Hello there! 

We’re the Ostmo family, and we love learning about countries and people. Our oldest daughter, Melaya, has tons of friends all around the world, and today she’s been talking to her friend Monica who lives in Jamaica, more than 4,000 miles from London!

Reggae is Jamaicans’ National Treasure

Melaya wondered what type of music Jamaicans prefer. Monica said that when her mom cooks she likes to listen to reggae and ska on the radio. 

Monica explained to Melaya that reggae and ska are two types of music that are very popular in Jamaica. She says that they have a happy rhythm that makes people want to dance and sing along with it. Some people say that reggae is the national music of Jamaica because so many Jamaicans love it. Though they are similar, there are differences between them. Reggae is played with instruments like the guitar, piano, bass, and drums while ska is played with instruments like the guitar, saxophone, and trombone.

For Monica and Jamaicans, their music is a way of expressing their feelings about life. It is also a way for them to show the world who they are and where they come from. 

Have you ever heard of this kind of music? 

Some people say that sometimes reggae can sound extravagant. When you feel something extravagant, it means that something is extremely special and extraordinary. The same thing goes for reggae music; some people think that it sounds like this because it’s not that common to hear this kind of music in some places of the world, but Alonso doesn’t think the same.

If you hear Mexican music, you might want to dance along to the rhythm like Alonso

Alonso is another friend of Melaya who lives in Mexico. Here’s pretty common to see people listen to reggae but some of the music genres that Mexicans like to hear the most are corridos, ranchera, mariachi, and banda but his family is more a mariachi kind of people. This is a very common music genre for Mexicans and it’s not hard to find someone singing or playing the guitar or even the accordion. 

Like Melaya, Alonso has friends around the world and their friends always say to him that they found Mexican music quite inspiring. Inspiring means something that is very emotionally exciting and makes you feel strongly interested and enthusiastic. This is what Alonso loves about Mexican music! 

Have you ever wondered why Flamenco is called like that?

Speaking of Alonso and Melaya’s friends we should say hi to Lucia! She’s from Spain which is only 1,000 miles from London.

The most popular Spanish music genre is similar to Mexico’s music and it’s called flamenco. Flamenco is a musical style that originated in Andalusia, Spain. The word “flamenco” is a derivative of the Spanish word “flam”, meaning “to scream”. Lucia told Melaya that she has listened to some flamenco concerts with her parents before and she likes to dance to the rhythm of the sublime flamenco music. 

Flamenco can be especially emotional, she said, and it is not just a dance style but also a way of life. Lucia enjoys listening to Spanish music while she is at home or traveling around Spain with her parents.

How Bollywood music has influenced Indian Pop Music

Now, if we travel more than 4,000 miles we can find a particular music genre that many people might find stylized or distinctive. This genre is called Indian Pop, one of Aarush favorite genres.

And as you could tell we are now in India! This is where Aarush is from. The last time he and Melaya spoke Aarush was in a hurry because he was running late for a dance lesson. The lesson was in the evening and it was very important to him because in India you have to be a great dancer so you can act in Bollywood movies, where Indian Pop Music comes from.

Bollywood is a type of Indian film industry and it’s pretty usual to find Pop music there. Indian Pop is very popular in India and it uses instruments like the tabla and sitar, which are common Indian instruments. The music style often mixes traditional Indian sounds with other genres like pop, rock, or even rap! The music is very fast-paced and makes you want to dance because it’s also very catchy! Aarush always says to Melaya, “once you hear it, you can’t get it out of your head!”.

You probably have never heard about this music genre: Gnawa music

Moving on, we have one last friend to see for today and she lives in Morocco. Her name is Fatima and she loves Gnawa music!

Fatima told to Melaya that this is an example of traditional Moroccan music. The name “Gnawa” comes from the word “spirit”, as this music uses a lot of percussion instruments like tambourines, drums, and clappers along with flutes to create a cool sound! They use their music to communicate with each other, to tell stories, and even to heal people. It’s a type of music that has been around for generations and is still performed today.

Gnawa musicians can be seen playing in some of the streets of Morocco and even though it’s not very popular outside this country, it’s still considered a national treasure.

Melaya told to Fatima that she would like to learn more about worldwide music genres because she was interested in learning about different cultures and their music.

So, what is your favorite genre? What type of music do you like to play or listen to? Tell us in the comments. And If you want to learn more about music, make sure to download the activity pack. We have flashcards, a learning guide, handwriting sheets, and drawings pages all dedicated to various music genre around the world!

Melaya loves chatting with kids from all over the world! If you want to teach Melaya about where you live or your favorite activities, please tell your mom or dad to use @learningtail on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to get in touch with us.