The oral tradition in the Sankofa Drum and Dance Ensemble: student perceptions

Abstract

The Sankofa Drum and Dance Ensemble is a Ghanaian drum and dance ensemble that focusses on music in the Ewe tradition. It is based on an elementary school in the Greater Toronto Area and consists of students in Grade 4 through Grade 8. Students in the ensemble study Ghanaian traditional Ewe drumming and dancing in the oral tradition. Nine students were interviewed for their perceptions of the effects of their ensemble participation on their lives. Feelings about being taught through the oral tradition instead of through notation were extremely strong. Students much preferred being taught aurally. Their comments on the aural and written musical learning styles are quite insightful and have powerful implications for music education.

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