Music From Ghana | Video

Kristin Clouston | 3/15/2013

Cathedral students experienced the music and culture of Ghana without leaving school. An artist in residence who grew up in Ghana and now lives in Minneapolis stopped by for a week.

Students proudly showed off their new skills in their school gym. They studied under master drummer Sowah Mensah.

"He taught us when you`re drumming on the edge of the drum, you flatten your hand and down with that part when you`re hitting in the middle you need to cup your hand," said fourth grader Celia Brekken.

Mensah is a music instructor at Macalester College and the University of St. Thomas, and says getting to hang out with grade schoolers is a lot of fun. "Sometimes the little ones have the advantage because they don`t know what`s in music too well. They can`t analyze it. They can`t really talk about it and break it down so they will do whatever you tell them."

He says they also worked very hard.

"This music calls for a very high level of focus and concentration. My hope is they can take it if they gain a high level of focus with this music, they can take it into the classroom and school and it will help them with their other work."

The students say they enjoyed learning the music and about the country of Ghana.

"He taught us they`re the main producers of cocoa beans there and they make chocolate," said fourth grader Jack Schell.

Cathedral tries to bring in an artist from a different country each year so students experience a variety of music, dances and cultures.

The school received a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts to help pay for his visit.

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