I'll perform two West African (Guinean) drum pieces tomorrow on sangban (a medium-sized drum) and cowbell with the West African Drum Ensemble at UM-Dearborn [side-note: we're a pretty tight ensemble, woodchips fly off of the drumsticks every time we play, and in the spirit of "MORE COWBELL!" I broke a cowbell, as did another ensemble mate as we rehearsed. I'm pleased to report that the replacement cowbells are bigger {thus fulfilling the request for more cowbell} and sturdier].
The first (called Wurende), I learned to my delight, is a harvest rhythm. Sometimes a motion makes things click. Our instructor, Dr. Vera Flaig, explained that the rhythms are played as farmers worked the field to gather the end of the year's harvest, and also performed at the beginning of a season for planting. What really caught my memory was that she made a simple reaping motion, which instantly reminded me about railroad songs, and drum beats for rowing.
I believe the arts are most substantial for their ability to evoke authentic curiosity and appreciation for the world around us (see "the reality aesthetic" for my writings on that). This "sense of wonder" (as environmental author Rachel Carson would describe this sensational sort of inquiry) opens the door to deeper inquiry and learning, but beneath that, the tangible and practical nuances of the arts also go undetected in our lives on a regular basis. I think the social nuances of music are frequently lost in media and a fair amount of society. For many, it's a challenge to explain how the arts are a valuable part of culture and society beyond giving an argument about "art for art's sake". I suspect it's because we're exposed to it as background noise through a machine (radios, computers, other media players), encounter what seems like insubstantial music, or more likely, we're unaware of the content or context of the music. Yet many people in the U.S. still value musicians enough to devote large portions of their wedding ceremonies. Think about it in a Judeo-Christian ceremony--aside from words spoken by the priest and bride/groom, people spend a lot of time in a church wedding ceremony listening to a musician. Stranger still, I suspect most of them hire musicians whom they might never have met before. Meanwhile, while the military no longer give buglers the responsibilities they once had, it still uses music (think running cadences) for purposes of morale, and I suspect singing while running also adds to endurance as well. Wurende, the Guinean harvest rhythm mentioned above, is a powerful reminder of music in a similar context.
Today, I played a Bocherrini piece at an event that celebrated international diplomacy and the United Nations. I received a vivid complement from a UM-Dearborn Political Science professor Dr. Frank Wayman who focuses on war in his research and teaching. The beginning of one of his trademark courses, "Peace and War" (link goes to a very rich and educational syllabus), actually focused a great deal on defining war and scaling conflicts, and very little on giving explicit focus to the elements that create a vibrant example of a nation in peace. In that class (and in most international dialogue), "peacekeeping" forces, would actually be better defined as "drastic-security-keeping" forces since they are usually deployed to stem, minimize, or quell violent conflicts in drastic circumstances.
Aside: According to the statistical data he presented in both the class and today's special "Two Cheers for the United Nations" (a reference to a book titled "Two Cheers for Democracy"--the two cheers [out of three] implying that substantial work remains to be done--presentation on the United Nations, "peacekeeping" forces are at least successful in reducing the number of casualties in wars despite the frequency of wars.
I found it ironic that a professor who focused so much on the characteristics of war (in part defined by the number of direct conflict-related deaths, non-combatant civilian casualties weren't included) and genocide really enjoyed hearing music Boccherini (he's a huge fan of the Boccherini cello concerto).
I wonder what that means? Surely we can find something to speak about our sense of humanity in that...
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| Tangentially related image: Ameyaw Kofi of Ghana performing on djembe at the River Folk Music Festival in Manchester, MI in 2010. He has almost no relation to the West African Drum Ensemble of UM-Dearborn, but the instrument and the opening rhythms he played are similar. |
I believe the arts are most substantial for their ability to evoke authentic curiosity and appreciation for the world around us (see "the reality aesthetic" for my writings on that). This "sense of wonder" (as environmental author Rachel Carson would describe this sensational sort of inquiry) opens the door to deeper inquiry and learning, but beneath that, the tangible and practical nuances of the arts also go undetected in our lives on a regular basis. I think the social nuances of music are frequently lost in media and a fair amount of society. For many, it's a challenge to explain how the arts are a valuable part of culture and society beyond giving an argument about "art for art's sake". I suspect it's because we're exposed to it as background noise through a machine (radios, computers, other media players), encounter what seems like insubstantial music, or more likely, we're unaware of the content or context of the music. Yet many people in the U.S. still value musicians enough to devote large portions of their wedding ceremonies. Think about it in a Judeo-Christian ceremony--aside from words spoken by the priest and bride/groom, people spend a lot of time in a church wedding ceremony listening to a musician. Stranger still, I suspect most of them hire musicians whom they might never have met before. Meanwhile, while the military no longer give buglers the responsibilities they once had, it still uses music (think running cadences) for purposes of morale, and I suspect singing while running also adds to endurance as well. Wurende, the Guinean harvest rhythm mentioned above, is a powerful reminder of music in a similar context.
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| Dr. Wayman investigates the title of the Boccherini, expresses his enthusiasm for the composer, and adds his thumbs up. Photograph courtesy of UM-Dearborn's institutional advancement photographer. |
Aside: According to the statistical data he presented in both the class and today's special "Two Cheers for the United Nations" (a reference to a book titled "Two Cheers for Democracy"--the two cheers [out of three] implying that substantial work remains to be done--presentation on the United Nations, "peacekeeping" forces are at least successful in reducing the number of casualties in wars despite the frequency of wars.
I found it ironic that a professor who focused so much on the characteristics of war (in part defined by the number of direct conflict-related deaths, non-combatant civilian casualties weren't included) and genocide really enjoyed hearing music Boccherini (he's a huge fan of the Boccherini cello concerto).
I wonder what that means? Surely we can find something to speak about our sense of humanity in that...
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