Capoeira: Martial Arts Meets Music

A Global Sound Lesson

Designed By: Clare Krier
University of Washington

Suggested Grade Level: 6-8

Musical Culture: Brazil

Cultural Knowledge/Skills:

• Listening to instruments, beat, ostinato, vocal lines

• Singing/chanting melodies and vocalizations
• Playing melodies, bass lines, and ostinatos

General Knowledge/Skills: History and culture of Brazilian music and people

Materials from Global Sound:

• “Beleza” by Grupo de Capoeria Angola Pelourinho, Maoraes (Ensemble Leader)

http://www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/containerdetail.aspx?itemid=2935

• “Berimbau Voices” by Mestre Acordeon with his students.

http://www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/containerdetail.aspx?itemid=776

• “Capoeira Music in San Francisco” by Mestre Acordeon with his students.

http://www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/containerdetail.aspx?itemid=776

Other Sound Recordings: “Berimbau” by Astrud Gilberto, from Astrud Gilberto’s

Finest Hour

Video Recordings: This site includes videos of the group Sul de Bahia, based in Milan,
performing Capoeira.

http://www.capoeirasuldabahia.com/html/video.html

Instruments: Berimbau (can be substituted with guitar), bass, pandeiros (tambourines),

congas, shakers
National Standards:

1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

Experiences:

1. “Beleza”-Listen to recording
a. Stomp foot on downbeat
b. While traveling in a circle to a four beat meter, step forward on
downbeat and clap on beats three and four
c. Sing the repeated response section of the call and response
d. Locate Brazil on the map. Consider that the lyrics are in Portuguese;
Brazil was once a Portuguese colony.

2. “Berimbau Voices”-Listen to recording

a. Ask what instruments are being played. Do they sound like strings,
winds, percussion, or a combination?
b. Explain the instrumentation present in this ensemble. Show a picture
of a berimbau and describe how it works.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berimbau
c. Pat a beat along with the music. Notice that the changing meter makes
this difficult at times, and that this music does not follow a strict meter
like the music the students may know better.
d. Have students sit in a circle and take turns improvising rhythms on a
shaker or with rhythm sticks.

3. “Capoeira Music in San Francisco” –Listen to recording

a. Notice the addition of a pandeiro and conga-like drum. Have students
pick out rhythms of these instruments from the recordings and play
along on tambourine or conga.
b. Explain the game that goes along with the music involving dance and
martial arts. Show a video of the game being performed and explain
that the pace of the music dictates the speed of the game.
c. In a circle come up with your own version of this dance, with students
taking turns in the middle. This track has a strong beat, so movements
should be matched to the quicker pace of this song. Students should
not be hitting each other but rather showing motions representing hits.

4. “Berimbau” –Listen to recording

a. Ask students: What is different about this recording compared to the
other berimbau recordings? Explain that it is another style of Brazilian
 music (bossa nova) that samples the berimbau. While both styles
originated in Brazil, bossa nova did not appear until the 1950’s and
grew out of rhythms prominent in samba music. Both have a stringed
instrument featured prominently in the texture (guitar in bossa nova,
berimbau in capoeira). Students should be able to identify similarities
in timbre between the styles.
b. Listen to the opening berimbau passage and try to tap the difficult
rhythm. Later write down the transcription on the board so students
can see what it looks like.
c. Add a bass line to illustrate the chordal changes. Have students figure
out how many beats are spent on each chord (four).
d. Add the berimbau (guitar) part.
e. Students may take turns singing the vocal line or playing it on
available instruments, including band or orchestra instruments. Have
them play it by ear first if possible, then give them the transcription.