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Songs in the past were performed during storytelling sessions among the Luo of Kenya.Mainly elderly women past menapouse told these stories and story- songs. The story-songs were narrated and sang by the children in the evenings in the siwindhe (grandmother´s hut). Storytelling sessions also took place in the duol where young men were told stories by elderly men. The traditional setting of storytelling is now almost extinct and the story- songs have now been moderated to their contemporary forms. In as much as these changes have taken place, analytical studies on Luo story-songs have not been given prominence. This book therefore analyzes Luo story-songs with regard to the musical and socio-cultural aspects in their indigenous and contemporary settings. The book is intended to be a relevant teaching resource for music teachers especially at primary school level and a source of information for researchers in socio-cultural studies. It is also intended to educate our youth about the components of their culture of stories and story-songs for the sake of continuity and at the same time give insights on the Luo and their cultures.

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John Philip Akumu has completed PhD in Music at Maseno University. Previous qualifications include MA in Music (Maseno University), B Ed in Music (University of East Anglia, UK.)and a Dip Ed in Music and Kiswahili(Kagumo Teachers College). At present he teaches music at Ongalo Secondary School and Nyanza Christian Teachers College.

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