Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Woke Up This Morning

 

As noted, I woke up in great grief at the news about the Senate. Wrote my little piece at 5:30 in the morning and then went to our morning warm-up exercise. Kofi began with some different recorded music, a beautiful quiet song with guitar that was strumming the right strings in my out-of-tune body/soul. The morning birds were singing, the blue sky inviting us to look up into its infinite space, which we did in our exercise. The bodies rhythmically moving in unison, the singer continuing to soothe us, sights and sounds and smells of breakfast being prepared and the feel of the cement on bare feet, the beautiful faces of these people who have been gathered together for 12 glorious days, each with miraculous and memorable moments— it’s just what the doctor ordered. It released my tears of grief and wonder mixed and that’s also what the doctor orders. 

 

And they came again after breakfast when the scheduled morning class was a sharing from select participants of music/dance from their culture that was born from these West African roots. A Brazilian maracatu, a Puerto Rican plena, a Nicaraguan and Colombian children’s song/game. And then JJ from Oakland sang in powerful black church voice the old spiritual turned Civil Rights song,  the first words exactly what I wrote in my earlier blogpost—“Woke Up This Morning with my Mind.” A different energy than the Irving Berlin song I mentioned, but the theme was the same— freedom. When she started singing, the chills ran up my spine and more tears trickled out.  Her lead singing (and fellow singer Katie's also) and the soulful response of the group yet another testimonies of millions about the indomitable spirit and soul of black folks from here, there and everywhere. Then we went to the Nunya Academy campus and after giving gifts to the kids, we sang it again. Wasn’t that something! 



We bid farewell to Sofia after lunch (she had to leave a few days early), had an inspired choral session with Kofi and atentenbem flute class with James. More so than in the previous Orff Afriques, the connection between the Orff approach and traditional West African music is so profound and clear. Most of the participants are experienced Orff teachers, so it’s a perfect blend of taking things they’re familiar with—children’s games, body percussion, movement improvisation, speech pieces, songs, choreographed dances, assorted percussion instruments, Orff xylophones, recorders, arts integration, drama, storytelling— and lifting them up to new experiences with an Ewe inflection. 


No need to go into specifics, but Kofi, James, Sofia and I made direct connections with each of the above, alongside the necessary cultural information, history, social justice issues. If you can find a model of a wholly integrated education experience deeper, broader, more profound and at the same time, more useful in our future teaching, fun and community-building, well, I’d like to know about it. 

 

Every inch of our human faculties are called upon and though there some electronic notes coming and a few paper examples given out (very few!), it’s all mapped on our bodies, in our muscle memory, in our mylenated neuron connections, in our hearts. Read about how trauma shuts down all those faculties and imagine the polar opposite and you get a taste of what has happened here. 


Two days left of classes, one day of travel and it will soon be a distant, but ever-present memory. Meanwhile, another day when we roundly defeated despair and I know it’s not enough, but it is adding to the gathering energy of people determined to live fully in the glory and splendor of this world. 

 

As the song says, “Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu-jah!”

 

 PS At breakfast, the group sang what might be the most tuneful and beautiful Happy Birthday my grandson Malik will ever hear. I videotaped it and sent it to him and my daughter reports that he was touched. 10 years old! Happy birthday, Malik!!!

 

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