Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region IX, Zamboanga Peninsula
Division of Zamboanga Del Norte
PIÑAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Piñan, Zamboanga Del Norte

MAPEH 7
THIRD QUARTER
Week 1

MODULE 1
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MUSIC OF
MINDANAO

PREPARED BY
CARDEB JELL S. MAGNO
SUBJECT TEACHER
 MUSIC 7
MODULE 1

What I need to Know

Culture is a strong part of people's lives. It influences their views, their values, their humor,
their hopes, their loyalties, and their worries and fears. So when you are working with people and
building relationships with them, it helps to have some perspective and understanding of their cultures.

Although most people have their own preference on the type of music that they enjoy listening
to, each culture can agree that the tunes are an important part of life with expressing ourselves as
human beings. By appreciating the art form, it makes it easy to unite and relate to others who are
different than ourselves.

This module is designed to explore the musical characteristics of the music of Mindanao that
will help you expand your knowledge about its people, lifestyle, and culture.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this module you should be able to:

1. Identify the musical characteristics present in a certain Mindanao musical composition

2. Perform musical pieces from Mindanao with the application of its characteristics

What I Know

Instruction: Identify if the indigenous group is Islamic or non- Muslim. Write I if it is, and N if not.

1. ___ Badjao 11. ___ Samal

2. ___ Maguindanao 12. ___ Mandaya
3. ___ Maranao 13. ___ Mansaka
4. ___ Bagobo 14. ___ Matigsalug
5. ___ Bilaan 15. ___ Tiruray
6. ___ Tausug
7. ___ Yakan
8. ___ Manobo
9. ___ Subanon
10. ___ T’boli
What’s In
For many years there are more than 40 different ethnic groups in the Philippine archipelago.  
Each group has a distinct culture and language. Several of these ethnic groups can be distinguished as
"tribal groups". They are 'indigenous groups' who still live in a rather traditional way.

On Mindanao live 18 tribal Filipino groups. The most well-known are the T'boli and the B'laan.
The other groups are the Ata, Bagobo, Banwaon, Bukidnon, Dibabawon, Higaunon, Kalagan, Mamanwa,
Mandaya, Mangguwangan, Manobo, Mansaka, Subanen, Tagakaolo, Teduray and the Ubo.

What’s New

What can you say about the photo below? Write your answer on the space provided

_______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What is It

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MUSIC OF MINDANAO

A. ISLAMIC MUSIC

Characteristics of Islamic Music

 Melisma singing - a group of notes sung to one syllable of text.

 Song Phrases - the smallest musical unit that conveys a more or less complete musical
though

 Narrow singing - a technique that is used to help train singing through narrowed vowels
and improving the articulation of your lyrics when singing high.

 Fluid singing – a group of notes that is sung continuously without rest

 Tremolo - the rapid reiteration of a musical tone or of alternating tones to produce a

trembling effect

 Strained Voice – to tighten the throat muscles

 Nasal Enunciation - in regards to singing, it is the clarity or particular way words are
pronounced in a song

Vocal Music

 Life cycle
o Langan Bata Bata – Lullabye of Tausug
o Dekir – death song of Maranao

 Religious Chants
o Salathul Juma – Friday prayer chant
o Tarawe – chant during the Ramadan

 Folk Epic
o Rajah Indarapatra – Maguindanao
o Darangen – Maranao
 B. NON- ISLAMIC MUSIC OF MINDANAO
Vocal Music
 Life cycle
o Yadadang – lullabye of Bilaan
o Manambay – chant on circumscision ritual of Subanon
o Kambong – love incantation of Manobo
o Balow – song for a dead husband of Matigsalug

 Occupational Song
o Gago Napu – song for either hunting or fishing of Subanon
o Balatuking – Manobo harvest song

 Ritual Song
o Diwata – for curing ceremony of Subanon
o Pamasag – for victory celebration of Manobo

What’s More

Activity 1: Learn the Dindikan, using the lyrics and musical sheet provided. Upon performing, apply the
certain characteristics that would identify it as an Islamic music.
Evaluation of Singing Activity

Rating Scale: 5- Very Good 2- Poor

4- Good 1- Needs Follow up

3- Fair

1. How well did you express the message of the song? __________
2. How well did you pronounce the lyrics of the song? __________
3. How well did you sing or hum the melody? __________

Activity 2. Getting to Know the Culture

Research about the connection of music to the culture of the people living in Mindanao. Answer
the following questions right after.

