Focus on Australian perspectives through song
Discuss cultural representations through language
Group 1. What is Australian culture?
Group 2. Why are songs used to represent culture?
Group 3. What creates culture? What are elements of culture?
Group 4. What language features are commonly used to show Australian perspective? What language features show cultural perspective generally in songs?
Group 5. What cultural purpose might songs be used for?
Made up of different parts
Colonial culture (originally from England), now showing impacts of globalisation e.g. US
Indigenous culture and First Nations peoples (connections and custodianship of the land); stories (oral histories) and languages (Nation dialects)
Characteristics of Australians - easygoing, casual, laid-back - stereotypes (often from other countries)
Diverse - many cultures and cultural backgrounds
Stereotypes - e.g. Vegemite
Language - 'Strine, slang, colloquialism
Migrant and immigrant cultures
Expressing culture
Telling a story - (cultural background) in a short time
Accessibility - does not require reading skills, often broadcast widely, often easier to understand
Captures a moment in time - shows a particular event/moment/perspective/emotion
Set to music - can communicate cultural traditions, or the 'sound' of a culture; can show emotion or tone
Music is understood by the emotional and creative part of our brain - more connections and messages can be shown than just in speech
Created by diverse groups sharing unique ways
Interconnectedness with others
Language, clothing, food, religion, beliefs, values, recreation, traditions, history, practices, social norms
Gives groups of people a sense of belonging and unity
Culture is created out of nessesity - often new types of culture are created through collectively experiencing challenges or hardships
This means that there are micro-cultures within broader cultures - e.g. the culture of a particular family group; within a Wiradjuri community; within the broader Wiradjuri Nation; within the Indigenous culture of Australia
It is important not to generalise about culture because there are many different aspects of cultures and many smaller cultural norms/groups within bigger cultures
Belonging is a basic human need
Slang/colloquial language e.g. sheila, stubby, servo, mate, devo, derro, ciggies, durries
Accent, vocal tone
Imagery, particularly of the Australian landscape or a specific type of Australian person
Often uses first person perspective and inclusive pronouns (e.g. we, us, our), sometimes contrasted with exclusive pronouns (e.g. they, them, theirs)
Inclusion of dialect or cultural language
Culturally specific instruments/musical techniques e.g didgeridoo (Indigenous Australian), Indian drums, Taiko drums (Japanese), bagpipes (Scottish), banjo (West African), spoons (Alabamian)
Inclusion of/allusion to culturally specific stories e.g. The Swagman Story (Australian colonial), colonisation (Australian), Dreamtime stories (Indigenous Australian Nations), war stories (Australian soldiers - time specific, immigrants, displaced people), holocaust (Jewish populations, immigrants)
Dancing - enjoyment and entertainment
Telling and maintain history (stories)
Creating and communicating identity, feelings about beliefs, events etc.
Protest music, calls to action