FINDING OUR VOICE: A CRITIQUE OF EUROCENTRISM

The focus of this book is to investigate whether Xhosa children of South Africa could sing indegenous Xhosa songs with better accuracy (pitch, rythm, diction, expressiveness, and overall performance) than European folk songs. Attitude towards Xhosa indigenous music was investigated. This book provides evidence that Xhosa children like to sing their home language songs and they perform these songs significantly better than Europen folk songs. Young people find singing Xhosa music an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. The inclusion of Xhosa songs as part of the music curricula of South Africa can be an important means by which Xhosa music and culture are learned, shared and developed. The children of South Africa deserve, like children everywhere, to know their roots and traditions. Multicultural music education needs materials to share with people from other cultures of the world. At present, very few collections of South African songs are available.