I know the account says, John, but this is Lauren! Signing into the blogsite threw me a curveball with today's new-fangled security options. But that's nothing too bad because our trip has had a few curveballs (nothing terrible!). We've been rewarded for the journey getting here with cool weather and for that we are all very happy. This truly is an experience and I'm incredibly grateful to be here. Our hosts and teachers have been incredibly supportive, funny, and they expect a lot out of us. That is an honor. For the most part we are polishing, adding to, and going deeper into some pieces that we've learned back at St. Mike's. Our group is also supportive, funny, and really just trying to take it all in. We've seen a soccer game, the market, a funeral, a local kinka group, and many other things that continue to make us happy. I am learning so so much and I'm trying really hard to live up to that expectation that our wonderful teachers have bestowed on us. I know this adventure is going to help me in so many ways, getting outside my comfort zone is just one of them. I missed home during the layover in Brussels but since then, I'm very much enjoying being in the here and now. I've been reminded of my family and friends in my Malarone dreams so everyone is not far away! Since the welcome ceremony I've continued to feel very connected to all the people who've brought me here to this point. I'm also going to be in such great shape when I return home :)
Much love,
Lauren
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Hi everyone, John Humes here. It has been an enlightening couple of days here in Kopeyia! We have been working hard on learning the dance for slow Agbekor, which has been giving the entire group a formidable workout every morning. Having learned this dance back in the States, it has been refreshing to relearn it and fix the little mistakes we inevitably make. While the lessons are strenuous, the teachers could not be more helpful in ensuring each student fully understands the moves or drum hits, etc.
Today we visited the market for the first time. It was definitely a bit stressful being surrounded by so many locals and observing the variety of products being sold, but overall it was fantastic to finally be given a chance to really immerse ourselves outside of the Dagbe Center where we are staying. I bought several yards of various fabrics to be made into clothes later on, along with some handmade bracelets and a yo-yo to give to one of the kids at the center. During this market visit we were given a few responses that we could use if engaged by merchants. The people in the market were mostly very happy to engage with us. One woman asked my group where we were from and we told her America. She happily replied "I love your country!" which obviously made us happy. This made me appreciate how lucky we are to be treated so nicely in a foreign country, and made me even more aware of the negative way foreigners are treated in our own.
In the afternoon our group split into those who wanted to work on the dance for fast Agbekor and those who wished to drum. I was in the latter group, and was extremely excited to be working on a challenging piece. Again we learned many small tips that would improve our playing. I cannot wait to branch out and work on other pieces. As a musician the exposure to another culture's approach to the universal language has been priceless, and I eagerly await my chance to apply all of these skills to my own music!
Today we visited the market for the first time. It was definitely a bit stressful being surrounded by so many locals and observing the variety of products being sold, but overall it was fantastic to finally be given a chance to really immerse ourselves outside of the Dagbe Center where we are staying. I bought several yards of various fabrics to be made into clothes later on, along with some handmade bracelets and a yo-yo to give to one of the kids at the center. During this market visit we were given a few responses that we could use if engaged by merchants. The people in the market were mostly very happy to engage with us. One woman asked my group where we were from and we told her America. She happily replied "I love your country!" which obviously made us happy. This made me appreciate how lucky we are to be treated so nicely in a foreign country, and made me even more aware of the negative way foreigners are treated in our own.
In the afternoon our group split into those who wanted to work on the dance for fast Agbekor and those who wished to drum. I was in the latter group, and was extremely excited to be working on a challenging piece. Again we learned many small tips that would improve our playing. I cannot wait to branch out and work on other pieces. As a musician the exposure to another culture's approach to the universal language has been priceless, and I eagerly await my chance to apply all of these skills to my own music!
Questions?
Today was our second full day of study, and we worked really hard - we began the fast/advanced section of Atsiagbekor, which requires immense stamina and technique from both dancers and drummers. In between classes, we went to the market in Denu - our nearest "town" - to look for cloth and other items we need/want. The cloth will go to make traditional clothing, so at some point a tailor will come to take measurements. Will post pictures when we start getting the finished clothing back!
Students are waiting for the public computer to do their blogs today, so till that time, I'd love to invite anyone who is following us to ask questions - you are welcome to direct them to certain students or myself, or you can just generally ask something you're curious about and one of the group will do their best to answer.
Thanks for staying with us, we really appreciate knowing you're out there with us on our adventure!
