What is music?

1Sound or music?

All around you there are sounds: a moto on the road, rain on the roof, a goat calling. Most of these sounds are just noise.

Music is sound that people organise on purpose. If your mother drops a cooking pot, that is noise. If you tap the same pot again and again in a steady pattern, you are making a simple kind of music!

2What music is made of

Most music has these things:

• Beat: a steady pulse you can clap or march to.
• Rhythm: a pattern of long and short sounds.
• Melody: a tune made of high and low notes.
• Loud and soft: music can be quiet like a lullaby or loud like a drum group at a wedding.

You will learn about beat, rhythm and melody in the next lessons.

3Why people make music

Music has many jobs in our lives:

• Celebrating: weddings, birthdays and national days are full of songs and dances.
• Working together: a song helps a group keep the same speed, like at umuganda.
• Learning: songs help you remember things, like the alphabet or how to wash your hands.
• Praying and worship: many people sing in church or recite in the mosque.
• Telling stories and remembering: long ago, songs and poems kept the history of families and heroes.
• Showing who we are: the national anthem, Rwanda Nziza, is sung to show love for our country.
• Feeling better: a lullaby calms a baby, and a happy song cheers up a sad friend.

4The oldest instrument

The very first musical instrument was probably the human voice. After that, people clapped their hands and hit stones or logs together to keep a beat. You carry your voice and hands with you everywhere, so you are always ready to make music.

Try it yourself

Try each one first, then tap Show answer to check.