It is remarkable to think that as of this year, it has been a ten year journey from the first summer trip I spent in Jamaica strengthening my understanding of Jamaican folk culture and developing skills in Jamaican drumming, dance and children’s singing games. I had grown up in Toronto, Canada with Jamaican born parents, and attended high school in Jamaica while my father, Dr. George Eaton, was working for the Jamaican government. He had taken one of several leaves from York University, where he was Professor of Political Science, Economics and Public Administration, during which we as family were able to accompany him to several interesting places around the world, including Somalia, Ethiopia, and his home country of Jamaica. Perhaps it was this enriched childhood of world travel which allowed me to appreciate the Music program at York, well known for its ethnomusicology focus. Along with my classical piano and French Horn studies, I was privileged during my time there to work with Trichy Shankaran, the resident master mridangam player from South India, as well as be introduced to instruments of Egypt by qanun specialist George Sawa, along with the music of Eastern as well as Western Europe. There was also a renowned Jazz program which I only touched on, to my regret. These early formative experiences solidified my life-long love affair with music from around the world, blending effortlessly with my equally deep resonance with great works of Western classical and folk traditions.
“Music is beauty experienced at the most fundamental level”
Music everywhere is one of the ultimate expressions of joy and community. Music is beauty experienced at the most fundamental level, and I am always thrilled to discover a new way to shake my head in awe or feel the deep reverberation in my bones. So, I might have spent a life wandering blissfully amongst the world’s endless supply of musical wonders without any particular focus, except for two things that emerged from my experience to provide a particular channel for my artistic output: one, my full-bodied, magnetic attraction to drums, and two, the perception that the Orff pedagogy I embraced as a music educator was particularly well served by the all-encompassing nature of Jamaican folk music.
In the early 2010s, I had attended an all-day workshop with the wonderful Dr. J. S. Kofi Gbolonyo and had experienced first hand how well African drumming, dance and the community involvement essential to both, was compatible with Orff’s philosophy of full-scale engagement of the child. It made me realize that I had another gold mine in my own heritage that would be a similarly valuable gift to Orff educators. I realized, however, that my osmosis of Jamaican traditions was very much filtered by my socio-economic circumstances, both in the fact that I had not spent much of my life actually living in Jamaica, and when I was there, it was certainly not out in the countryside, where most of the traditional folk culture remains today. I was familiar with many folk songs, but those which had been transmitted by modern means, such as international Jamaican pop stars like Harry Belafonte, Boney M, and Jimmy Cliff. These were also, incidentally, usually the versions my parents knew, who had grown up in Jamaica. In order to glean more of the authentic folk tradition, and to be able to convey it accurately to the best of my ability, I knew that I needed to consult practicing performers and cultural experts in Jamaica to add to my own life experience.
So, in 2014, I was able to find funding for Professional Development that would allow me to attend the Jamaica School of Dance Summer Intensive Course at the Edna Manley College of Performing Arts in Kingston, Jamaica. I also took drumming lessons from a professional drummer, Calvin Mitchell, in his office at the school. The Summer Dance School was a marvelous mixture of dance classes (contemporary, traditional) and lecture seminars on culture. I was thrilled that there was even a designated unit on children’s singing and dancing games. If the program remains the same, I highly recommend the course to any arts educators interested in Afro-Caribbean dance, music and culture.
Above: 1. Logo of Edna Manley College, 2. Jammin’ with Ezra and Job, accompanists at the Jamaica School of Dance Summer Intensive (2014), and some students. 3. The author with Calvin Mitchell, drummer
I was hooked! The next summer (2015), I returned for two weeks to take private lessons from an icon in Jamaican cultural circles. Marjorie Whylie, the celebrated master drummer, jazz pianist, ethnomusicologist and educator, was able to give me two weeks of undivided attention while I spent five hours a day with her in her home in Kingston. She gave me drumming lessons on conga, and talked about the historical and regional significance of the drumming patterns and styles we were playing. An interesting note about conga: Jamaican’s most commonly known folk drumming pattern is called Mento. It is derived from a style of music with the same name, which was the great-grandfather of reggae. It can still be heard in cultural festivals and on beaches in Jamaica’s tourist regions, usually played by 3-5 musicians on guitar(s), shaker, rhumba box (something like a metal-keyed bass instrument), grater, and added variations. The interesting fact is that Mento groups originally had no drums, but had distinct rhythms played by various handheld percussion instruments and the rhumba box, much like a jazz rhythm section. When congas were introduced into the mix, they combined all the interlocking rhythms, to make what is now the standard Mento pattern on drums.