Students are waiting for the public computer to do their blogs today, so till that time, I'd love to invite anyone who is following us to ask questions - you are welcome to direct them to certain students or myself, or you can just generally ask something you're curious about and one of the group will do their best to answer.
Thanks for staying with us, we really appreciate knowing you're out there with us on our adventure!
Monday, July 29, 2019
Greetings! Aidan here with another installation of the blog for this groovin journey through Ghana!
Today we dove deep into the story of the song and dance of Agbekor also called Atsiagbekor. This was the first song all of us learned to play when we had our intro class at St. Mikes so it was very special to start our first day of lessons here in Ghana with Agbekor. My initial understanding of Agbekor was that it was merely a war dance, showing the opposing side how menacing we were. I had thought it was used in times of war to intimidate the people being battled-however today I learned that it is much different than that.
The song and dance is really a symbol of what it is like on the battle field for those fighting. It is played for people back home to allow them to see the perspective and re-tell the story of what happens. Agbekor stands for “Clean Life” and can serve as a reminder that we live a Bit clean life outside of war. There is one lead drum that tells the dancers what to do and there are four response drums with a specific rhythm or phrase that carries a message indicating what the dance is all about. For example the drum whose pattern is Gi Toto Gi Gi translates to “Here is the battlefield” and each drum after has its own phrase. The four drums and their phrases put together create the message-(I am adding some more words here to clairfy)-“Here is the battlefield, I love it and I want to sleep here! Let us not forget about our home though, we must not sleep here- let us go back and teach those at home about the battlefield.”
This may not seem like much in writitng but it really is incredible to me because these drums are really speaking to us. They have a language which we can translate to receive a message! Not only is it an epic rhythm but there are messages layered within. I’ve now been playing Agbekor for four years, I have played each response drum countless times and never knew the message associated with the each drum. There is so much intention put into every nuance of this music and it was amazing today to peel back a few layers of Agbekor to gain a deeper understanding of the back story and a literal translation of what we are saying as we play the drums. More to come!
Today we dove deep into the story of the song and dance of Agbekor also called Atsiagbekor. This was the first song all of us learned to play when we had our intro class at St. Mikes so it was very special to start our first day of lessons here in Ghana with Agbekor. My initial understanding of Agbekor was that it was merely a war dance, showing the opposing side how menacing we were. I had thought it was used in times of war to intimidate the people being battled-however today I learned that it is much different than that.
The song and dance is really a symbol of what it is like on the battle field for those fighting. It is played for people back home to allow them to see the perspective and re-tell the story of what happens. Agbekor stands for “Clean Life” and can serve as a reminder that we live a Bit clean life outside of war. There is one lead drum that tells the dancers what to do and there are four response drums with a specific rhythm or phrase that carries a message indicating what the dance is all about. For example the drum whose pattern is Gi Toto Gi Gi translates to “Here is the battlefield” and each drum after has its own phrase. The four drums and their phrases put together create the message-(I am adding some more words here to clairfy)-“Here is the battlefield, I love it and I want to sleep here! Let us not forget about our home though, we must not sleep here- let us go back and teach those at home about the battlefield.”
This may not seem like much in writitng but it really is incredible to me because these drums are really speaking to us. They have a language which we can translate to receive a message! Not only is it an epic rhythm but there are messages layered within. I’ve now been playing Agbekor for four years, I have played each response drum countless times and never knew the message associated with the each drum. There is so much intention put into every nuance of this music and it was amazing today to peel back a few layers of Agbekor to gain a deeper understanding of the back story and a literal translation of what we are saying as we play the drums. More to come!
Hi All,
So it's day four of our group being in Ghana and I have already experienced more new things then I have in the past year. After a very long travel it was nice to be able to arrive at the Dagbe Center and feel so welcomed. All the people here have been so kind, warm, and welcoming towards us, especially the staff here at Dagbe.
Yesterday our group got to witness two treats. The first was the local Kinka group held a practice that we were able to witness. This is special because they only practice and gather like that every so often, so it was cool that it aligned with us yesterday. The level that the drummers play at here just blows my mind, they are all so full of talent and skill. The other treat was that we got to go across the street from the Dagbe Center and watch a local soccer match for a little while. I was probably the most excited out of the group to go to this due to my soccer ties at home. It was funny watching the game here because it really exemplified how universal a game soccer is. There were subtle differences in the way they played, but one thing that was very much the same was commentators on the sidelines. Here, the main language is Ewe, nearly everyone also speaks English. So, on the sidelines, spectators would comment and shout at players in Ewe. Myself, being a passionate spectator, should let out the occasional comment and i realized that even if I can't understand the local language, I still knew what the locals were saying about the play because I was thinking similar thoughts. The soccer game was the first time I truly understood what was going on in front of me in my time here, and that was a comfort to me.
