It was unfortunate that both my drumming and xylophone practicals were at 9AM Monday morning. BUT it's Ghanaian time, which means it worked itself out since nothing really starts on time here. ISH II was pretty hoppin this past weekend cause everyone started practicing xylophone and drums. So all day saturday and sunday i would hear the same two xylophone songs being played over and over and over again throughout our entire hostel since four people own xylophones here. Once in a while you will hear drumming going on as well. I decided to contribute to the noise on Sunday afternoon for a good 4 hours. I've got battle scars to prove it: a blister on my finger from the xylophone mallets and somehow a small bruise on my finger from drumming. Lame. I feel so bad for all the residents who had to put up with the noise. I've been so brainwashed by all the songs myself that from time to time, i'll hear phantom music playing outside.
Drumming has been one of my favorite classes. We've learned three songs this semester. I love my professor and his organized teaching style. He's a professional drumming master. SUPPER good and can come up with the tightest beats. I wish we could have played music to dancers. I'll try to post some drumming videos when I get back home.
Music practicals are scary. You go into a room and play in front of a panel which includes your professor and two other members of the department. They are all there to evaluate and grade you. It's extremely intimidating. Growing up performing in recitals and concerts, and taking a ton of musical practical exams at cal, you'd think I'd be used to doing this sorta thing, but I still get so nervous before performing in front of people. Drumming was my first practical. We performed in groups of five, each person on one of five instruments: single bell, double bell, rattle, supporting drum, and master drum, and we would rotate through each instrument. I don't really know how well I did. I had some little slip up on each instrument except the rattle and the master drum. Kinda really messed up on supporting drum. Ghanaian drum rhythms are so cool, the way they weave together into super complex beats. There are certain rhythms though, usually with the supporting drum, that I still have a hard time figuring out and understanding its place within a certain piece. Boggles my mind. Ghanaian music is just too crazy good.
Gonna try to buy a djembe and bring it home. Though we didn't play the djembe in this class. It's lighter to carry back with me.
Xylophone
I heard a lot of good things about the xylophone class before classes started but it didn't meet up to my expectations. I definitely prefer drumming over xylophone. The class wasn't very organized and i can't believe we spent the entire semester learning only 2 and a half songs. Basically a pretty slow class. I love the sound of the xylophone though. i want to bring one back to the States with me, but I have no idea how I can lug such a huge instrument onto the plane. =( Guess i'll have to settle for one back home.
I was more freaked out about xylophone than drumming. Anything that involves detailed hand-eye coordination and accuracy over many keys are never good news when i perform cause I get so nervous, my accuracy decreases significantly. good thing I play piano...
After the drumming final i rushed over to the xylophone final and found a bunch of xylophones sitting in the shade of a huge tree where people were practicing. Pretty scared because each person before me had something horrible to say about the panel. They asked a bunch of questions about things our professor never taught us and would mercilessly critique and comment on your performance or oral session. Two panel members even walked out on one girl's performance! and for others they would cut them off in the middle of the piece and tell them to move on to the next song. (The Simon Cowells of Ghana?) None of this settled well with me since I was towards the end of the list. I was determined to take on these unfriendly savages and decided to put on my best Ghanaian charm and mannerism, and buttered them up with a little "Jesus Loves Me This I Know (even if you may not...)" worked into one of my pieces. The practical overall wasn't perfect, but i decided to just have fun with it. who knows when I'll get my hands on a ghanaian xylophone when I get back.
First two exams at U of Ghana! Done! Four more to go. In the midst of exam cramming, we are all freaking out about the fact that we only have about 3 1/2 more weeks before we leave.
Up next: Thursday Twi oral and written exam.
Me and the drumming teach. He's stylin my favorite male Ghanaian top called a smock. I was going to ask the prof for a letter of recommendation after the photo was taken. However, I instantly changed my mind after he got excited about taking a picture and said, "O this is great! A nice picture with Professor Johnson and...(awkward pause)...student..."
Here is me and my xylophone professor, Aaron. Sorry for the awful lighting.
And here is me and Phebe. This is what we do when we study. We play dress up with all the beads from Koforidua bead market.
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