Marjorie Whylie, 2018The Author with Marjorie Whylie, 2018
When I returned to Winnipeg, I immediately set to work to test my belief that the songs and rhythms of Jamaica would be highly suitable for an Orff-based music program. I picked five well known folk songs and developed activities to express and develop each one, as well as visual presentations for cultural context with a different focus for each song. We were able to cover Transportation, Food/Markets, Animals/Birds, Terrain, City/Rural, and of course Reggae, very efficiently via the chosen songs and related activities. I put them all together into a musical called Jamaica Welcome, which chronicles a bus load of tourists visiting Jamaica and being welcomed by the local people. I discovered to my great satisfaction that Jamaican folk songs appealed universally to the children of many lands that populate my very culturally diverse school, both in their singable melodies, appealing humor and contagious rhythms.
Having absorbed much of the drumming on my first trip, I was doubly fortunate to return to Jamaica in 2018 to work with Marjorie again, this time on a more specific task. I wanted to collect as much material as possible on Jamaican children’s songs and games, much of which is being lost as children’s singing games continue to disappear as a recreational activity for children around the world. Marjorie Whylie was the perfect person to mine for this elusive treasure. She had not only done immense amounts of field research on remote rural traditions around the country, and had an amazing recall of songs from her own childhood, but she also co-hosted a children’s television show in the 70s and 80s that featured children learning and performing the same. Along with Louise Bennett, a Jamaican cultural giant who almost single-handedly re-vitalized the use of the local patios in arts and literature, Marjorie recorded years of songs, stories and performances on their show, ‘Ring Ding’. Tragically, the original tapes were lost in some mishap decades ago, and as far as I know there has been no attempt to reassemble this important reservoir of Jamaican heritage.
When I discovered this sad fact, it seemed more urgent to me than ever to collect as much of this repertoire as possible, and Marjorie did not disappoint. During our many hours together, she was able to sing dozens of songs from memory, along with the ring games (circle games) or dances that accompanied them. These were all recorded and I was able to transcribe around 40 of them and edit the descriptions of the games and steps into a collection which I published in 2021 with Beatin’ Path Press as Jamaica Play: Ring Plays, Hand Plays, Rhymes and Rhythms from Jamaica.
Publication by the author, Dawn MuirPublication of Marjorie Whylie
But that is not the end of the story. The journey continues as I try to find a publisher for Marjorie’s collection of around 40 vocal arrangements of folk songs that she created while she was Music director for the Jamaican National Dance and Theatre Company. They are easily accessible for school and community choirs. She directed the National Singers and their drummers, who traveled around the world with the Dancers, and wrote these many arrangements as needed. She mentioned these songs one day as we talked together in her home, and when I asked to see them, she produced the hand written manuscripts that had been shelved decades before her retirement. I was shocked that they had never been published, so I added them to my list of posterity projects, took photos of them all then created digital scores. Since then I have been trying to find a publisher for these gems which the Oxford University Press called a “worthy collection”, but were unable to accommodate. Alfred Publishing was able to create a lovely mini-collection of three songs, but also could not accommodate a full collection under their mandate. Jamaican publishing houses did not return calls or applications, but I am currently in contact with the Jamaican Ministry of Culture to encourage them to help get this project underway before Marjorie’s health deteriorates further.
So, as many of you can understand, there is still much to do to ensure that the vibrant flourishing of musical traditions continues around the world, including our own. How fortunate we are to still be living in a world where we can enjoy and share so much of the earth’s musical treasure with the future generation! I hope you still feel the thrill of discovering new wonders in your music room that light up the faces of the children in front of you and your own heart, too. I am honored to share that journey of discovery with you.
“Music education: to share with students the joy of discovering the world of Music and the World through music.”
Dawn Muir
Dawn Muir Dawn Muir B.F.A Music (York U, Canada) M. Ed (O.I.S.E, Canada) Ph.D. (Cambridge) is an Orff Specialist and Clinician teaching K-6 music in Winnipeg. She presents local and national level workshops in Canada and the US, specializing in Afro-Caribbean dance/ drumming and World Music. Dawn is committed to joyful musical excellence, grounded in its cultural context.
Dawn will teach a workshop for NCAOSA this Saturday, March 2nd, 9am-1:30pm:
Mark your calendars and pack your bag, The SF Orff Jazz Course is back in New Orleans this summer and it is sure to be HOT!!
Yes, it will be sweltering. When I went to this course in July 2019, I purchased a battery-operated mister from Amazon, and I brought my very best deodorant and lots of lightweight clothes to change into after I sweat through my last outfit walking to and from the University of New Orleans.