Today was our first day of lessons and it was intense. It's only midday here, so we haven't had our afternoon lesson yet, but boy did we have our morning one. Fir the morning session we danced and when I say we danced, I really mean that we danced, like for the whole two hour session. We worked on different variations of Agbekor, which is traditionally a war dance (which I know Aidan is speaking about in his post so if you want more explanation, go check that out). It is a dance we all came in knowing how to do, but were quickly taught that we really didn't know it entirely at all. I'll just leave it at that it was a very good workout and with the staffs corrections to our movements, the dance feels much stronger already and I can't wait to continue to work on it. Our afternoon session will consist of drumming, I'm preparing to have my mind blown.
Anyway, that's my update for you today about our adventures in Ghana. Thank you for reading and following along with us on our journey!
Talk Soon,
Liz V.
So it's day four of our group being in Ghana and I have already experienced more new things then I have in the past year. After a very long travel it was nice to be able to arrive at the Dagbe Center and feel so welcomed. All the people here have been so kind, warm, and welcoming towards us, especially the staff here at Dagbe.
Yesterday our group got to witness two treats. The first was the local Kinka group held a practice that we were able to witness. This is special because they only practice and gather like that every so often, so it was cool that it aligned with us yesterday. The level that the drummers play at here just blows my mind, they are all so full of talent and skill. The other treat was that we got to go across the street from the Dagbe Center and watch a local soccer match for a little while. I was probably the most excited out of the group to go to this due to my soccer ties at home. It was funny watching the game here because it really exemplified how universal a game soccer is. There were subtle differences in the way they played, but one thing that was very much the same was commentators on the sidelines. Here, the main language is Ewe, nearly everyone also speaks English. So, on the sidelines, spectators would comment and shout at players in Ewe. Myself, being a passionate spectator, should let out the occasional comment and i realized that even if I can't understand the local language, I still knew what the locals were saying about the play because I was thinking similar thoughts. The soccer game was the first time I truly understood what was going on in front of me in my time here, and that was a comfort to me.
Today was our first day of lessons and it was intense. It's only midday here, so we haven't had our afternoon lesson yet, but boy did we have our morning one. Fir the morning session we danced and when I say we danced, I really mean that we danced, like for the whole two hour session. We worked on different variations of Agbekor, which is traditionally a war dance (which I know Aidan is speaking about in his post so if you want more explanation, go check that out). It is a dance we all came in knowing how to do, but were quickly taught that we really didn't know it entirely at all. I'll just leave it at that it was a very good workout and with the staffs corrections to our movements, the dance feels much stronger already and I can't wait to continue to work on it. Our afternoon session will consist of drumming, I'm preparing to have my mind blown.
Anyway, that's my update for you today about our adventures in Ghana. Thank you for reading and following along with us on our journey!
Talk Soon,
Liz V.
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Words cannot begin to describe our first 24 hours in Ghana. It started off with an early wake up, egg sandwiches and instant coffee which was extreamly necessary. With full stomachs and groggy minds, we all piled up into the van and began our 4 hour journey to the village. We were welcomed with many smiles, handshakes and even a drum ensemble. Seconds after arriving in the village, it was clear that it was going to be very easy to settle in. We were given a short tour of the cultural center and were shown our rooms. The thought of laying in a bed and falling asleep seemed too good but today, there was no rest for the weary. We were given a delicious lunch of spaghetti with red sauce and fresh pineapple. Yum!!
Shortly after lunch we began libations which is a showing of respect and welcoming for past ancestors of the village. After a few words and a small shot of palm-based gin, the libations were over and we were told that we would be leaving imidietly for a funeral ceremony down the road. We were given tradition dress wear and pulled into a truck and headed out. We arrived and were thrown right into a very important aspect of this culture. We walked right into a massive crowd of people, tents, drum groups, blaring speakers and food vendors. We were even lucky enough to apply our dance moves that we have learned from years past! The day ended with a great meal of fried chicken, white rice and red sauce. We also hung out a lot “the spot” where we shared pear soda and Ghanaian beer. That nights rest would be one of the best I’ve had in a long time!
