Michael Medearis

A very interesting read for music enthusiasts, this book gives you an understanding of the evolution of modern music today. Musical instruments were primarily used as communicational devices in African times. Although the drum played an important part of music. They also constructed various instruments such as bells, thumb pianos, xylophones, horns, flutes and others. They used music as a vehicle to deliver various messages. Some songs were song to celebrate a baby's arrival. Some songs were even used to instruct children on how to act.
I found it interesting that slave captives continued to use music as a way to communicate amongst other slaves upon slave ships. Slaves were gathered from various parts of Africa. This was a great strategy for slave captors to use on slaves because this idea prevented communication between other slave members. The slaves used music to inform other slaves of revolts. The idea of communicating messages through music has been carried into the present day of society.… (mehr)

Daisy and the Doll is a wonderful addition to your class libray. This book is about a little girl, Daisy, who is an 8-year old African American. She is the daughter of a former slave. She has to proticipate in a school competition to where they each have to have a doll from a different country and recite a poem about the nationality. The teacher hands her a rag doll "with a coal black face" as everyone giggles. She took the doll home and told her father what was expected of her. He told her even though the poem offended her to just memorize it. Even though we do not know what the poem is actually saying Daisy says, "I had never really noticed the color of my skin. It was as if Miss Clark's poem had opened my eyes for the first time." When Daisy got to the stage and was trying to recite the poem it was if she couldn't. She began to deliver a prize-winning poem that came from the heart. I think this is a wonderful book for children to read and know that it ok to be a differnt color and it should not be something that is made fun of or something that causes you to treat people bad.

An extension of this book would be to journal about how you should treat someone of different color or you could just have a class discussion on the different cultures and that everyone is equally made.… (mehr)