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Thulani and the Rabbit
and other musical stories from
and other musical stories from
Pedro the Music Man
THULANI AND THE RABBIT is all about how musical instruments are made and played.
At the heart of each story there is a musical discovery. In the title story the audience meets a crafty rabbit who gets the better of a boy who wants to be a hunter by persuading him to turn his bow and arrow into a musical instrument. This is followed by a traditional story from Zimbabwe about a crocodile who gatecrashes a birthday party and gets addicted to sweets and mbira music.
Then there is a story is about the smallest boy in the village who finds an instrument, that gives him
the biggest voice out of a simple instrument he makes.
I also introduce the Lekgodilo, one of the most magical of all the instruments I play – it’s the worldʼs first flute, made with dry kelp found on the beach and without any side holes or mouthpiece.
My aim is to introduce children to the wealth of music that surrounds them, with a special focus on African music and its influence on modern music all over the world. The show highlights the elements of music and many different musical styles, and I demonstrate how to make and play string, wind and percussion instruments from easily available materials. It is designed to provide a real support for teachers, covering specific aims of the arts and science curricula in a fun and creative way.
African music is very seldom played by one musician alone and audience participation plays a very big part in this show. The children set the scene for each story, making sound pictures of the forest, the seashore, the bushveld, or a busy village scene. Volunteers are brought on stage to create an orchestra of kazoos to end the show in style.
The show includes a CD of the music played and examples of the instruments demonstrated.
To make a booking please phone 021 685 4704 or 084 2300683
or email musicman@iafrica.com
Another Lion on the Path
( aka The Sweet-toothed Crocodile”)
This show features three stories from Zimbabwe which are great tales with unforgettable characters, and very special music. All of them include call-and-answer singing, and they showcase the mibra and the kalimba, the most complex and unique African instruments.
The first story is about an hyena who learns to sing so he can trick his way into the heroine Karizowe’s cave. Then there’s the lion who can’t help dancing when he hears kalimba music, which is very useful for the man who finds the lion on his path. Finally there’s the story about Nyangara the Python who knows how to cure the village chief as long as you sing a nice song to him.
Some biographical notes
I was born in Spain and went to live in France with my family at the age of eight. I came to South Africa as a nineteen-year old with my two older brothers in 1972 to make our living as professional musicians. Not long after I arrived here I had the good fortune to be introduced to African music by Andrew Tracey and I began what became my lifelong career, learning and teaching in this field.
I established the African music programme at the University of Cape Town and went on to establish and direct the music department at the Giyani College of Education. I continue to run teacher-training programs for education authorities and NGOs across Southern Africa.
As much as I am committed to teaching, I also love my work as a performer, musician, composer and story-teller. I became well-known in South Africa as “Pedro the Music Man” from my long-running television series in 1990's. I often perform at conferences, schools and festivals in Europe and the USA. In 2010 I created the Vuvuzela Orchestra as a link between music education and the Soccer World Cup. I have performed with Madosini for many years now and are about to publish our first CD as the MadoJazz group playing with Hilton Schilder and Jonny Blundel.
Some comments on previous work
"I was stunned by your workshop. You are clearly very deeply involved with children and their teachers and have honed a manner and style that loses no time in getting people right to the music making."
Patricia Campbell, Professor of Music, University of Washington, USA
"You inspire the children to want to learn more about music, to want to make music and to develop their respect for the music of other cultures."
Director of Childrenʼs Education, San Francisco Botanical Gardens, USA
"It is simply impossible to explain to you how much the staff and children enjoyed your performance... you really breathed a breath of fresh air and enormous joy into all our lives."
John Wesley Primary School, Pinetown, South Africa
"The teachers and the children were enchanted by the performance. The older children told us that this was the best show they had ever seen at school."
Principal, Newtown Primary School, Wiltshire, UK
