Blue Valley Educational Foundation

10.18.2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sunset Ridge students have the beat thanks to Foundation grant

Fifth grade students in Lisa Tironi's music classes are learning drumming rhythms on African drums called tubanos. Tironi was the recipient of a Blue Valley Educational Foundation grant that purchased enough small, medium and large tubano drums for each student to use during music class for a half hour twice a week.
Tironi attended a drum workshop over the summer and was struck by the power of the drums and how easily children could learn this African tradition.

"Much like we teach language to our babies, African drumming is taught by echoing or rote memorization," said Tironi.

The students are learning how to play the drums or have "conversations" with each other by echoing Tironi and each other. Each 5^th grade class will participate in an ensemble performance during a younger grade's musical program.

The students will be learning African, Caribbean and South American rhythms throughout the school year. One of the benefits from the new drumming experiences are improved listening skills that the students are using in all their classrooms.

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