KALIMBA
Did you know that the kalimba, or "Thumb Piano" (a traditional instrument of Africa) dates as far back as 1000 BC? WOW! It is in the family of lamellophones (instruments that traditionally have metal tongues that are vibrated, such as the pictures you see from our classroom kalimba), and there are many different types of kalimba in terms of aesthetics, but they all use the basic principle of the tongue vibration resonating throughout the wood for sound. We looked at different examples of kalimbas today using pictures that were cut in half, and the kids enjoyed finding the puzzle match for all of the different types. (Some modern, some ancient, made of wood, inside gourds, etc.)
As seen in the photos, we also played the kalimba and learned about its origins. The kids especially enjoyed watching this awesome video from performer Valanga Khoza, who uses the kalimba to accompany his beautiful song written about his father.
Kids are so incredibly astute and intuitive sometimes. When the man in the video said he wrote the song about his father, once he began to sing, he looked a little melancholy, though the song is mellow, and has a cheerful feeling. Kids in each class asked me if the man's father had died, and though I don't know the English translation of the lyrics, I thought they might be right. =) I said that was a possibility, and we talked about how the song made us feel.
Check out the extender questions below!
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD
1) What is the kalimba? What does it look like?
2) Was it hard to play?
3) Do you remember the song that the man sang with the kalimba about his father? How did that make you feel?