Lesson Plan 3 – Guantanamera

Full PDF Lesson Plan – Lesson 3

Pre-Class

Click the link to listen to Guantanamera by Joseito Fernández on Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/track/6ek8f65UGCZaiIBcXkexlE

Mastery Objectives:

Students will be able to:

  • Identify the general musical instruments playing in the ensemble, comparing to styles of music from other cultures.
  • Identify the chord progression used in the Joseito Fernandez piece, Guantanamera.
  • Sing the primary melodic material used during the chorus in the work, Guantanamera.
  • Evaluate each other’s vowels and tone quality.

Cultural Context

When discussing music of the rural farmer in Cuba, the term “música guajira” would be the equivalent to the Puerto Rican música jíbara. (Moore, 41) Moore details differences in the ensembles, “…the tres (a folk guitar with three double courses of strings), and other local instruments. These days, some Afro-Cuban percussion (maracas, clave, even conga drums) may be used by música guajira groups as well.” (Moore, 41) He also notes that the most famous piece is “La guajira guantanamera,” which was made famous in the 1940s in the US. (link to video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiJhDO8Tb_Y) This work is the subject for Lesson 3 this week, focusing on chord progression similarity across cultural lines. I found an interesting comparison being made in Moore’s discussion, as he compares, “Singers of Spanish-derived folk music often improvise the words they sing on the spot, similar to what freestyle rappers in the United States might do.” (Moore, 41) His assertion lends another world music connection to the East Coast derivative of rap and hip-hop.

On Your Own

  • Ask students to jot down bullet points notes to the questions listed below,  as you listen to the song again.
    1. Identify the general musical instruments playing in the ensemble.
    2. Identify the chord progression used in the Joseito Fernandez piece, Guantanamera.
  • Listen again -here are some discussion questions for the group:
    • Does this piece sound major or minor?
    • What harmonic clues help identify? USE SOLFEDGE!
    • Submit your best guess about the harmonic pattern via email.
  • Basses – can you identify a pattern in the bass line?
    • Let’s all learn in sections the bass line, deriving the same way as above.
  • Have a student read from the Oxford book about the Puerto Rican seis, on page 37.
  • Ask students to describe the vocal timbre of the singer