Back in the USA

Wow! Talk about a whirlwind! I'm back sitting on the couch in my living room in Afton, Minnesota. A week ago I was in Nairobi, Kenya for my last night in Africa. Crazy how time is!
My experience in Arusha cannot be summed in one blog entry. You might try to sum it up by reading my whole blog at swzanussi.blogspot.com, but quite honestly even those are mere glimpses. I think the biggest accomplishment was teaching a full studio with 7 voice students and 31 piano students! My favorite part was Umoja Ensemble, which was going into the Tanzanian primary schools and teaching kids African lullabies, dance, and traditional drum patterns. I also had a unique experience of being a music teacher mentor at the School of St. Jude's, which required facilitating and teaching music class for 4th-6th grade. It was amazing to see the progress of both the students and the teachers in six weeks considering at the beginning of the term, students couldn't identify loud from soft, fast from slow, etc. and were separated by sex and teachers couldn't have needed materials ready even after being specifically asked. However, by week six, the teachers were asking questions when they didn't understand what I had asked them to do, they came up with their own activities, and the students had mastered not only identifying these concepts, but also able to follow a conductor, recognize and clap rhythms, sing solfegge, and work together in coed groups.
The end of term concert was a huge success and I was so proud of how musical my students played/sang in the youth opus. I hosted my first piano recital and all the students played so well! I was so proud of each one. Even when they made a mistake, they kept going, which I know isn't easy for many of them and all of them overcame their nerves and played a piece memorized.
Group class finally turned into something productive: duet class. Trying to get eight Suzuki children on pianos and playing simultaneously aged 5-13 was quite a nightmare and fortunately was reduced to two eight and nine year olds playing duets.
I also with MUCH success played the Brahms Sonata No. 1 with my beloved housemate Nina, the violinist (albeit on an upright out of tune piano, but never mind). This was the first time I had played something at my ability since the tendonitis had begun and it was so fun to perform again for a paying audience, no less. And best of all, no pain!
After playing at a restaurant called Blue Heron multiple times with piano background music, I decided to mix it up a bit and do some singing, which also succeeded and I now realize I can consider myself a professional musician who even has international experience! My confidence for performing in public has increased so dramatically and I was overjoyed to find the nicest piano I had played on in a year (a real grand piano!) in...the Amsterdam airport. That airport really knows how to design an airport and of course the amazement was exaggerated since it was the first thing I saw back in the western world. I killed a full hr and a half playing tunes and had a nice audience listening.
The Umoja Ensemble kids have come so far and I am so proud of them!!! It's amazing to see the progress children can make in a school year and the difference in individuality, expression, self-confidence, and asking questions was significant. This ensemble has given me a new appreciation and passion for the importance of the arts in youth (see value of the arts blog entry on swzanussi blog).
Having no Internet the last 6 weeks at home, suppressed the Skype lessons a bit and then my computer flat out broke, but thanks to the generosity of my mom giving me her old one (just like mine pre-bust) and a wonderful thing I call civilization, high-speed Internet is in reach again as is a new toy I'm learning more and more about each day that most now know as a Droid. It is truly amazing!
I composed a new song I will premiere at a friend's wedding and have found my niche for what I want to do...at least for now: arts development. Of course necessities like health and food come first (thank you Maslow) but after that, I would argue arts is next because of all the benefits that it gives to an individual. Did you know music was one of the only activities that utilizes both the right and left sides of the brain simultaneously? No wonder it contributes to language learning and math.

Another amazing musical experience I had was participating in an African ensemble at Makumira University with first and second year music students. The goal of the class was to document some of the traditional dances, drum patterns, and songs and as a result I gained many Tanzanian friends, learned many a dance ie how to shake those hips, songs, and some drumming. I succeeded (after 16 hours) in making a Bukoba drum which comes from the area of Lake Victoria. My teacher was a 73 yr old already retired and returned to teaching Mr. Kijugo who had more patience than anyone I have ever met. Again, the very typical Tanzanian personality of never suggesting or telling me what to do persisted and instead everything was formulated in a question form. Eventually, I realized this which made productivity increase. After calloused hands and hundreds of cowhide strings later, I had my drum!!!Me with my new drum!!!

Signing off in my TZ kitenge robe and sweltering in the 78˚ heat even in the night!
Sara

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