Roots of Rhythm is a one-of-a-kind experience that elevates cultural awareness about music from around the globe through energetic performances and engaging audience participation activities. The Roots of Rhythm presentation includes interdisciplinary subjects such as world history, geography, and of course, music, that coincide with the National Standards for Arts Education. Our program explores music of the African Diaspora; "music that originated in or is related to Africa". This packet focuses on Brazil and includes geographical, historical, and cultural information as well as activities and resources to aid in preparing your students for our visit! If you have any questions, please contact the UTM Percussion Studio.

● Dr. Shane Jones, Director of Percussion, sjone185@umt.edu ● Chelsea Jones, Lecturer of Music; Events Coordinator, cjone228@utm.edu ● Dr. Julie Hill, Department of Music Chair, jhill@utm.edu

A Brief History of Rio de Janeiro and Samba Batucada

In the year 1500, Pedro Álvares Cabral, from the Kingdom of Portugal, was the first European to colonize what is known now as the Federal Republic of Brazil. They were met with indigenous people called the Tupinamba Indians. The Portuguese attempted to enslave the Indians to help with the harvesting of trees, but the Indians were not accustomed to this type of labor. Most of the natives fled or died of European diseases, leading the Portuguese colonists to turn to the West African slave trade. The African slaves brought with them their culture of music, drumming, dance, and song from their native land. In 1822, Brazil finally declared their independence from Portugal. In 1888, Brazil became the last country in the world to abolish slavery.

The city of Rio de Janeiro,

which is the second largest city in Brazil, is known for its natural beauty, year-round sunshine, magnificent beaches, and rich culture. Rio has an urban area that reaches about 485 square miles, and it is home to many recognizable landmarks, such as the statue of Christ the Redeemer. Many of Rio’s citizens reside in tin-roofed houses in the slums, or favelas. There are about 1,000 slum districts throughout the whole city of Rio.

Rio de Janeiro is best known for its annual Carnival celebration, which is the

largest in the world. It is a huge, extravagant event that includes parties, parades, dancing, and of course, samba music. Carnaval was first introduced to Brazil in the 18th century when Portuguese colonists fused their Catholic traditions of celebrating before Lent with African traditions, such as vibrant costumes, music, and dance. Places all over the world have their own versions of Carnaval, such as Mardi Gras in New Orleans. One

of the biggest parts of Carnaval is Samba Batucada! Samba Batucada is a style of music performed by samba schools, or escola de samba, made up of hundreds of drummers and dancers. Dating back to the 1920’s, samba schools were formed in the the neighborhood favelas of Rio. The drummers of the schools are collectively called the bateria. They rehearse all year in preparation for the epic Carnival parade.

Label the Instruments of the Bateria!

Repique (hep-ee-key)- lead drum, looks like a tom-tom, played with one hand and one stick Caixa (kai-sha)- Brazilian snare drum with snares on top

Tamborim (tam-bor-him)- looks like a small tambourine without jingles, high pitched & extremely loud, played with plastic bundle sticks

Surdo (soor-doh)- large bass drums played with a mallet Chocalho (show-cal-yo)- loud large shaker with metal jingles

Apito- metal whistle used to get the bateria’s attention & signal what is coming next

1. ______________ 2. ________________ 3. _________________

4. _______________ 5. ________________ 6. _______________

Label the Instrument Answer Key

1. Apito

2. Caixa

3. Chocalho

4. Repique

5. Tamborin

6. Surdo

More about the Bateria!

All the instruments layer together different rhythms that create the infectious and high energy percussion groove that is the Samba Batucada.

Repiques, drums played with one stick and a hand, are the leaders of the bateria. They play high pitched rim-shots and fill in other notes with their free hand. Repique players can be seen blowing into a samba whistle, or apito, and waving their hands to signal different rhythms or parts of the song to the bateria. The caixas sound like a snare drum and play a continuous driving rhythm that gives the whole bateria its energy amd swing. Unlike the snare drums we are used to in the United States, caixas have snares running over the top of the drum rather than the bottom. The tamborims are small single-headed drums that look like a tambourine without jingles. They are played with a plastic bundle stick and often play the telecoteco rhythm, which is borrowed by another Brazilian style called bossa nova. The surdos are bass drums that act as the bateria’s heartbeat. Most surdo sections have three different sized and pitched drums, creating a bass melody. The first surdo plays the most important beats of the samba style: two and four. The second surdo fills in on beats one and three. The third surdo, plays syncopated rhythms that “talk” to the other drums. The chocalho is an extremely loud, metal shaker. They often play with the tamborims, furthering adding to the texture and drive of the bacteria.

__________________ Terms to Know

________________ Brazil- biggest country in South America Rio de Janeiro- the 2nd largest city in Brazil famous for Samba Portuguese- the Europeans who colonized Brazil & the language the country speaks Carnaval- annual Brazilian festival just before lent Escola de Samba- samba school Bateria- all of the drummers of a samba school Favela- poor neighborhoods of Rio Telecoteco- the rhythmic foundation of samba Syncopated- rhythms that are unexpected and not on the main beat

South America Coloring Map

1. Color the country of Brazil. 2. Label the city of Rio de Janeiro. 3. Label the Atlantic Ocean.

 

The Flag of Brazil

1. The green and yellow represent the Braganza-Habsburg dynasty. Color the outer rectangle GREEN. Color the inner rhombus YELLOW.   

2. The inner circle features their motto in Portuguese, “Ordem e Progresso”. When translated to English, it means “Order and Progress”. Color the inner circle DARK BLUE.  

 3. The 27 five-pointed stars represent the night sky over Rio de Janeiro’s 27 

states. Color the stars WHITE.   

 

DID YOU KNOW??? 

- Rio de Janeiro actually means January River! - Brazil has one of the seven wonders of the world, the Christ the Redeemer Statue! - Rio de Janeiro has the world’s bluest sky! - Most of the samba schools are located in favelas, or the slums. - Rio has the world’s 8th largest library! - Brazilians actually speak Portuguese!

Youtube Hyperlinks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65QGogQoR_Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw8uLesWgUQ

Video Questions: 

Do you notice some of the drums we have discussed? 

There are so many people! How many people do think are in these baterias? 

Do you notice how they look like they are enjoying themselves and dancing? 

Is this music really fast or slow? 

 

 

 

QUIZ TIME!!! 

1. What year was Brazil colonized by the Portuguese? ______________ 

2. What is the FULL name of the annual Brazilian festival? 

______________ 

3. Which city did we focus on today? _________________________ 

4. Which religion is associated with the annual Brazilian festival? 

____________________ 

5. What country were the people from that the Portuguese enslaved 

after the Indians? ________________ 

6. Which drum is the smallest? _____________________ 

7. Which drum is the leader? _______________________ 

8. What are the slums of Rio called? _______________________ 

9. What year did Brazil abolish slavery? _____________________ 

10. What is the name of the rhythm that the tamborims play? 

________________________ 

BONUS TIME! 

How many states are in Brazil? ______ 

What is the big statue in Rio called? __________________________ 

 

Brazil Crossword

Brazil Word Search!

Word Bank:

Syncopated Rhythm Brazil Rio Drums Africa Carnaval Escola Favela

Samba Portugal Music Bateria

ANSWER KEY FOR CROSSWORD:

Down

1. Brazil

2. Carnaval

3. Bateria

4. Favela

6. Tamborim

7. Surdo

Across

5. Africa

6. Telecoteco

8. Escola

9. Mardi Gras

Answer Key for Word Search: