education

"The music presentation was an incredible experience for my students. Each child got to examine the gyil's [African xylophone's] hanging gourds, practice the instrument, and attempt a few simple tunes… They added an amazing dimension to our class' study of West Africa." -- Susan Sokol, St. Ann's School, Brooklyn, NY

"It was a concert that the children will never forget. Their music will grip you, the professionalism of the group will thrill you and the presentation reaches audiences of all ages. The performers answered the children's simple to complex questions with brilliant expertise." -- Mary Reed, Music Teacher, Clarkston Elementary, Clarkston, MI

What We Do:

Under the direction of composer and music educator David Rogers, Imaginary Homeland introduces students to the musical and cultural traditions of West Africa, and to rhythmic music that combines them with the swing and blues of American jazz.

Audiences discover the history-speaking sounds of the Dagbamba talking drum, the traditional songs of the Dagara gyil (xylophone), and the sounds of American fiddling and swinging jazz.

Presentation Formats:

For students pre-K through 12th grades, we offer:

• School assembly participatory presentations
• In-class workshops with hands-on instrumental instruction

Participatory Presentation: "Composing Music and Your Imagination"
Students will…

• Discover the West African talking drum and its story-telling language
• Hear the African xylophone and see how it is made from native plants
• Learn about the origin, sounds, and construction of the string instrument family, and reed instruments
• Participate and learn rhythms from jazz and African music
• Learn how musicians use different styles (jazz, classical, hip-hop, country, African) to make their own sound
• See how musicians compose music
  

In-Class Workshops and Instrumental Instruction
We work hands-on with student musicians (grades 7-12) to develop individual and ensemble skills in such areas as:

• African rhythms
• Improvisation and jazz for strings
• Acoustic & electric bass tutorial
• Jazz improvisation (all instruments)
• African traditions and jazz music

Experience:

David Rogers has spent three years living in Ghana (West Africa) apprenticing with traditional musicians and studying the native drum language, xylophone music, and culture of the Dagbamba and Dagara peoples. He holds a bachelor's degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Michigan and has taught educational workshops on African and American music and culture for students at every level from kindergarten through college at schools and universities in New York, Connecticut, and Michigan, with support from the Meet The Composer fund and the New York State Council on the Arts.

Mark Stone has trained and performed with the foremost percussion groups of Ghana (Sankofa Dance Theater), Uganda (Nakibembe Xylophone Group), and Trinidad (Scrunter's Pan Groove), and currently directs the Biakuye world-rhythm jazz ensemble. Mark holds a Master's degree from the World Music Center of West Virginia University, and was a 1996-1997 Rotary Scholar in Uganda. He has taught African and American music as faculty at Oakland University, Bowling Green State University, West Virginia University, and has led workshops at public schools in Michigan and New York.

Marlene Rice has recorded with Quartette Indigo, Steve Coleman, and pop stars Lauryn Hill, and Patti Labelle, and performed in string sections with McCoy Tyner, Freddie Hubbard, and such pop artists as Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Rod Stewart, and Sammy Davis, Jr. Marlene holds a Master's in Music from the University of Michigan and has taught string playing and jazz improvisation extensively in New York public schools.

Matt Pavolka has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe, Japan and South America with jazz artists such as Matt Wilson, Josh Roseman, Charlie Persip, George Garzone, Mark Turner, and "House of Illusion." Matt holds a degree in music from the Berklee School and teaches music to junior high students in various New York City schools.