Before my trip I was guilty of generalizing the West African culture. My stay in Ghana cured me of this misconception as I learned how much diversity there is between tribes, languages, traditions, dances and instrumentation within the country of Ghana alone. By the end of the trip I could see dramatic differences between the clothing, instrumentation and dancing between the Dagomba tribe and the Ewe tribe, for instance.
I saw first hand how Ewe language is tonal and many rhythms mimic the language. This is how rhythms themselves can communicate specific information. Many books discuss the ways in which West Africans communicate with drums. The history books note that slaves communicated with drums as they came to the United States. I could never truly understand how this could be possible until I sat and worked with a helpful child in Kopeyia. As I practiced the kroboto part in the piece Agbekor, he translated it for me and told me that the kroboto rhythm was saying, “Go to the bush.”
The experiences that I had studying Ewe music and dance were profound and transforming. Equally profound was the process in which they were taught, through the aural tradition. Within our culture, teaching music aurally is often misunderstood and thought to be substandard to reading musical notation. I am defending the aural tradition because I discovered that it is inseparable from the music and is critical to understanding and appreciating it. I have also learned that truly teaching in the aural tradition is an art in itself and is effective, thus it has been used in virtually every culture around the globe for thousands of years.
As I continue to reflect on this experience I’ve discovered many surprising similarities to my immersion in a foreign culture that directly compare to the day-in-the-life of an adolescent! My time at the Dagbe Center and every other experience that I had in Ghana allowed me to experience what it is like to be a student again! In my career as a middle school music teacher, I make an effort to empathize with adolescents by acknowledging the challenges that students face on a daily basis. In addition to attending a new school, students are dealing with physical changes, social changes and increased responsibility. All of these factors contribute to an unfamiliar and sometimes challenging world for kids.
In Ghana, I was immersed in a completely unfamiliar environment that was at times uncomfortable. Even with my best effort to be considerate of the culture, I still made mistakes and was corrected for taking a photo at an inappropriate time, using my left hand, and greeting someone incorrectly. Sometimes I was unfamiliar with the social expectations, other times I simply forgot the different rules of etiquette even though my intentions were good and I meant no disrespect to the people.
This made me consider the way an adolescent is in the midst of transition between childhood and a teen. This experience reminded me that kids are sometimes muddling through a new world that they don’t understand yet. I thought about how embarrassing it was for me to be corrected when I committed social faux pas, like mistakenly using my left hand, or greeting someone as though they were my enemy! I also often forget how painful learning can be. I’m grateful that in addition to the authentic experience with Ewe music and the aural tradition, I was immersed in an unfamiliar world and through that experience I got a powerful reminder as to what it feels like to have to figure it out.
As I became aware of the connection between my experiences in Ghana and a day in the life of an adolescent, I also began to pay close attention to the way that I felt, and the way that I reacted to the challenges throughout the learning process. I also thought about the reactions within our group and had a sense that I might see some of the same reactions that I see in my classroom!
I think that it is important to mention that this experience was filled with tremendous joy the majority of the time, but for this blog I will put a lot of focus on some of the more troubling emotions because after all, teaching would be easy if everyone was happy and comfortable all the time! Being a student gave me an opportunity to remember the emotions and reactions associated with learning challenges.
I was able to reduce all emotions as being rooted in frustration. Once frustration occurred, a multitude of other things began to happen within me. First, the inner dialog started. I thought about the fact that I needed help, but I didn’t know what to ask. If I did ask a question I was afraid it had already been answered and I would be asking them to repeat. I tried to figure out how the parts all worked together but I couldn’t make any sense of what was going on. From there I became overwhelmed. Because I couldn’t understand how all the drum parts worked together I couldn’t use them to remember my part on the sogo or the kidi drums. As a result, when I stopped playing, I forgot my part and was unable to come in correctly or play it without the help of a teacher. I concentrated intently but still felt lost. Distracting thoughts took over my mind. I started looking around thinking that I was the only one that didn’t understand what was happening. I then became less focused and got further away from being able to play the part. I wanted to give up and take a break. Out of disgust with myself I had to resist the urge to sigh or roll my eyes! This was an “ah ha” moment for me! Perhaps my students get frustrated with themselves and want desperately to get it right just like I do!
As I come back to my teacher’s philosophy about learning through life experiences I know even more after this field study that he could not have been more correct. There is no substitute for experiencing this music within the cultural context that it exists. I feel extremely fortunate to have attended a funeral and a shrine ceremony where I saw dancing and drumming in its true form as it was intended. We cannot go back to Beethoven’s era and experience the world that his music was created in. With the exception of a few jazz clubs around the United States, it is rare to see jazz being created as part of the culture as it was intended. It is rare to see any style of music that is as old Ewe pieces are, still being performed traditionally. I had the extreme experience of being a student in a completely unfamiliar world. The perspective that I got from essentially “walking in my students’ shoes” is one that I could not have gotten any other way. This was the professional development endeavor of a lifetime. The books give us the facts but it is the sounds, smells, traditions, culture, emotions, thoughts, and reactions that we have, that are the missing pieces of the puzzle. These elements are the parts of the experience that create the connection to and appreciation of the culture, the music, the process, and the people. All of these factors worked together to create an unforgettable period of growth for me as a teacher and a musician. It is my hope that I can pass on the cycle of learning to my students by encouraging them to be curious about worlds different from their own, and for them to be passionate enough to take the necessary risks to do so.
Thank you so much Cape Elizabeth Education Foundation for your assistance in innovating the classroom, and helping teachers to grow and develop to the best of their ability!
Click on the photo to see more from the African Encounters Tour Gallery.