Mar
17
Bucket drums bang home the message
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Wellstone Elementary’s drum line knows what it means to combine hard work with fun. On March 10, thirty sixth-graders from Wellstone marched into the Lab with bucket drums, trash barrels, and percussive poles. They danced and stomped, and made a bass boom louder than any amp we’ve heard at the Lab. Led by a brilliant educator, Jamal Abdur-Salaam, these artists demonstrated what it means to be a mature team – and the power that comes from that effort.
Students from Murray were in the audience, and Jamal told them what this bucket drumming was all about. These sixth graders are drumming first and foremost as a reminder of why they are in school. Their call and response goes:
Why do we go to school? “To learn!”
Why else? “To figure out what we can do!”
Why else? “To become!”
What a great compliment to the work that happens at the Lab. We create a safe space and invite students to get creative. And Glo reminds students every week that they are hear to find another side of themselves, a person they can be proud of.
As Jamal said, ”It’s the person playing the bucket that makes it sound like what it is. You get out of it what you put into it. And I like to connect that to life. You get out of your life what you put into it.”
We are so thankful that Jamal and his students came to visit, and plan on it happening again.
Mar
14
March Enrichment – Drumming Shows
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Marc Anderson (www.fathands.com) performed for our March 9th Enrichment show for Murray Jr. High.
He is an African Drummer who has performed and taught all over the world. He is seen here playing a drum from Ghana called Kpanlogo.
Marc has also offered a 7-week group for our students from St. Andrews. Thanks, Marc!
A video clip is on the way….stay tuned!
