Calypso, mento and soca
Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the core features of calypso, mento and soca and can complete a short calypso creative task.
Key learning points
- Calypso and mento are important musical styles from the Caribbean that have their roots in colonial history.
- While they have some similar features, there are big differences in lyrics, origins and instrumentation.
- Soca is a repetitive, catchy upbeat style that developed from calypso in the 1970s as a form of dance music.
- All three styles use some similar syncopated rhythms.
- Steel pans are a key part of the culture of Trinidad and Tobago, and often perform calypso as well as other styles.
Keywords
Calypso - Calypso is a style of music from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean.
Mento - Mento is a Jamaican style of music with many similarities to calypso.
Soca - Soca (short for ‘soul of Calypso’) is an upbeat style that developed out of Calypso in the 1970s. It is often heard at carnival and used for dancing.
Steel pans - Steel pans are pitched percussion instruments from Trinidad and Tobago. They come in different sizes/pitches and are often used in large bands.
Common misconception
Calypso, mento and soca are different versions of the same musical style.
Although they have superficial similarities, these are all distinct styles with different features and histories. Soca is strongly linked to calypso and can be seen as an offshoot of that style, but mento is a completely separate tradition.
Teacher tip
To extend the calypso composition task, consider asking pupils to make their own chord sequence (instead of using the modelled one) and consider pushing pupils to compose a melody over the top, using melody-writing techniques that they have previously learnt.
Equipment
DAW or notation software
Licence
Sign in to continue
Our content remains 100% free, but to access certain copyrighted materials, you'll need to sign in. This ensures we’re both staying within the rules.
P.S. Signing in also gives you more ways to make the most of Oak like unit downloads!