The live music on Frenchmen Street and throughout the city will be HOT too. In my default world I’m a bit of a homebody, but while I was in New Orleans, I went out for live music and dancing almost every single night for over two weeks. I saw live music on street corners, tiny house bands in venues I can’t remember, Rebirth Brass Band at the Maple Leaf Bar, and even the legendary Ellis Marsalis at Snug Harbor, among many others. Music is an integral part of life here, sounding from every doorway. In addition to jazz, you can find other important genres here with a special local flavor, such as hip hop, R&B, and even heavy metal.
Oh yeah, did you remember that you’re going to New Orleans to study and learn? The Jazz Course includes a fantastic repertoire of music, games, and activities, as well important discussions about social justice within music education and strategies to make jazz approachable and meaningful for students of all ages. SFIOC Course Director and veteran jazz educator Doug Goodkin is a master at scaffolding a satisfying classroom experience for all learners; students of all backgrounds can thrive in this course.
Jazz Education titles by Doug Goodkin
Being in New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, did something special to me. As a classically-trained pianist and vocalist, I was a bit nervous about embarking on a specialized course focused on a genre in which I was relatively inexperienced. It only took one day of this course in this city to make the shift: it suddenly felt natural and exciting to change my mindset. As the course went on, our connection to this unique city deepened: we learned repertoire and history from dazzling local guest teachers, visited museums and the historic Preservation Hall, strolled through Congo Square, and took an unforgettable field trip out to the Whitney Plantation, a historical site dedicated to teaching about the legacy of slavery. The experiential approach of the course, the bonds I felt with old friends and new, and the richness of the cultural activities and excursions gave me courage and skills for more embodied improvisation, a deeper appreciation of jazz, and life-long memories.
If you’re considering what special course to take this summer, I highly recommend the Jazz Course. I learned so much and had a transformative time– this class was one of the best and most rewarding learning experiences I’ve had.
Sonya Harway teaches music at the Head Royce School in Oakland, CA. They are a Level 3 graduate of the San Francisco International Orff Course, and the current co-president of NCAOSA.
Sign up to study Jazz in New Orleans this summer with Doug Goodkin and the Pentatonics!
If I close my eyes I can still feel the warmth of the sun on my shoulders. If I listen closely enough I can hear the faint sounds of the Kpanlogo drum and the Gangkogui bells. I can feel the Agbadza dance in my muscles and bones and remember what it’s like to smile so big my cheeks hurt. I can see a rainbow of patterns on the fabrics across the marketplace. I can taste jollof rice, fufu, and fresh mango.
Sometimes when I step outside my classroom I am transported to the banyan tree, and the hypnotic 3 over 2 mallet pattern of Aaron Bebe Sukura’s gyil playing lulls me into a daydream. I can feel my heart beat like the interlocking drum parts that move in a circle instead of a line. And my feet move like it’s 6:30am and we are dancing to high life or Nigerian Afrobeat.
That is what traveling to Ghana was like for me. These memories wake me up to life.
My time in Ghana attending Orff-Afrique taught me so much about how to live and be in this world. The friends I met in Ghana, young and old, taught me what it means to care for one’s neighbors, to honor one’s elders, and to treat everyone like family. They showed me what it looks like to weave music through everything we do and to play like it’s breathing. They reminded me to dance first. They taught me what the word “Welcome” really feels like.
To Kofi Gbolonyo, I am eternally grateful to and your family for opening your home and hearts to us all. To friends near and far, you are with me whenever I sing, dance, and play. And to the teachers and students of Nunya Academy, you inspire me in the deepest sense of the word. You have changed my life, and I want to remember your teachings as I move through my life in the United States.
Returning to the U.S. hasn’t been all that easy. We don’t dance enough here, and I feel the absence of strong and cohesive community. As time moves forward I do find myself returning to my old patterns and ways of walking and talking and being. Indeed, to make real change in a culture that so often lacks in love, I must walk the dance. And in this endeavor my work is cut out for me.
I wonder…
What can I do to welcome people into my life like family?
How can I weave music into everything I do?
How can I support the incredible work that’s happening at Nunya Academy?
Where’s the dance party? And if it’s not here, how can I start one?
“You change your steps according to the change in the rhythm of the drum.” – Ewe Proverb
I must keep waking myself up to this precious life.
Julia Chanin teaches PK-8th performing arts at the Bolinas-Stinson Elementary School and plays saxophone with groups around the Bay Area. She is a Level 3 graduate of the San Francisco International Orff Course and sits on the NCAOSA board as the Corresponding Secretary.
This article was first published in Reverberations: “Teachers Teaching Teachers”, an online publication for members of the American Orff Schulwerk Association. It is shared with the permission of AOSA.
