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"Why Would I Feel Shy?" A Workshop on the Participatory Music of the Ewe of Southeastern Ghana

The Ewe conception of music differs greatly from our own; everyone at musical events in Ewe culture is welcome and encouraged to sing, dance, drum, and clap -- passive observation of a musical performance is relatively non-existent.
In this lecture, lead by Daniel Joseph, he will take you on a short tour of Ewe music culture, attempting to answer the Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why of Ewe music making: 
Who do the Ewe consider to be a musician? 
What do the Ewe consider to be "music"? 
Where and When does music making most frequently occur in Ewe society? 
How is music making structured? 
Why might someone want, or not want to participate in music making?

Daniel Joseph is a Senior at Tufts University majoring in Music.  He plays saxophone, piano, sings, and composes, yet his interest in music encompasses more than just notes on a page. His work focuses heavily on the sociology of music, and the underlying cultural beliefs that lead people toward or away from making music.  He recently returned from a semester long study in Ghana, West Africa, where he conducted independent research on the participatory music culture of the Ewe people of the Volta Region, in Southeastern Ghana.  At Tufts, he currently spends much time working to bring music making to the general public here in the Boston area. The goal of his work is to create a public space for music making; a sort of musical playground where people can come and play pick-up music, in the same way that people play pick-up basketball. His current musical projects include co-leading the indie rock band, Take Care, and singing in a boston based jazz group, ECG. 

Take Care: www.takecaremusic.com
ECG:          www.facebook.com/ErikCaldaroneGroup

Questions? Contact: lucyrubin1995@gmail.com 

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