Grant Students Share The Beat Of African Music

In 1974, the sound of African drums were first heard in the hallways of Grant Elementary School.

Two decades later, on any Friday morning, you can still hear what sounds like the rumble of thirsty animals sweeping across the African veldt or the approach of distant thunder.

Dancers and Drummers, a group of fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders at Grant, produces the syncopated drum rhythms, the precise patter of feet and the music and lyrics that evoke images of another continent, dotted with villages and distinguished by colorful celebration, dance and dress.

Each year the 30-member group, which performs only African music, appears at more than 15 public school, community college and civic functions in the Spokane area. Each year members of the troupe are involved in a musical initiation, much like African musical tradition itself, wherein the most experienced group members teach the newest members the songs, dances and words that make up the extensive repertoire of African music.

That long-standing tradition of children teaching children impresses Melinda Winther, the group’s director.

“They really help each other out. They teach each other the dances and the percussion parts,” Winther said.

Younger sisters and brothers learn songs and steps from older sisters and brothers, at home or at practice. The little ones watch in awe and then imitate their siblings, Winther said.

“They can hardly wait to be old enough to join (in fourth grade).”

At a recent Friday practice, a second-grade girl with dark braids bobbed her head and mouthed the words to “Ocho,” a Ghanaian song, while her older brother James sang the words out loud.

Winther, who teaches music at Grant, has directed the group since 1988. On Friday mornings, the one day of the week Drummers and Dancers practices, she and the children are in the gym practicing by 7:45 a.m.

Four of the group’s 30 performers arrive even earlier, Winther said, to get out bells, gourds, xylophones and drums.

Milton Nelson, 11, said he joined the group because “I just wanted to have some fun.”

His movements are rich and fluid. And he is the only dancer who can do the splits.

Tawny Simmons, a sixth-grader, joined the group “because I love dance and movement. I was mesmerized when I was watching.”

Dancers and Drummers recently performed at Spokane Community College before a crowd of more than 200. Some in the audience tapped their toes and clicked their tongues to the beat of “Funga Alafia,” a Liberian song of welcome; “Umojo,” a Swahili dance that celebrates unity; and “Lamban,” a Senegalese song that features complex drum patterns.

During the performance, the Congo drums, Djembe drums, shekere gourds and the shuffle of the dancers’ feet seemed to capture the spirit of a celebrating African village. On Dec. 3, the girls once again will don their red performance dashikis, the boys their gold and brown dashikis, and perform at The Crescent Court’s “Christmas Elegance” program.

Role-switching is common during performances. Children who dance during one song will play the drums during another.

“There is absolutely no competition involved in the group,” Winther said. “Anyone who wants gets the chance to play drums, dance and sing.”

“The group teaches children more than rhythm or coordination,” Winther said. “Dancers and Drummers exposes school-age kids to ethnic diversity and promotes a spirit of acceptance.”

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