Sigma Alpha Iota

Winter 2020 16 PAN PIPES MUSIC OF GHANA (roughly 400 miles). Gyil and kpanlogo lessons were taught with an additive approach, where the instructor would teach a section or phrase of music by rote and then add more until the whole piece had been learned. ere was lots of repetition in both gyil and drumming lessons because the music was ultimately played from memory and not from reading notated music. Aer morning lessons, lunch was served at 12:30 p.m. Lunch cuisine was prepared by Mama Rita, the DMC's head chef, and typically included some sort of variation of the following foods: rice or pasta, chicken, beans, vegetables, and a spicy tomato-based sauce. For drinks, bottled water and sodas made with cane sugar could be found in the refrigerator in the kitchen. ough the food was delicious and well-prepared, it is quite common for travelers' stomachs to get upset aer a few days of adjusting to the different foods and enzymes in those foods. Aer lunch, there was free time, where students could nap, socialize, or practice. It was also common for members of our group to go behind the DMC to e Mango Tree — a man's house that doubled as a canteen-esque hangout — to get drinks and socialize. I would suggest spending free time by talking with the Ghanaians because talking with locals is one of the best ways to learn about the culture of a new area. Because singing and dancing are essential parts of each song we learned in morning lessons, we had singing and dancing lessons to learn lyrics and choreography. ese lessons were taught by Joyce and Mercy in the courtyard of the DMC around 4:30 p.m. Aer aernoon lessons, we would all come together for dinner at approximately 7:00 p.m. around a long table placed on the courtyard or under the gazebo. Dinner consisted of food similar to lunch but never the same meal for lunch and dinner in the same day. During dinner, we would typically socialize and reflect on our days together between mouthfuls of delicious Ghanaian food. Usually, the socializing and reflecting would continue aer dinner, and the eating turned into playing card games or playing with the Ghanaian kids. is fun, carefree time continued until, one by one, students chose to go in for the night. ough I listed times for each function, I should note that the people at the DMC and throughout Ghana act on GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), which our group leader jokingly referred to as "Ghana Maybe Time." Sometimes lessons and meals started early, sometimes late, and even occasionally on time! is was due to many factors but most importantly, if everybody — teachers and students — was present and ready. Excursions On select days during aernoon free time at the DMC, we had short excursions led by members of the DMC staff. One of these excursions was exploring the town of Medie where we were introduced to a popular Ghanaian ice cream snack called Fan Ice. We also hiked up Woma Mountain (named aer the Woma family that founded the DMC) and discovered massive anthills that were taller than most of the members of our group! One of the most meaningful excursions for me was visiting the school next door to the DMC and observing some of their classes. I was shocked to find out that there were classes on technology, natural sciences, and even a class on government corruption. Each class was held in a small room built on a concrete slab with cinderblock walls and a tin roof, and only the youngest-aged children's classroom had a ceiling fan. Judging by the keen attention and respect the students gave to their young teacher, it seemed that the students were very apt and grateful to learn. A music-related excursion included meeting a gyil maker, Tijan, who we would meet again later when he played at our last night's performance. We went to Tijan's house to see where he chopped wood for the instruments All the members of the traveling group with their tour guide, Hamsa.

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