Valanga Khoza and Leo Dale - teacher’s notes
How it works
Valanga Khoza and Leo
Dale have a show suitable for preschool to year 12, which can be
adapted to suit the age, size and musical background of the group
involved. They have performed in schools in every state as well as
doing shows for kids at Festivals all around Australia over a period of
10
years. In schools they perform without a
PA, teachers often being amazed that they can mesmerise an entire
school
through the power of acoustic music. They can set up in 15 minutes.
‘An impressive show - bringing a whole new dimension to music performance. Worked well with students - highly interactive. Activities were very practical, easy to follow and clearly linked to themes in the show.’ - Rachael Meyers , Nambour Christian College
What it is
This performance explores
the seperate but parallel journeys of Valanga Khoza and Leo Dale over
thirty years. Related through a series of funny anecdotes, it is the
story of two lives told through music. It reveals their
growth as artists and their eventual meeting in Melbourne. All of this
is set to a background of soaring jazz together with the indestructible
groove
of Soweto and told by master story tellers.
‘I have been involved in booking Arts Council performances for approximately 8 years and was very impressed with the professionalism of these artists. Their entire package was educational, organised and presented with loads of energy and commitment. Outstanding rapport with students.’ - David Walker, Coolum State High School.
‘I have been involved in booking Arts Council performances for approximately 8 years and was very impressed with the professionalism of these artists. Their entire package was educational, organised and presented with loads of energy and commitment. Outstanding rapport with students.’ - David Walker, Coolum State High School.
K a l i m b a ( t h u m b p i a n o )
About the Instruments
Here are some brief notes on the instruments that Valanga and Leo play.
The Saxophones were invented in the 1840's by Adolph Sax and are made of brass with a single reed mouthpiece. Leo plays the baritone and the soprano saxes. The soprano sounds an octave and a half higher than the baritone and is straight, which often causes people to think it is a brass clarinet (an instrument that does exist). Both the baritone and soprano are widely used in popular music.
The Flutes come in many different shapes and sizes. Leo plays the soprano flute (commonly known as ‘the flute’, it is an orchestral intrument) and the alto flute, which is longer and sounds a half octave lower. The alto flute has a very haunting sound and is often featured in nature documentaries. Flutes are one of the oldest instuments, the original flutes being made out of bone and bamboo (they still play bamboo flutes today in many parts of the world).
The Djembe is from West Africa, particularly Senegal, Guinea, Mali and the Ivory Coast. It has a head of goat skin . Much wider at the top, its shell is shorter and pinched in at the base (a bit like a goblet). Also played with hands, the sound is at once brighter, deeper and louder than a conga, and thus it is often used for solos.
The Voice is the oldest instrument in the world and Valanga makes extensive use of it: singing, rapping and making all sorts of other sounds! The Language that Valanga sings in is Tsonga, spoken mainly in the Limpopo province, which is 3 hours north of Johannesburg in South Africa.
The Shijororo is also known as the jaw harp. It consists of a metal reed that is placed between the teeth and it uses the inside of the mouth as a resonating cavity. By mooving his mouth around Valanga can accentuate different harmonics to make the shijororo sing.
The Shipendane looks like a bow and arrow and so Valanga cannot carry it on the plane any more! By hitting the string of the bow rhythmically and holding one end to his mouth he is able to to create sounds again using the inside of his mouth.
The Guitar almost needs no introduction but did you know that the first written mention of the guitar proper is from the 14th century. The guitar probably originated in Spain, attaining its modern form in the mid 18th century and the electric guitar originated in the USA in the 1930s. They can now be found in many different shapes, sizes and pitches all around the globe.
The Kalimba is Valanga's favourite instrument and is common in different forms throughout Africa. It often called the thumb piano and is played by plucking metal prongs with your thumbs. You get the same effect by putting a ruler on the edge of a desk and flicking it with your thumb.
‘Valanga and Leo
were
fantastic’ - Michael Hurst, Miriam Vale Primary School
About the musicians
Valanga and Leo have decades of experience on large and small stages all around the world. They are specialists in taking their audiences on a journey into a world of sound. Renowned for their performances for children, they quickly develop a strong rapport with all ages through the magic of story telling, with the added tonal warmth of beautifully played instruments from traditions around the globe.
Valanga Khoza is South African born and bred. He has lived in Swaziland, Mozambique, USA and Australia since 1989. He grew up singing, playing kalimba and the Shijororo (jaw harp) eventually learning to play guitars, traditional flutes and various other African instruments. Along the way he has studied business administration, accounting and worked for an investment banking firm in New York. His performances are distinguished by passionate and energetic presentation of voice, percussion, song, traditional instruments and dance.
Leo Dale was born 6 months before Valanga and grew up in Melbourne Australia. He started gigging at the age of 11 and toured to Japan with the National Boys Choir at age 14. At about that time he took up flute and didn t start playing sax until he was 19. He now plays all the saxes, two flutes and sings in various groups and is best known for his work with Oxo Cubans. Along the way he has worked planting cane and as a camera operator, a medical records clerk, and a taxi driver. He is a registered instrumental teacher. Leo does most of the booking and publicity work for the duo.
Requirements
When it comes to staging, Valanga and Leo are about as flexible as you can get. This is mainly due to there not being any electric instruments in the band. The venue can be indoor or outdoor with a performance space of approximately 3m by 1m.
The only other requirement is that the venue should have reasonable acoustics: Hard surfaced halls or gyms are possible, although they tend to reduce the enjoyment of the performance for all concerned. A double cassroom is ideal or an auditorium if the school has a theatre space. These things being considered they are quite happy to perform in front of very large audiences.
‘An excellent performance that was thoroughly enjoyed by students and staff who attended. 100% happy.’ - Julia Jose, Bundaberg State High School
