Traditions and styles from around the world
Music traditions outside the Western classical canon have their own rich systems of rhythm, scale and performance — recognising them broadens what 'music' means.
Part of your national curriculum
- Listening and appraising: Identify and describe music from different times, places and traditions, using appropriate musical vocabulary
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Identify and describe music from different times, places and traditions, using appropriate musical vocabulary
Key learning points
- • Rhythmic traditions
- • Scales beyond the Western system
- • Why studying wider traditions matters
This lesson at a glance
- 20 minutes
- 17 parts to scroll through
- 3 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 17
Visual introductionPicture this
Traditions and styles from around the world
Music traditions outside the Western classical canon have their own rich systems of rhythm, scale and performance — recognising them broadens what 'music' means.
In a nutshell
Identify and describe music from different times, places and traditions, using appropriate musical vocabulary
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 17
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Rhythmic traditions
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 17
Learn
Rhythmic traditions
West African drumming traditions, for example, often use complex interlocking rhythms called polyrhythms, where different instruments play contrasting rhythmic patterns simultaneously that combine into a rich whole. This is a very different approach from much Western music, which tends to organise around a single steady pulse.
Reset break
Part 4 of 17
Pause
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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 5 of 17
Learn
Scales beyond the Western system
Indian classical music uses ragas — melodic frameworks with their own specific set of notes, moods and rules for how those notes should be used — rather than the major and minor scales common in Western music. Similarly, Indonesian gamelan ensembles use tuning systems, like slendro and pelog, that don't map onto the Western piano keyboard at all.
Quick check
Part 6 of 17
Quick check
Part 7 of 17
Reset break
Part 8 of 17
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 4 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 9 of 17
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Why studying wider traditions matters
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 17
Learn
Why studying wider traditions matters
Comparing musical traditions builds a wider musical vocabulary and challenges the idea that Western classical or pop music is the only 'proper' way to organise sound. Many contemporary genres, from reggae to hip-hop to K-pop, draw directly on non-Western musical heritage and instruments.
Quick check
Part 11 of 17
Quick check
Why is it valuable to study musical traditions beyond Western classical and pop?
Reset break
Part 12 of 17
Pause
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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 13 of 17
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Challenge round
Part 14 of 17
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
West African drumming ____, for example, often use complex interlocking rhythms called polyrhythms, where different instruments play contrasting rhythmic patterns simultaneously that combine into a rich whole.
Comparing ____ traditions builds a wider musical vocabulary and challenges the idea that Western classical or pop music is the only 'proper' way to organise sound.
Challenge round
Part 15 of 17
Game · Recall cards
What is a polyrhythm?
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 16 of 17
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Traditions and styles from around the world
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. What is a polyrhythm?
2. What is a raga in Indian classical music?
3. Why is it valuable to study musical traditions beyond Western classical and pop?
4. Which are inter-related dimensions of music?
Lesson round-up
Part 17 of 17
Lesson round-up
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Identify and describe music from different times, places and traditions, using appropriate musical vocabulary