Shortly after lunch we began libations which is a showing of respect and welcoming for past ancestors of the village. After a few words and a small shot of palm-based gin, the libations were over and we were told that we would be leaving imidietly for a funeral ceremony down the road. We were given tradition dress wear and pulled into a truck and headed out. We arrived and were thrown right into a very important aspect of this culture. We walked right into a massive crowd of people, tents, drum groups, blaring speakers and food vendors. We were even lucky enough to apply our dance moves that we have learned from years past! The day ended with a great meal of fried chicken, white rice and red sauce. We also hung out a lot “the spot” where we shared pear soda and Ghanaian beer. That nights rest would be one of the best I’ve had in a long time!
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Hello from Ghana! We had an adventurous journey out - the flight from EWR was perfect and on time, arriving in Brussels a few moments early. We went to our next gate... and discovered we would have an 11 hour layover (original 3 hours plus an additional 7 hour delay). This group, though, is comprised of excellent travel companions. We made a group "nest" in the downstairs section of the airport terminal, which for the entire time was almost entirely empty, and were able to take turns napping and finding food - very thankful that Brussels airline offered 28 Euros in food vouchers per person, so we ate well.
After a slightly elongated delay even past that, on board we went. The 6 hour flight to Ghana was easy and I was only disappointed the students weren't able to look down on the Sahara Desert in the daytime, as I have been able to so often. But we landed well, got through customs just fine, and our host and main teacher Emmanuel Agbeli took us to our hotel for the night, to rest up from our 40 hour journey and so we could travel to Kopeyia (the village where we will be studying for 2 weeks) safely.
We are now at the Dagbe Cultural Institute and Arts Center in Kopeyia, on the very southwestern corner of Ghana. After a quick breakfast in Accra we journeyed here and settled in with the amazing staff here, who helped the students orient to their rooms and then gave a quick overview of the main facility before lunch. After our lunch, we were formally welcomed with a ceremony of Pouring Libations to the Dagbe Ancestors - namely Godwin Agbeli and other of his family who have passed on. Our hosts asked the Ancestors for our health, success, and the ability to learn well, followed by a quick session of music and dance to Agbadza, the local music used for formal occasions such as these.
Normally after such a remarkable entry, we'd rest. But today there was a very big funeral celebration just down the road, so we were dressed in traditional cloth wraps and taken to this amazing community celebration of life. Funerals in Ghana are not the sad, quiet family affairs we often see in the U.S. Rather, they are community-wide, open to all ceremonies that include drumming, dancing, song, and remembrances of the deceased. If you are an Ewe-speaking person living in the Volta Region, you attend many funerals through the year, and in return you know that people will attend yours when it is time. There really isn't any good way to share the vibrance and beauty of these occasions - you'll have to come to Ghana to see. Hopefully a picture or two (shared either here or tomorrow when I have better internet access) will lend some context, though. The group was welcomed warmly and we spent a few hours dancing with many people, and then came back to the center for dinner and then some cards and relaxation afterwards.
I don't think most of us have gotten a full night's sleep in the past 3 days so we are all heading to a deep, well-deserved sleep. Tomorrow we will mostly relax (it being Sunday), take a walking tour of the village, and settle a bit more so that on Monday we can begin our music/dance program in earnest.
More to come soon! Thank you for reading, and feel free to comment/ask questions/say hello!
Josselyne
After a slightly elongated delay even past that, on board we went. The 6 hour flight to Ghana was easy and I was only disappointed the students weren't able to look down on the Sahara Desert in the daytime, as I have been able to so often. But we landed well, got through customs just fine, and our host and main teacher Emmanuel Agbeli took us to our hotel for the night, to rest up from our 40 hour journey and so we could travel to Kopeyia (the village where we will be studying for 2 weeks) safely.
We are now at the Dagbe Cultural Institute and Arts Center in Kopeyia, on the very southwestern corner of Ghana. After a quick breakfast in Accra we journeyed here and settled in with the amazing staff here, who helped the students orient to their rooms and then gave a quick overview of the main facility before lunch. After our lunch, we were formally welcomed with a ceremony of Pouring Libations to the Dagbe Ancestors - namely Godwin Agbeli and other of his family who have passed on. Our hosts asked the Ancestors for our health, success, and the ability to learn well, followed by a quick session of music and dance to Agbadza, the local music used for formal occasions such as these.