 How does music reflect the different aspects of their culture?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
 What is the relevance of music in their society?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Activity 3. Creating and Performing Activities

1. Create a musical composition which includes the characteristics of the music of

Mindanao. Whether be it a life cycle song, religious, folk epic, ritual or occupational song.
2. Explore ways of creating sounds as accompaniment for the music, using variety of sources
or materials from the environment.

Evaluation of Creating and Performing Activities

1. Musicianship (50%) __________

2. Presentation impact and showmanship (50%) __________
What I have Learned

Mindanao is a Muslim outpost in the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines. Although

Muslims are no longer a majority, Islamic culture is evident.

The characteristics of Islamic music in Mindanao would be melisma singing, song phrases,
narrow singing, fluid singing, tremolo, strained voice, and nasal enunciation. Vocal music lyrics tends to
deal with life cycle, religious chants, folk epics, occupational songs, and rituals.

What I can Do

1. With the help of social media and to test your social skills, look for two friends from Mindanao,
one Muslim, and one Lumad.
2. Ask them to sing one song from their ethnoliguistic group and have it on video.
3. Present to your teacher the performance of your friends and recite the list of characteristics of
the music that you have noticed in the performances.

EVALUATION

Test I. Fill in the blanks. Choose the correct answer in the box provided.

Melisma fluid singing

Strained voice song phrases

Tremolo narrow singing

1. __________ is the rapid reiteration of a musical tone or of alternating tones to produce a

trembling effect.
2. The smallest musical unit that conveys a more or less complete musical though is called a
__________.
3. __________ is a group of notes sung to one syllable of text.
4. It is to tighten the throat muscles so you will have a __________.
5. A group of notes that is sung continuously without rest can create the melody of a __________.
Test II. Identify what type of song the given word is. Encircle the letter with the correct answer.

1. Dekir - death song of Maranao

a. Life cycle
b. Religious chants
c. Folk epic
2. Tarawe - chant during the Ramadan
a. Life cycle
b. Religious chants
c. Folk epic
3. Darangen - Maranao
a. Life cycle
b. Religious chants
c. Folk epic
4. Balatuking - Manobo harvest song
a. Life cycle
b. Occupational song
c. Ritual song
5. Diwata - for curing ceremony of Subanon
a. Life cycle
b. Occupational song
c. Ritual song
 ANSWER KEY

What I Know

1. I 6. I 11. I
2. I 7. I 12. N
3. I 8. N 13. N
4. N 9. N 14. N
5. N 10. N 15. N

Activity 2

1. The culture of the people from Mindanao can absolutely be seen or heard in the melody and
lyrics of their songs. The music reflects their ways of life by telling it in a song, same with
their beliefs when it comes to singing about either religion, rituals and stories that they tell
through epics. The melody and sounds that they use in making the music shows what kind of
resources are near them which help build a strong foundation for their society to flourish.
The sounds they make depicts the surrounding music that nature gives them.
2. Music is used in many occasions when it comes to the Muslims or the non-Muslims of
Mindanao. It is used in weddings, burials, rituals, religious gatherings, accompaniment of
dances, and any social events.

Test 1 Test 2

1. Tremolo 1. a
2. Song phrases 2. b
3. Melisma 3. c
4. Strained voice 4. b
5. Fluid singing 5. c

REFERENCES
https://www.slideshare.net/elmerllames/music-of-mindanao-islam-and-nonislamppt-1-k12

https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/culture-and-
diversity/main#:~:text=Culture%20is%20a%20strong%20part,and%20understanding%20of%20their
%20cultures.

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-significance-of-music-in-human-culture

https://thevocaliststudio.com/singing-narrowed-vowels-head-voice-techniques/

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F
%2Fsppcsophomores20102011.files.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fdindikan.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A
%2F%2Fsppcsophomores20102011.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F07%2F25%2Fmusic-of-mindanao
%2F&tbnid=pgGoFhwLPNgvxM&vet=12ahUKEwjxkpzL4YHqAhXOEKYKHXzvAyIQMygPegUIARDDAQ..i&doc
id=w3OXIeTwfqjPCM&w=812&h=394&q=mindanao%20islamic%20songs%20musical
%20sheets&ved=2ahUKEwjxkpzL4YHqAhXOEKYKHXzvAyIQMygPegUIARDDAQ

https://www.britannica.com/place/Mindanao

https://phmindanao.weebly.com/ethnic-tribes.html