Through comparative listening, the Stories of Music: College Edition modules support the integration of Jewish music topics and history into a wide-range of university-level courses. Jewish Music in Uganda: Context, Tradition, and the Sound of Psalm 150 examines the musical and cultural life of the Abayudaya Jewish community, focusing on their distinctive Psalm-singing practices in Luganda and Hebrew. The module explores how music functions as a vehicle for resilience, religious identity, and cross-cultural exchange in this Jewish community of East Africa.

Designed for instructors, this guide provides historical context, curated listening examples, and pedagogical tools for analysis and class discussion, addressing the following key areas:

• The Abayudaya have adapted Hebrew liturgy through indigenous Ugandan musical styles and language.
• Psalm-singing illustrates how melody, rhythm, and text-setting reflect both spiritual values and local musical conventions.
• Language choice shapes communal identity, spiritual engagement, and links to global Jewish networks.

The guide includes curated listening examples of Psalm 150 by the Abayudaya community with both traditional Luganda and modern Hebrew renderings. Guided listening prompts, analytical observations, and discussion questions are provided for classroom use.

Instructors will engage students on questions such as:

• How does the music of the Abayudaya reflect both indigenous Ugandan musical traditions and external Jewish influences?
• How does the melodic structure and repetition of the melody change when the Psalm is sung in Hebrew, as opposed to the original Luganda?
• How do modern changes to the original text and performance practice of the psalm reflect the current spiritual and education needs of the Abayudaya community?

This Stories of Music lesson is made possible in part thanks to the generous support of the Azrieli Foundation.