Normally after such a remarkable entry, we'd rest. But today there was a very big funeral celebration just down the road, so we were dressed in traditional cloth wraps and taken to this amazing community celebration of life. Funerals in Ghana are not the sad, quiet family affairs we often see in the U.S. Rather, they are community-wide, open to all ceremonies that include drumming, dancing, song, and remembrances of the deceased. If you are an Ewe-speaking person living in the Volta Region, you attend many funerals through the year, and in return you know that people will attend yours when it is time. There really isn't any good way to share the vibrance and beauty of these occasions - you'll have to come to Ghana to see. Hopefully a picture or two (shared either here or tomorrow when I have better internet access) will lend some context, though. The group was welcomed warmly and we spent a few hours dancing with many people, and then came back to the center for dinner and then some cards and relaxation afterwards.
I don't think most of us have gotten a full night's sleep in the past 3 days so we are all heading to a deep, well-deserved sleep. Tomorrow we will mostly relax (it being Sunday), take a walking tour of the village, and settle a bit more so that on Monday we can begin our music/dance program in earnest.
More to come soon! Thank you for reading, and feel free to comment/ask questions/say hello!
Josselyne
Thursday, July 25, 2019
In Brussels
Hello World,
I'm a little late on posting my first update but my name is Nate Goyette and I am an SMC in Ghana alum. I last took this trip 4 years ago and already it is an entirely new experience. And by that, I mean we have a longer layover in Brussels than expected! Despite this minor set back, I can already feel myself settling into these next few weeks. Sure it's tiring, but I find it strangely refreshing and I can't wait to keep this adventure moving.
More to come,
Nate
Intro to Students: Andrew
Hey guys! My name's Andrew Krebsbach, and I'm a 2nd semester senior at St. Michael's College, majoring in Music. It's because of Joss and the West African Drumming program that I'm a music major, so I'm very excited to see the culture that changed the course of my academic career firsthand and experience it with the amazing friends I've made over these 2 years.
I'm especially looking forward to trying new food! I love to try things that aren't eaten in America, but are commonplace in other countries. I'm also looking forward to meeting the people of Kopeyia, the village where we will be staying. I hope to make some new friends!
Andrew
I'm especially looking forward to trying new food! I love to try things that aren't eaten in America, but are commonplace in other countries. I'm also looking forward to meeting the people of Kopeyia, the village where we will be staying. I hope to make some new friends!
Andrew
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Greetings my good people! This be post number one from Aidan on this fine platform of communication!
I am an alumni of St. Mikes from the class of 2018 and I currently work in the field of wilderness therapy as a guide at True North Wilderness Program in Waitsfield Vermont. Similar to Lauren's experience, post grad life has been quite wild and the education has in fact rapidly increased for me! I have traveled the most this past year than any other year of this life-starting in Alaska last Summer to Nepal and India in the winter time with a short stint in Switzerland somewhere in there and now I pack my bag once again for the most anticipated trip of them all-Ghana!
I accidentally took the drumming course my first year at St. Mikes thinking it was a band class-oh how wrong I was. Probably the best "mistake" I ever made, I fell in love with everything we did and it soon proved to be the most valuable and important experiences for me in my time at St. Mikes. It allowed a release of stress, provided a meditative environment, allowed me to understand a completely different style of learning (while twisting my brain in ways I still cannot use any words to describe) and led me into a community (rather-a family) of the weirdest and grooviest people on campus.
I had just missed the previous Ghana trip-as it happened the summer before my first year-and I had heard about how outrageously awesome it was from some of the students who had the privilege of going. Naturally I was curious and began to ask Joss about when the next trip was. Without ever getting a straight answer I just decided to started saving money to fund it whenever it was going to happen-this was in 2015. I had no clue if it ever was going to happen, but as fate has it we are headed off tomorrow, 4 years later! That clueless freshmen inside of me is jumping out of his pants giddy with excitement while my current self is feeling cool as a cucumber and ready to drink up the experience of a lifetime.
Big thanks to Joss for sharing her unusual and epic passion with a bunch of rag tag college kids along with the help of all the good people at St. Mikes namely Peggy Imai for all the support and encouragement for making this unique experience a reality!
