musical arts practices from the community to the school with special reference to learning tshigombela in Limpopo, South Africa

Abstract

In South Africa the arts and culture educational curriculum has undergone immense change and continues to impact and influence the role of musical arts practices in children’s lives throughout the country. In specific districts of the Limpopo province in particular, musical practices of the Venda culture are being integrated into the school classroom as a means to revitalize and regenerate musical forms that have been historically denigrated by missionaries and the apartheid government. The dance and performance genre known as tshigombela is one such example and, at present, it is a predominant musical practice that illustrates how a musical form can be preserved by shifting it from community settings and into government-sanctioned classrooms. This paper will explore this conscious shift of musical arts practices and the historical and current roles of tshigombela in communities and classrooms in Limpopo that are ensuring its legacy in the greater Venda musical culture.

Conductor gestures influence evaluations of ensemble performance

“…Visual information has been shown to play an important role in the perception and evaluation of musical intentionality and expressivity in performance. Physical gesture as a marker in musical practice is strongly linked to all aspects of the performance experience, to the point of movement and music-making being seen as inseparable in several music cultures ( Emberly and Davidson, 2011 ). Indeed, it might be that separating these two aspects of performance creates a different perception of the musical experience being portrayed, such that “a genre is never independent of technologies or mediation processes” ( Thompson et al, 2005 , p. 206).…”

My music, my voice: Musicality, culture and childhood in Vhavenda communities

“…In Vhavenda communities, musical arts engagement continues to be a significant site of agency for children and young people and is central to almost every function, celebration, and rite of passage. Although the contexts of musical learning have shifted (Emberly and Davidson, 2011; Emberly and Davhula, 2015), music continues to be an active framework from which creativity, power, and knowledge are fostered. This musical voice of Vhavenda children and young people bridges genre, from traditional to popular, and the intrinsic link between culture, identity, and youth is articulated through musical arts engagement (Emberly, 2013).…”

“… 4. See Emberly and Davidson (2011) for further discussion of this shift of learning from the community to the classroom. …”