Book Review
May. 30th, 2010 07:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariMusic In West Africa
by Ruth M. Stone
This was another book from the Oxford UP Global Music Series and was, unfortunately, the weakest by far. Stone seems to have written the book with the impression that the intended audience was unsophisticated middle school students with a very simple and limited understanding of or experience with the mechanics and performance of music. Thus, not only was the subject matter discussed in overly simple terms, the author also often came off as condescending. This became increasingly irritating as I made my way through the book.
What made this book a true disappointment, though, was the obvious richness of the Stone's subject matter: West African music in general and that of the Kpelle people of Liberia in particular. The examples on the accompanying CD were really great, and quite fascinating. There was a wide variety of instruments, styles, and genres, and the music itself was complex and compelling.
by Ruth M. Stone
This was another book from the Oxford UP Global Music Series and was, unfortunately, the weakest by far. Stone seems to have written the book with the impression that the intended audience was unsophisticated middle school students with a very simple and limited understanding of or experience with the mechanics and performance of music. Thus, not only was the subject matter discussed in overly simple terms, the author also often came off as condescending. This became increasingly irritating as I made my way through the book.
What made this book a true disappointment, though, was the obvious richness of the Stone's subject matter: West African music in general and that of the Kpelle people of Liberia in particular. The examples on the accompanying CD were really great, and quite fascinating. There was a wide variety of instruments, styles, and genres, and the music itself was complex and compelling.