I am an alumni of St. Mikes from the class of 2018 and I currently work in the field of wilderness therapy as a guide at True North Wilderness Program in Waitsfield Vermont. Similar to Lauren's experience, post grad life has been quite wild and the education has in fact rapidly increased for me! I have traveled the most this past year than any other year of this life-starting in Alaska last Summer to Nepal and India in the winter time with a short stint in Switzerland somewhere in there and now I pack my bag once again for the most anticipated trip of them all-Ghana!
I accidentally took the drumming course my first year at St. Mikes thinking it was a band class-oh how wrong I was. Probably the best "mistake" I ever made, I fell in love with everything we did and it soon proved to be the most valuable and important experiences for me in my time at St. Mikes. It allowed a release of stress, provided a meditative environment, allowed me to understand a completely different style of learning (while twisting my brain in ways I still cannot use any words to describe) and led me into a community (rather-a family) of the weirdest and grooviest people on campus.
I had just missed the previous Ghana trip-as it happened the summer before my first year-and I had heard about how outrageously awesome it was from some of the students who had the privilege of going. Naturally I was curious and began to ask Joss about when the next trip was. Without ever getting a straight answer I just decided to started saving money to fund it whenever it was going to happen-this was in 2015. I had no clue if it ever was going to happen, but as fate has it we are headed off tomorrow, 4 years later! That clueless freshmen inside of me is jumping out of his pants giddy with excitement while my current self is feeling cool as a cucumber and ready to drink up the experience of a lifetime.
Big thanks to Joss for sharing her unusual and epic passion with a bunch of rag tag college kids along with the help of all the good people at St. Mikes namely Peggy Imai for all the support and encouragement for making this unique experience a reality!
Hi,
My name is John Humes. I am a rising senior at St. Mike's double majoring in music and business. Ever since my sophomore year after I transferred to St. Mike's from Merrimack College, I have been completely blown away by the amount of opportunities for musicians on campus. I am involved with Turtle Underground, the on-campus music community that grew out of the famous St. Mike's North Campus venue of the same name, and have played lead guitar in St. Mole and Spunhouse. I first joined Akoma in my second semester sophomore year, jumping in with no background experience besides my love of drumming (albeit rock drumming). After a bit of a rough start I quickly became familiar with many of the rhythms, and now feel as if I have come a very long way. The rhythms and music styles we have learned have been quite informative in writing my own music. I could not be more excited for this opportunity to learn more about these styles from their sources, and also dive into the diverse aspects of Ghanaian culture. While this will not be my first foray into world travel (I went to El Salvador on a school trip my junior year of high school), I am delighted to expand my personal experience of different cultures and immerse myself in these indigenous styles of music. Until next time!
My name is John Humes. I am a rising senior at St. Mike's double majoring in music and business. Ever since my sophomore year after I transferred to St. Mike's from Merrimack College, I have been completely blown away by the amount of opportunities for musicians on campus. I am involved with Turtle Underground, the on-campus music community that grew out of the famous St. Mike's North Campus venue of the same name, and have played lead guitar in St. Mole and Spunhouse. I first joined Akoma in my second semester sophomore year, jumping in with no background experience besides my love of drumming (albeit rock drumming). After a bit of a rough start I quickly became familiar with many of the rhythms, and now feel as if I have come a very long way. The rhythms and music styles we have learned have been quite informative in writing my own music. I could not be more excited for this opportunity to learn more about these styles from their sources, and also dive into the diverse aspects of Ghanaian culture. While this will not be my first foray into world travel (I went to El Salvador on a school trip my junior year of high school), I am delighted to expand my personal experience of different cultures and immerse myself in these indigenous styles of music. Until next time!
Take Five America, We are Headed to Ghana!
Howdy!
My name is John Sweeney. I am a rising senior studying music and I am headed to Ghana to spend three weeks learning more about music. I could not be more excited to experience Ghana. I am drummer in two extremely loud bands on campus, No Dolphins and Sead. I have been playing for five years now and my music taste has been growing exponentially. Ever since I was a freshman I made sure to have African drumming in my schedule,; it was one of the main reasons I decided to attend SMC. I have grown so much as a musician and a person from this form of music. I have spent many restless nights dwelling on the upcoming trip, and trying to quantify how much fun the trip will be.
I feel extremely lucky to have such an opportunity with such an amazing group of people whom I consider to be family. I would like to thank Joss Price for going above and beyond setting this trip up for us Ne'er-do-wells, I am forever grateful.
As of right now I am all set to go, all packed up and eager to commute 15+ hours. It'll all be worth it. I hope you come along for the ride and keep up with what the whole group is doing, Maybe I'll get a laugh or to out of you, who knows. Maybe you'll hear the drums echoing in the night.
