How to Sing Songs During Kwanzaa
Choosing which songs to sing during Kwanzaa can be a difficult task. People have different tastes and different ideas of what constitutes the perfect Kwanzaa song, so it makes sense to pick different styles in an effort to showcase a variety of fashions. Whether you're looking for songs to sing along or songs you can teach your children, make sure you include a good variety to both entertain and teach.
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Instructions
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Sing and Perform During Kwanzaa
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Sing a different song during each day of Kwanzaa, paying special attention to the meaning of that day. In order, the days of Kwanzaa celebrate unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. The songs you choose don't necessarily have to be African music. Any song from that embeds those values can be a great representation of the day.
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Sing songs that teach children about the meaning of the holiday. Examples include "Celebrating Kwanzaa" by Marla Lewis and "Seven Days of Kwanzaa" by Jacquie Godden. This is an especially good idea if your children are too young to understand the history behind the holiday.
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Learn some basic words in Swahili, the language from which Kwanzaa and many of its names and definitions come. You can do this by buying traditional folk music (available in CDs at music shops or specialty online stores) or downloading special music clips from Kwanzaa-related websites.
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Choose a few modern singers to complement the mood. For example, Aretha Franklin's "Spirit in the Dark" or James Brown's "Get on the Good Foot, Part One." These simple, yet popular songs are likely to be known by many of the guests, in more than one generation, and can easily become the hymn of the family, that single song that symbolizes Kwanzaa and is listened to every year.
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Use drums to accompany you when you sing. Instead of playing traditional instruments, choose traditional ones such as drums and bells. If you have CDs of instrumental music, you can choose to read a poem with background music rather than sing. This is also a great choice for those who are shy or for more formal parties where guests don't feel comfortable singing in front of strangers.
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Tips & Warnings
Encourage kids to make up their own songs using the basic melody of a popular song. Let them be creative and make up the words or help them by finding poems that they can later put to music and perform for the family.
