African Percussion and Dance

African Percussion and Dance

Doc Gibbs Ensemble

The outstanding performers of the Doc Gibbs Ensemble are unequaled in teaching the history of African drumming, percussion, and dance. In this residency program, students learn how these mediums have been used as communication tools throughout African history. Doc Gibbs, master percussionist, and the musicians of Ilu Aiye (Drum World) introduce students to the world of hand drums and percussion instruments from Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Brazil and Cuba.

Doc Gibbs teaches students traditional Yoruba greetings and introduces new rhythmic concepts. Students will hear and play traditional instruments including the dunuba drum from Guinea, the gonkogui, a two-toned metal bell from Ghana, the ganza, a shaker which comes from Brazil, and the cowbell from Cuba. They will learn to listen for and respond to the “call” from the djembe drum, which tells them when to start, change or stop playing specific rhythms, and when to start, change, or stop the various dance movements taught in the Sinte dance from West Africa.

Learning the Sinte dance is a main focus of the residency. In West Africa, the Sinte dance celebrates boys and girls becoming men and women, and therefore, this program is most appropriate for elementary and middle schools students, especially fourth through seventh graders.

Throughout the workshops, Doc also explains the history of the instruments and their place in African and American cultures. Doc also often talks about his path to becoming a musician and shares stories about his own childhood. A great advocate of personal responsibility, Doc brings to life the importance of having “a dream” and working hard to make the dream become a reality. A final concert allows students to demonstrate their newfound drumming and dance skills to their peers in a joyous performance with the professional ensemble.

Following completion of the workshops, students will be able to: 1) define percussion music 2) name and describe at least four traditional percussion instruments 3) explain what the terms call and response, and the break mean, and be able to respond to the break when playing 4) explain how African drums arrived in Brazil, Cuba, and America 5) explain why drums were banned in America during the slavery period. 6) Sing and respond to call and response song in an indigenous African language.

We have found that students who participate in this residency program gain a considerable knowledge of African percussion and dance, strengthened listening skills and a greater interest in music from different cultures.

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