Catch you on the "B" side,
John Sweeney
Hello Everybody,
This is the day before we leave to go on our trip to Accra Ghana. I'm very excited about this trip, it's all I've been talking about this whole summer. Not only have I never been outside of the country but the African Drumming class with Joss has become a big part of my life since I joined my sophmore year. This class has given me experiences and taught me to think in ways I would have never considered before. From the music to the language to the traditions, this class has only enriched me and influenced my overall life experience. This trip to ghana will only enrich my experience with the culture further as I learn from the people who live in the culture everyday.
I would like to take the time to thank all of the people that made this trip possible from my teacher, Joss' drive to get us this far and help us with everything we needed to make the trip go smoothly to the school administration that allowed us to take this trip in the first place and to all the people that donated money to help fund this trip. This trip would not be possible without this collaborative effort from all of the parties involved and I promise these efforts will not go to waist.
Thanks,
Charles
This is the day before we leave to go on our trip to Accra Ghana. I'm very excited about this trip, it's all I've been talking about this whole summer. Not only have I never been outside of the country but the African Drumming class with Joss has become a big part of my life since I joined my sophmore year. This class has given me experiences and taught me to think in ways I would have never considered before. From the music to the language to the traditions, this class has only enriched me and influenced my overall life experience. This trip to ghana will only enrich my experience with the culture further as I learn from the people who live in the culture everyday.
I would like to take the time to thank all of the people that made this trip possible from my teacher, Joss' drive to get us this far and help us with everything we needed to make the trip go smoothly to the school administration that allowed us to take this trip in the first place and to all the people that donated money to help fund this trip. This trip would not be possible without this collaborative effort from all of the parties involved and I promise these efforts will not go to waist.
Thanks,
Charles
Intro to the Students: Lauren
Hey all,
I'm Lauren! I am an alum of Saint Michael's college, class of 2018, and for the last year I've been the technical services staff/cataloger at the Stowe Free Library in Stowe, Vermont. It has been a crazy year for me since graduating but I could not pass up the opportunity to be on this trip with my fellow rad SMC travelers. I am taking this summer off from pursuing my Masters in Library and Information Sciences online through Syracuse University, which I started last summer. When I get back from Ghana I will only have two semesters left. Although, education never really stops!
I am super excited to be travelling to Ghana and immersing myself in the culture there. I was part of the dance ensemble during my time at St. Mike's and the group taught me to really think about learning. How do I learn to move my body? How do I listen to music and for the rhythm? It's all about connection. I'm excited to connect in this new place. I cannot believe tomorrow we set off on this adventure! I look forward to learning a whole lot and I could not be happier to be a part of this.
TTYL
I'm Lauren! I am an alum of Saint Michael's college, class of 2018, and for the last year I've been the technical services staff/cataloger at the Stowe Free Library in Stowe, Vermont. It has been a crazy year for me since graduating but I could not pass up the opportunity to be on this trip with my fellow rad SMC travelers. I am taking this summer off from pursuing my Masters in Library and Information Sciences online through Syracuse University, which I started last summer. When I get back from Ghana I will only have two semesters left. Although, education never really stops!
I am super excited to be travelling to Ghana and immersing myself in the culture there. I was part of the dance ensemble during my time at St. Mike's and the group taught me to really think about learning. How do I learn to move my body? How do I listen to music and for the rhythm? It's all about connection. I'm excited to connect in this new place. I cannot believe tomorrow we set off on this adventure! I look forward to learning a whole lot and I could not be happier to be a part of this.
TTYL
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Hi Everyone,
My name is Liz Vallatini and I am one of the students who will be taking part in the Akoma group trip to Ghana. Today marks about two and a half days before we leave for the trip and I couldn't be more excited! I've been a part of African Drumming for three semesters now at Saint Michael's College and have really fallen in love with the type of music we play and the culture it represents. This trip is going to not only give me the chance to learn more music, but also will be a huge step into the culture that I have only learned about thus far. I am hoping that by going on this trip I will learn more not only about the music and culture, but also about myself and my connection to somewhere in the world that is very far from my home.
One of the main purposes of this trip is the drumming, which I am excited for, but I think I am most exited about learning about the culture. I want to learn everything I can while I'm there and I want to interact with as many people as possible too because I think those types of connections are important.
