There was a fog watch for around here last night and when we woke up this morning it was still rather foggy. When the fog left it was a white world from all that moisture in the air. The trees as we were driving were really beautiful!
We are studying Africa for a few weeks in our schoolwork, the kids and I. So I was excited to find out that the Rice St. Library was hosting a guy from Ghana who was a master drummer. He teaches African music at Macalaster College, I guess. Three of his past students were there to help him out with the music. It is neat music, but a little is all I need. The beat is hard on my sensitive head. I liked it when he sang. The songs he sang too were more mellow than sometimes when I hear this type of music. When the guys joined him they had a very nice harmony.
The kids were asked to come up to do a game. It seemed like it was basically the song Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes. That is the action that they did with some words that we repeated over and over, quicker and quicker. It is hard to say what we were saying as I am not in tune with any of the 50 languages they speak in Ghana. Well one of them I am which is English but that isn't what he used for this game.
Something I found interesting is they purposely make the xylophones have a buzzy sound by drilling holes in the gourds that hang under each wooden slat of the xylophone. After they drill the hole they put spider sac material over the hole to seal it. They are really pretty instruments, the drums to.
Henry got shorn today. His hair was past due for a trim, and getting very matted around where his collar belongs. Travis and he are getting better and better at the job, don't you think? To go along with the study of Africa we are trying to eat the proper ethnic foods. Today for supper we had Kuku. A delicious tangy chicken stew from Kenya (that is what is says in the cookbook).
Blessings to YOU,
~Anna
7 comments:
That looks like fun. I enjoy African music mostly. I wonder if the buzz with the xylophones is like the drone with bagpipes?
The buzz did not remind us of the bagpipe drone (I just asked Travis for his opinion). But in a way that is an interesting comparison. The guy was saying that Europians didn't have that background beat sound until we had the African influence which we got from slaves.
Did they use a drum like the drum Dad and Luke made?
Oh, now I see it in the picture. I was looking at the xylophone. It is quite a bit like the one they made.
They had quite a few different sized drums with different styles of art on them but they were all about the same shape and make as that one in the picture.
That sounds like fun and a very neat study of Africa!
Are you still having trouble with lots of headaches? Do you have TMJ? I found this interesting video online with different massages to relieve problems associated with TMJ.
Abbi- I do have a predispostion to TMJ and I did physical therapy 7 years ago for it. I try to do the exercises to relieve that and I always sleep with my appliance in so I don't grind my teeth which is the biggest reason I have TMJ disorder.
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