Folk song trilogy was written in 1998 by Anne McGinty and is the first of two of her compositions based on African folk songs. It was written with the research assistance of Bryan Burton, Associate Professor of Music Education at West Chester University in Pennsylvania.

The original folk melodies of this song are rooted in various African tribes. The first selection, Banuwa, is from western Africa and was also used by Christian missionaries who reused the melody along with the simple two word lyric, “Sing Noel.” The literal English translation of the lyrics however is “Don't cry little girl.” The second half of the song is comprised of two other African melodies, Ditho tsa mmele and Sansa Kroma. The first is a South African children's song similar in purpose to the English children's song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” and was used to help children remember the names of body parts. Sansa Kroma is a children's game song, much in the same frame of reference as common Western children's games such as “Duck, Duck, Goose.” In Sansa Kroma, a young chick is chased around by a hawk (sansa) but is saved and protected by her friends.

The majority of the work is very straightforward, with common rhythms and normal instrument ranges. The Ditho tsa mmele section introduces a brief four part canon section, with entries staggered by two beats. The Sansa Kroma section introduces syncopation in two different rhythmic forms forming a complete four bar phrase. The two parts of the phrase resemble a musical question and answer.

Could be used as an introduction to African drumming and rhythmic improvisation.