I've never written in a blog or been a par of one, and I don't know if this will be a great representation of the blogger in me because with limited access to the internet, I'm not sure how frequent my posts will be. However, I'm hoping that we as a group and I as an individual can blog well enough to try to give you at home a front row seat to even a fraction of our adventure because I'm sure its going to be something quite special.
Thanks for reading and I hope to be updating you from Ghana the next time I write!
Talk Soon,
Liz Vallatini
My name is Liz Vallatini and I am one of the students who will be taking part in the Akoma group trip to Ghana. Today marks about two and a half days before we leave for the trip and I couldn't be more excited! I've been a part of African Drumming for three semesters now at Saint Michael's College and have really fallen in love with the type of music we play and the culture it represents. This trip is going to not only give me the chance to learn more music, but also will be a huge step into the culture that I have only learned about thus far. I am hoping that by going on this trip I will learn more not only about the music and culture, but also about myself and my connection to somewhere in the world that is very far from my home.
One of the main purposes of this trip is the drumming, which I am excited for, but I think I am most exited about learning about the culture. I want to learn everything I can while I'm there and I want to interact with as many people as possible too because I think those types of connections are important.
I've never written in a blog or been a par of one, and I don't know if this will be a great representation of the blogger in me because with limited access to the internet, I'm not sure how frequent my posts will be. However, I'm hoping that we as a group and I as an individual can blog well enough to try to give you at home a front row seat to even a fraction of our adventure because I'm sure its going to be something quite special.
Thanks for reading and I hope to be updating you from Ghana the next time I write!
Talk Soon,
Liz Vallatini
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Hello folks,
Today marks just a week and a day before the St. Michael's in Ghana group begins our journey to Ghana, West Africa, traveling from EWR (Newark, NJ) to ACC (Kotoko International Airport, Accra.) My name is Josselyne Price; the students and alumni who are on this trip have all been a part of my advanced performance ensemble, called Akoma. We are all traveling to the southeastern corner of Ghana in order to study the drumming, dance and song traditions of the Ewe people, specifically with the Agbeli family, who have been teaching this music for generations now. Along with the music, students will have the chance to learn batiking, kente weaving, cooking, or any number of local traditions they may be interested in. We'll visit markets, attend ceremonies, and find time to connect with the amazing people at the Dagbe Cultural Institute and Arts Center, where I first began my own journey in Ghana 25 years ago.
Personally, I'm excited to share this wonderful and inspiring place with these particular people, so they have a chance to meet my teachers, learn the culture and traditions deeply, and get to see why music and dance are such an important part of Ghanaian culture and life. But I also know the heart connections they will make, and the friends and memories they will make that will stay with them for life.
Internet is always a bit unpredictable during travel - more so in Ghana, but we'll be doing our best to post photos and updates as often as possible. (The background photo for this blog, by the way, as well as the posted photo feature many of the Dagbe Cultural Institute teachers and staff, who will be taking care of us as we study in the Volta Region.) Stay tuned as we near our July 25th departure!
Josselyne
Today marks just a week and a day before the St. Michael's in Ghana group begins our journey to Ghana, West Africa, traveling from EWR (Newark, NJ) to ACC (Kotoko International Airport, Accra.) My name is Josselyne Price; the students and alumni who are on this trip have all been a part of my advanced performance ensemble, called Akoma. We are all traveling to the southeastern corner of Ghana in order to study the drumming, dance and song traditions of the Ewe people, specifically with the Agbeli family, who have been teaching this music for generations now. Along with the music, students will have the chance to learn batiking, kente weaving, cooking, or any number of local traditions they may be interested in. We'll visit markets, attend ceremonies, and find time to connect with the amazing people at the Dagbe Cultural Institute and Arts Center, where I first began my own journey in Ghana 25 years ago.
Personally, I'm excited to share this wonderful and inspiring place with these particular people, so they have a chance to meet my teachers, learn the culture and traditions deeply, and get to see why music and dance are such an important part of Ghanaian culture and life. But I also know the heart connections they will make, and the friends and memories they will make that will stay with them for life.
Internet is always a bit unpredictable during travel - more so in Ghana, but we'll be doing our best to post photos and updates as often as possible. (The background photo for this blog, by the way, as well as the posted photo feature many of the Dagbe Cultural Institute teachers and staff, who will be taking care of us as we study in the Volta Region.) Stay tuned as we near our July 25th departure!
Josselyne
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)