Sigma Alpha Iota

Fall 2019 43 PAN PIPES 2019 SAI Annual Awards Philanthropies T his June, I was fortunate enough to attend the World Music Drumming in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This opportunity was given to me through a Sigma Alpha Iota Professional Development Grant that I was awarded earlier this year. This workshop offered an in-depth study of cross-cultural drumming styles and how to implement the techniques taught into your own classroom. During the workshop, I had the opportunity to work with teachers from around the world and with a Master Musician from Ghana. When I arrived, I expected to be playing the drums 24/7, which was not the case. While a majority of the time was spent focused on drumming, we also participated in African song and dance. It was important to understand that when there is drumming in Ghana, there is dancing alongside it. One strong point made was that when the dancers are dancing they keep in close contact with the drummers to know when the "groove" will change, meaning that it is not exactly choreographed. While at the workshop, I learned a special dance called Kuku, which was traditionally danced in the old time, and was performed by women returning from fishing. Its fast rhythms and sharp movements each had their own meaning and significance, which made learning it even more special. Two different songs that I enjoyed singing, and I am very excited to bring back to my classroom, are "Si Si Si" and "Poglipalaganda," which are both call and response songs. While learning to sing these songs, we were also encouraged to sing in the origins style, meaning no vibrato, loud, and off the beat. Singing the songs was a challenge at first, because our bodies have developed a sense of western rhythms, but once I began listening rather than counting, everything came together. When we first began drumming, we spent about two hours focused on proper playing techniques. This helped us not only produce a quality sound, but also avoid injury. A big point that was made, which brought me clarity, was that just how we in the western culture use a solfege scale of Do Re Mi, it is very obvious when a drum is playing on the wrong syllable such as "Gee" or "Geh" in the African and Afro-Cuban cultures. Over the course of four days, we learned and perfected seven different ensembles, all with different "grooves." Each one of the ensembles had the ability to stand for itself as a piece or be an accompaniment to a song. The third ensemble we learned accompanied a traditional song called "Banuwa," but could also accompany the song "Take a Chance on Me" by ABBA. This demonstration of crossing the music into western culture showed me how often you can find the drumming patterns in todays Pop music, making it a cross-cultural connection and experience. During my time spent with Sowah, our Master Musician from Ghana, we spent a lot of time discussing cultural differences. One theme that repeated was the sense of community. When we asked Sowah what his favorite piece was to perform, he informed us that it did not matter what his favorite piece was, but rather what was best for the community at that time. The community is made up of many people, with male and female musicians. When asked why there are more males represented in the drumming community, he informed us that it was not an accurate statement; women serve a very important role in the community as both dancers and drummers. There are even female genre exclusive groups that are highly regarded in the community. Another cultural thing that amazed me was the fact that there is music and and dancing at all events. This means a social club would have their own music and drumming styles at their events. Children in Ghana are taught to feel the different grooves throughout their life through song, dance, and games, similar to how we teach our children to feel the steady beat and rhythms. When I came to Milwaukee to this conference, I thought that I would be learning drumming that I would only be able to use in after-school ensembles. Now I have learned so much more and will be able to fully integrate the curriculum presented at this workshop into my everyday classes. With a deeper understanding of the cultural roots that the drumming ensembles come from, I will be able to present a more diverse experience. Before I decided to attend the World Music Drumming Workshops, everyone repeatedly told me that I should try it, and now I know why. The workshops where structured very well, the staff was amazing to work with, and the amount of information I was presented with was priceless. If you are a general music teacher, no matter how many years you have been teaching, I recommend this workshop. Marybeth Lambert, an Elementary Music Teacher in Hillsborough County, is an affiliate of the Tampa Alumnae Chapter, serving as Vice President of Membership for the 2019-2020 year. World Music Drumming Marybeth Lambert and two of her school district colleagues.

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