It's a Groove Thing

(Aug 2)

The ante was raised in drumming class.  The instructors are letting us choose to review or move on to more complicated parts.  Laura and I elected to move on, and we are both struggling a bit to keep up with the pace of class, which is moving at a speed that is more appropriate for the 5 percussionists in our group, however the teachers help us hold our own. The music is dense, intense, and complex, and it is also starting to tax our technical abilities.

We are all encouraged to take private lessons.  The Dagbe Center is a very important part of the economy of the Kopeyia community, and so teaching there is a coveted job.   With the current Dollar to Cedis conversion rate, a one hour lesson runs around $8.50. 

Today, Laura, Valerie, a professor of Music Education at University of Laval in Quebec City, and I took a private drumming lesson where we started learning "Tokoe."

None of us are hot shots, and our instructor, Mensa, is very patient (he teaches kindergarten at the local school.) Needless to say, the class moved at a more friendly pace. Being a good teacher, Mensa also assigned us homework for next time we meet.

Though it is physically demanding, dance class is a blast.  I (Mark) feel like I can move properly, but transitions are very hard to hear because the musical cues, sent at the whim of the master drummer, are often subtly embedded in a swirl of the music. With West African music, the "beat" is put in the dancers' feet. The contrasting "rhythms" are played by the musicians on various instruments.  These rhythms all seem to originate at unusual (and hard to get to) places. 

Before dinner a group of the girls visited the local tailor. Tomorrow we're going to go to the market tomorrow to buy fabric. I (Laura) plan on having a dress made. The tailor's shop is a circular hut made of cement with a thatch roof. He uses a coal iron and a beautiful old-fashion sewing machine.

Later in the day, Paul, one of our teachers whose uncle is the tailor, took us on a walk through the village. We were a small group, so it was a more intimate look into village life. Paul showed us his place and we ran into several of our teachers at their homes. We observed village life, boiling an egg for lunch over a small fire, a new born baby goat taking his first steps, kids cooking, women pulling water from a well. It was wonderful!

This evening I continued my private dance lessons. I was working with George, who is a very talented musician and dancer...  and goodness, he can play the master drum LOUD! Now that private lessons are started it can be challenging to find a place that is removed from all the music other people are playing. George, two other dancers, and myself found a quieter place at the front of the center. A solitary lightbulb added to the pale moonlight that kept trying to peak through the floating clouds..  it was a very "I'm in Ghana moment." We're both so thankful to be here. Thanks Derby Academy and Jeremy for making this fabulous experience possible

It was wonderful to have a closer look at daily life.

Cheers,

Laura & Mark