Location: Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, AR
"A World of Rhythm: Drumming Around the Globe" is an exciting multicultural program that explores music from around the world from the vantage point of drums and percussion. Music is a universal language that tells us many things about a given culture—what makes the people laugh and cry, what they feel is most important, their cultural identity, social ideals, religious beliefs, roles of dance and art, etc. Because they are common ingredients in most world musics and are instruments accessible for performance by all ages and ability levels, drums and percussion are an effective and enjoyable way for students to journey through and, most importantly, experience world music. As a part of exploring the music and cultures of West Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia, students will (1) listen to audio recordings of art/classical, popular, and traditional/folk world music, (2) view videos of authentic performances, (3) experience live performances of percussion instruments, (4) perform rhythms and instruments indigenous to each culture, (5) learn to utilize found instruments to construct their own versions of world instruments, (6) compose original rhythms, (7) improvise rhythmically, (8) explore the fusion of world music influences in students' favorite modern popular music, and (9) gain an appreciation for and an acceptance of other cultures different from their own. The ultimate goals of the "A World of Rhythm" program are to (1) expose students to the many styles of music from cultures around the world, (2) engage students in performances of indigenous rhythms on traditional and found instruments, and (3) assist students in valuing the differences and similarities between world cultures and their own. Available to conduct teacher workshops.