Many music teachers agree that encouraging student creativity is an important part of music teaching. After all, create is one of the four artistic processes in most state music standards. For Orff Schulwerk teachers, developing student creativity is essential to the learning process. Despite this widely-accepted assertion, teachers often struggle with describing specifically how to develop student creativity beyond simply teaching a song or an instrumental piece that already exists. In his 1926 book, “The Art of Thought,” Graham Wallas proposed a four-stage process for developing creativity. Wallas’ process can serve as a framework for understanding how to lead students beyond merely learning and performing an existing musical selection to, instead, transforming the selection into something new and unique with every group of students.
September is here and it almost feels like spring: a new year for teachers and students, ready for a fresh start. Your NCAOSA Chapter is also ready to kick off our new season of workshops, and we have new and old leaders in place to welcome you at our first workshop this Saturday at CSUEB (all the details below). We’re your new Co-Presidents, Maggie Eggert (she/her) and Sonya Harway (they/them), and we are so excited to meet you this weekend.
Maggie Eggert (she/her)
Sonya Harway (they/them)
We hope that you have had a sweet beginning to your new year, with new faces, classroom procedures, and perhaps even some shiny new instruments ready for eager hands! There are so many challenges to being an arts teacher, as we all know, but hopefully you get back in spades what you put in when students have a poignant “aha!” moment, or when you receive a kind email from a parent, or certainly the thrilling feeling after a performance. Our jobs require so much. How can we make the most of these moments and also take the time to support ourselves? It’s one of Sonya’s professional goals this year to observe and be observed more this year by other music teachers, people who deeply understand the specific challenges and needs in a music classroom. What are your goals? And how can your community help you reach them?
“Wisdom is like the baobab tree: no one’s hands can encircle it alone.
Ewe Proverb
As a music teacher, I’ve often felt that my job is not just to teach musical skills, but to open my students’ minds to the wide world we live in. Through music, I hope to inspire them to travel and learn about the world on their own. Last summer I was lucky enough to participate in the Orff-Afrique Course in Dzodze, Ghana. This course is described as a way to learn about West African music and dance, but is truly so much more–an incredibly eye-opening cultural experience that will influence me as a teacher and a person for the rest of my life.
By James Harding and Julia Chanin, Playnotes Editors
Orff Levels-Training Courses are the official path to mastery for Orff Schulwerk teachers in the United States, the best foundation in the scope and sequence of elemental music and movement study. While day-long workshops delight and inspire us, Levels Courses provide structure and reveal the pedagogical principles behind the magic, empowering us to design our own materials, lessons and curricula based in the Orff approach. If you love Orff workshops and haven’t taken a Levels Course yet, you are in for a wonderful treat that will change the way you teach!
While many AOSA Levels Courses across the country didn’t run this summer because of low numbers, or ran into CoVid challenges and cancellations, the Bay Area was fortunate to successfully produce not one but THREE exciting Levels Courses. Read about the experience of participants in each in the blog posts below AND SIGN YOURSELF UP FOR A LEVELS COURSE FOR NEXT SUMMER!
Photo: Katy, age 90: Resilience after the first pandemic winter. This image speaks for all of us.
by Greacian Goeke October 2022
A Note from the Editor: Sections of this article are included in a chapter of “Texts on Theory and Practice of Orff-Schulwerk, Volume III: The Role of Movement and Dance in Orff-Schulwerk,” edited by Barbara Haselbach and forthcoming in 2023 from the International Orff-Schulwerk Forum Salzburg and Pentatonic Press. The chapter focuses on older adults and is co-written with Andrea Ostertag, Christine Shönherr, Insuk Lee and Sr. Joannita (Hyeon-Kyeong Kweon).
“We dance together. We are together.”- Twyla Tharp
Origins
“Impromptu No Tutu Movement Ensemble” began in 2008 as a movement improvisation class I taught at Albany Senior Center near Berkeley, CA. A center member had admired my “Art of Play” t-shirt (designed by Susan Kennedy for the 2007 AOSA National Conference in San Jose) and said, “We need a class like that!” Before I knew it, I had a time slot, a beautiful movement space and five women who were ready to play. I’ve since learned how hard it can be to start something new in a community center, so this was pure luck, sparked by the gorgeous t-shirt design.
I’m not sure how the others do it. The non teachers. Of course, many people get some amount of time off. And then there is the marking of time by celebrating the new calendar year, the Lunar New Year, and each birthday as we circle round the sun. But no cycle feels quite as satisfying and complete as the school year, which also demands the proper amount of time to reset. Each August a fresh start, a chance to begin again, and with the guarantee, marked clear on the calendar, of when we’ll tie up all the loose ends of the deep work of the year, hug each other tightly, and say so long, for now. Continue reading “President’s Message 2022”→
NCAOSA PlayNotes 