Welcome, welcome

With only three weeks left, I'm really focusing on making the most of my time that is left here.

-After starting some additional drumming lessons last week with the Youth Home Cultural Group, it has been interesting to focus on the differences in teaching styles that I am receiving. I have decided that even though taking the lessons first-hand has many benefits, I would like to just sit down and talk with some of the traditional musicians and discuss each of their personal learning/training experiences. I think that spending that kind of concentrated time will help me get a better overall picture of traditional music education as a supplement to the lessons that I am getting. I hope to have some of these conversations this week.

-Just this morning I went over to the junior secondary school next door to teach the "Welcome, welcome" song. They remembered me bringing my horn last week, so I will most surely have to return with it again this week. They responded relatively well to the introduction to harmony. They were able to sing the melody and bass parts simultaneously, but I had trouble adding further parts. I may try the same song again later in the week after shaking up the lesson plan.

-This week the junior secondary school is reviewing for their exams next week. Myself and the two Ghanaian university students who are staying here at the palace are going over there to help with the review (well, they are reviewing and I am teaching some enriching music classes). It is frustrating, because I realized today that this "Review Week" is little more than a week of free time. The students are supposed to be studying amongst themselves in small groups, but I don't think that happens naturally with middle school students anywhere in the world. Maybe I'll have to branch out from the music teaching and make sure that I cover some material that they will be tested on as well. It's just a little frustrating to see that frequent 'breaks' are taken by the whole class and very little supervised academic review is taking place.

-On a lighter note, we visited the Tongo Hills and Bolga this past Saturday and it was a very nice trip. It was great to see the landscape change and to really get out into the country. We didn't make it all the way to the crocodiles in Paga, but maybe I'll get to do that before I leave. Here's a picture from Tongo.