In March, second and fifth graders at Chatham Charter School participated in an arts residency with West African musician Diali (pronounced “Jelly”) Cissokho. Diali kicked off the week with a schoolwide performance, sharing the stage with guest musician Chiekh. The two shared the energy and passion of Senegalese music using the kora, two djembe drums, and their voices. By the end of the performance, everyone in the crowd was reciting lyrics in Wolof, Diali’s first language, and clapping with the rhythm of songs.
Then, it was time for classroom workshops where students learned to play djembe drums, sing in Wolof, dance like no one’s watching–and, most importantly, work together as a cohesive team.
New things can be hard, and one persistent second grade child struggled to match the beat with his class. Diali crouched nearby and quietly sang the drum beat pattern, and that was key! The student got that beat, to cheers from his classmates. On the final day of the workshops, this kiddo was still quietly singing the rhythm to himself and to his neighbor, helping them both to stay on tempo.
Students practiced all week with Diali to perfect their drum songs, chants, and dances for the final performance. There were struggles and successes. “You need to communicate with each other. You play as a team,” Diali insisted when the rhythm was off.
“There were several students during the week who shared, either individually or through their body language, that they were feeling shy or nervous about drumming. It was so special to see their progress and growth,“ shared Diali. “One student … told me that he had been sharing what he learned at home with his family and practicing on the dinner table. That brought me a lot of joy.”
The fifth-graders decided to choreograph their dances for the performance, because they were enjoying the experience so much! “I’m going to be ready for this tomorrow. I really like this,” one of them exclaimed.
Chatham Charter music teacher Julie Teague, said, “one of [my] students who struggles with ADHD discovered an activity in which he could be fully focused and successful. After the final performance, his mom was getting information on scheduling private drumming lessons. This was his moment to be a star!”
To sum up the experience, a second grader remarked: “I felt like I could just let it out.”
This impactful residency with Diali Cissokho was powered by an anonymous neighbor.
Arts for Resilient Kids programming is made possible by partnerships with Chatham County Schools, Chatham County, the North CarolinaArts Council, and many individual, foundation, business donors.
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