Celebrate Kwanzaa

by Teresa Jennings

We've been asked again and again to write another Kwanzaa piece that can be used with your youngest singers, so that's what we've done! This time, the song is a simple round. You can use it that way, with either two or three parts on the round, or you can keep it unison.

On the P/A recording, you will hear some authentic African percussion instruments, including an udu (a hollow, round clay drum), a talking drum, and a log drum, which keep the rollicking rhythm moving nicely. There is also a bamboo flute and a chifflute, which enter at the end of the first time through and continue to the end. If you prefer to play it on the piano, you can do so easily, but we would recommend adding some classroom percussion for the best results. It also works well with autoharp and guitar - only one chord!

Text is taken from Music K-8 magazine.