May 11, 2019 2:30-4:00PM Fundamentals of West African Percussive Music Workshop for Children

My name is Nana Baakan and I would like to invite you to bring your children out to my Fundamentals of West African Percussive Music Workshops that will be hosted at CEC on the 2nd Saturday of every month. As the managing director and founder of the "Voices Of Africa" Choral & Percussion Ensemble I want to share with young people what I share with my own children. VOA started off as a children's Ensemble and grew as the children grew to include adults. My hope is to give more and more children the opportunity to enjoy and learn what my children learned. With VOA they got an opportunity to travel all over the country and abroad. I hope to get enough children on board to one day, present them to the public in a public performance. The young folks are our future. All too often the elders leave and with them goes the legacy. I am committed to sharing the legacy with the young people so that when I make transition, they will have something to carry on. So, bring the little ones, all ages are welcomed. Adults attend free but you have to bring a young person with you. They will learn the fundamentals using Agogo Bells, Sekere and the hand held Sakara drums. They will also learn a few authentic African Children's play songs and their meanings. They will become proficient in being able to play and sing along. African music is drums, dance and song. While we won't concentrate too much on the dancing, a few steps can be explored for those active bodies most children have. The children in these workshops will be given permission to "make noise" but also be given the discipline and protocols that go along with approaching and utilizing the instruments. I will also record our workshops and with your permission upload the workshops to my YouTube channel.

All too often students want to learn to be superstars on their djembe or djundjun. They want to jump out there an wail! This is good motivational energy, however, like any skill, it must be cultivated before you can wail. In this workshop, students will learn very basic yet fundamental techniques that can be applied to most West African Musical instruments. They will learn a bit about how to even create their own authentic musical pieces with the keys to the art of playing West African Percussive music. We will also push on some boundaries so get ready to sweat a bit. We need you all to come out and bring your children, make this happen so we can do it again and again! One workshop will certainly help, but more practice leads to having them closer to being that SUPER STAR they've dreamed of being!! And parents, you can come free if you bring a child with you. Hey, you can learn some West African percussive fundamentals as well! Date: May 11, 2019 Location: CEC 3500 Lancaster Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104 Time: 2 to 4PM Price: $5/12yrs & Under $7/13 to 18yrs