Deep Dive: From the Known to the Unknown: Using Children’s Play Songs to Foster Learning Among K-2 Pupils in Uganda
Posted on October 1, 2024 in Issue 1: Fall, Kodály Envoy, Volume 51
by George Kitaka
One of the unique teaching experiences I boast of in my teaching career is to have taught at all levels from kindergarten to university and college. Regardless of the level I am teaching, two of my teaching philosophies always cut across – being learner-centered and teaching from the very basic known aspects towards the more complex aspects embedded in the lesson goals and objectives of the day. As a music educator, I always begin with repertoire known by my learners before introducing new repertoire to them; however, I don’t take my students for granted to be knowing the songs I would think of as common and known to them. At lower levels (K-5), I encourage my students to share with me the songs they sing in their games played at home and in the school. At higher levels (Grade 6 and above), I always ask them their favorite songs/music genres they usually enjoy and listen to.
Children’s singing games, childhood chants, hand-clapping and jump rope songs, story songs, and play parties are a natural fit for the general music classroom. While children’s singing games are a great resource for facilitating the teaching and learning of music, they are also great resources that foster the learning of other subjects. These songs and games foster children’s cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains of human learning. Through songs and games children learn and improve language proficiency, hone singing skills, learn keeping the beat, counting, morals, their cultures, affirmation of identity, self-esteem, patience, empathy, appreciation and love for one another. Embaata Ento (Figure 1) is a children’s play song/game from central Uganda that teaches how to count from one to ten.
Figure 1: Embaata Ento, one of the children’s songs in Luganda language of the Baganda people of central Uganda.
The song can be heard by following this link to YouTube
The included YouTube links have been added for language purposes and were not supplied by the author. There are slight variations to these recorded melodies.
Luganda Nursery Rhymes – Embaata ento
Embaata Ento is usually sung as a group chorus in unison, not as a call and response as it is usually the case with most of the African songs. In this song children unanimously sing as they demonstrate numbers 1-10 using their fingers at the beginning of measure four.
Another children’s song/game that is related to counting is Kanneemu (Figure 2). Like Embaata Ento, Kanneemu involves counting from one to ten; however, instead of demonstrating the different numbers using fingers, in Kanneemu, the song is sung as a specific game is played which makes it more fun and entertaining for them. This song/game is performed while kids work with different objects and the performers are required to put the objects in groups of ten. Kanneemu is a good song/game that enhances the learning of mathematics, especially addition and subtraction.
Figure 2: Kanneemu, a children’s song/game used by teachers in Uganda to foster the learning of mathematics.
The song can be heard by following this link to YouTube and scrolling to 10:12 on the playbar.
The included YouTube links have been added for language purposes and were not supplied by the author. There are slight variations to these recorded melodies.
[The song] doesn’t give a coherent storyline when [translated to English], but the song carries some didactic implications. In addition to the explicit purpose of teaching children how to count, it implicitly teaches children to be patient. In other words, cooking (roasting) coffee beans or killing a gecko [requires] one to be very patient. In the song you notice that the words “Malangajja” and “Nakkwale” are not translated because the former is a name of a place and the latter is a name of a person.
In circumstances where there are no available objects to use or when the objects available are not enough, teachers may choose to do away with the objects. In this case students sit in one line with their legs straight and facing one direction. One student at a time stands up and begins counting the legs of the others while singing Kanneemu. At every tenth leg, the owner of that leg folds it. The game continues until all the legs are folded vis-a-vis when time is also available. The game may be repeated as many times as possible to give everyone a chance to take the lead.
About the Author:
George Kitaka is a Ugandan music and dance educator, composer, and performer. He plays and teaches over twenty East African musical instruments. He also dances and teaches over fifteen African traditional folk dances. Kitaka holds an international master’s degree in Dance Knowledge, Practice, and Heritage (Ethnochoreology), awarded by a consortium of four European universities of Norway, France, Hungary, and the U.K. Kitaka also holds a bachelor’s degree in music, and diploma in music, dance, and drama from Makerere University, Kampala-Uganda. George Kitaka is a teacher by profession with a post graduate diploma in education from Kyambogo University, Kampala-Uganda.
George Kitaka is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Music Education at Texas Tech University, Lubbock Texas-U.S.A. At Texas Tech University, Kitaka serves as a Teaching Assistant, as well as a Graduate Part-Time Instructor. Prior to joining Texas Tech university, Kitaka was a lecturer of music and dance at Kyambogo University, Kampala-Uganda. George Kitaka’s twenty years of teaching experience have offered him a great opportunity to teach at all academic levels ranging from kindergarten, primary, secondary, to university and college.
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