Smithsonian Institution
Nm Af A: Audible Artworks: Selected African Musical Instruments
Five traditional African musical instruments are highlighted at this Smithsonian site: two types of drums, the thumb piano (mucapata), harp, and whistles. Includes historical facts about the instruments.
Other
Dancedrummer: Traditional African Drumming and Dance
African drumming and dance are discussed in this interesting site. You can play with some of the interactive African style drums as well as access video and audio clips of the music.
Other
Carnegie Hall: A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy
Trace the history of African American music from 1600-2000 and examine the styles, influences, artists and listen to samples presented by Carnegie Hall.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of African Art: Music of Madagascar
Listen to a contemporary style of music from Madagascar, called "salegy," which blends the musical traditions of Africa, South Asia, the Caribbean, and Indonesia.
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Teacher Serve: Jazz and the African American Literary Tradition
Article explores the influence of jazz on African American literature from the early history of jazz, noted jazz artists, the black-white tensions within jazz, to its literary influence after World War II.
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Multicultural America: South African Americans
Provides an overview of the traditional culture and lifestyle of South African Americans. (Note: Content is not the most current.)
Other
Brand South Africa: The a to Z of South African Culture
Presented as an ABC list of cultural features of South Africa. Each letter links to a topic, and each topic has a paragraph with a link to more in-depth, and often fascinating, information about that topic, and about the history of South...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: A New African American Culture
All immigrants to America bring a part of their homeland with them. The same was true of slaves. See how vocabulary, arts, and music were knit into American culture.
Varsity Tutors
Varsity Tutors: Web English Teacher: Langston Hughes
This resource focuses on the works of famous African-American author, Langston Hughes.
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: Influence of Folk
This site, which explores the influence of musical folk traditions in the poetry of Langston Hughes and Nicolas Guillen, provides lesson plans, a biography, examples of Hughes' poetry, and details about his meeting with Nicolas Guillen.
Other
The Georgia Sea Island Singers
The Georgia Sea Island Singers are carrying on the tradition of their ancestors by performing chants, work songs, and gospel songs all over the world.
Digital History
Digital History: Slave Culture
Find out about the contributions African slaves and African American slaves made to not only their culture, but American culture in general. See what words have African roots, how African culture influenced food and music, and how there...
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Multicultural America: Sierra Leonean Americans
Provides an overview of the traditional culture and lifestyle of Sierra Leonean Americans. (Note: Content is not the most current.)
John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: What Is Jazz?
This eight-page tutorial on jazz answers several basic questions (what is jazz, how did it develop) and keeps the topic of the tutorial focused within the realm of the African American understanding of jazz and focusing on its impact on...
Other
Saudi Aramco World: Muslim Roots, u.s. Blues
This site explores the link between Muslim traditions and American blues music. Using audio content, pictures, text, and the song ?Levee Camp Holler,? this site examines African Muslim history tied to the history of U.S. Blues.
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Multicultural America: Cape Verdean Americans
Provides an overview of the traditional culture and lifestyle of Cape Verdean Americans. (Note: Content is not the most current.)
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Multicultural America: Eritrean Americans
Provides an overview of the traditional culture and lifestyle of Eritrean Americans. (Note: Content is not the most current.)
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Multicultural America: Ethiopian Americans
Provides an overview of the traditional culture and lifestyle of Ethiopian Americans. (Note: Content is not the most current.)
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Multicultural America: Ghanaian Americans
Provides an overview of the traditional culture and lifestyle of Ghanaian Americans. (Note: Content is not the most current.)
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Multicultural America: Jamaican Americans
Provides an overview of the traditional culture and lifestyle of Jamaican Americans. (Note: Content is not the most current.)
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Multicultural America: Kenyan Americans
Provides an overview of the traditional culture and lifestyle of Kenyan Americans. (Note: Content is not the most current.)
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Multicultural America: Liberian Americans
Provides an overview of the traditional culture and lifestyle of Liberian Americans. (Note: Content is not the most current.)
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Multicultural America: Nigerian Americans
Provides an overview of the traditional culture and lifestyle of Nigerian Americans. (Note: Content is not the most current.)
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Berry Gordy, Jr.
This entry from Encyclopedia Brittanica's Guide to Black History features Berry Gordy, Jr., an American businessman, founder of the Motown Record Corporation (1959), which became the most successful black-owned music company in the...