Search engine for discovering works of Art, research articles, and books related to Art and Culture
Javascript must be enabled to continue!
I drum, I sing, I dance: An ethnographic study of a West African drum and dance ensemble
View through CrossRef
The purpose of this ethnographic study was to investigate the Montclair State University’s West African drum and dance ensemble. Analyses of the data revealed three themes related to individual participants and the “lived reality” of the group as a whole, and to the social-cultural teaching–learning processes involved: spirituality, community-as-oneness, and communal joy. My motivation for undertaking this inquiry arose from the fact that, beginning in the 1960s, music education scholars in the United States have been concerned about the widespread marginalization of non-Western musics in American music teacher education programs. This situation is still a major concern because American undergraduate and graduate music teacher preparation remains overwhelmingly dominated by Western classical styles. This situation runs contrary to the massive social, cultural, situational, and musical diversity of American students’ lives. As one small effort to advance musical diversity in my own university music school context, I developed the proposal for and initiated the Montclair State University’s West African drum and dance ensemble.
Title: I drum, I sing, I dance: An ethnographic study of a West African drum and dance ensemble
Description:
The purpose of this ethnographic study was to investigate the Montclair State University’s West African drum and dance ensemble.
Analyses of the data revealed three themes related to individual participants and the “lived reality” of the group as a whole, and to the social-cultural teaching–learning processes involved: spirituality, community-as-oneness, and communal joy.
My motivation for undertaking this inquiry arose from the fact that, beginning in the 1960s, music education scholars in the United States have been concerned about the widespread marginalization of non-Western musics in American music teacher education programs.
This situation is still a major concern because American undergraduate and graduate music teacher preparation remains overwhelmingly dominated by Western classical styles.
This situation runs contrary to the massive social, cultural, situational, and musical diversity of American students’ lives.
As one small effort to advance musical diversity in my own university music school context, I developed the proposal for and initiated the Montclair State University’s West African drum and dance ensemble.
Related Results
The Story of the Lost Thai Classical Music Ensemble: The Wang Bang Kholaem Ensemble
The Story of the Lost Thai Classical Music Ensemble: The Wang Bang Kholaem Ensemble
This article was written to answer the following two questions, which are 1) What is the history of the Wang Bang Kholaem ensemble? What were the reasons for its establishment and ...
African American Language
African American Language
The term African American Language (AAL) is used in this article to refer to all variations of language use in African American communities. AAL is the more current term, but Afric...
African American Deathways
African American Deathways
This bibliography on African American deathways examines the role of death, dying, and disposal from a variety of different perspectives. Studies focusing on the intersection betwe...
Tempo in Baroque Music and Dance
Tempo in Baroque Music and Dance
Growing interest in studies on the relationship between music and movement has given rise to many paradigms and theories, including embodied approaches that provide interesting met...
African American Masculinity
African American Masculinity
Masculinity, also referenced as manhood, is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles associated with boys and men, though it is distinct from the definition of the male biological...
Contemporary African Art as a Paradox
Contemporary African Art as a Paradox
The field of contemporary African and African diaspora art and culture is currently riddled by two paradoxes. First, in Africa and its diaspora, we are witnessing a burgeoning of c...
Finite-difference model of mode shape changes of the Myanmar pat wain drum circle with tuning paste on drum head
Finite-difference model of mode shape changes of the Myanmar pat wain drum circle with tuning paste on drum head
The tuning process of drums differ considerably between Western and Southeast Asian drums. While Western drums, like tom-toms, snare, or bass drums of a rock or jazz drum kit, are ...
Racing Away from Race: The Literary Aesthetics of Islam and Gender in Mohammed Naseehu Ali’s The Prophet of Zongo Street and Abubakar Adam Ibrahim’s The Whispering Trees
Racing Away from Race: The Literary Aesthetics of Islam and Gender in Mohammed Naseehu Ali’s The Prophet of Zongo Street and Abubakar Adam Ibrahim’s The Whispering Trees
Some literary discussions on Islam in West Africa argue that African Muslims owe allegiance more to Arab race and culture since the religion has an Arab origin while owing less to ...