MUSIC PROGRAMS
Babatunde Lea
Educultural Foundation Program and Artistic Director
"Music is a natural resource like oil and water. It does the bidding of the person who harnesses it.
I prefer to use my music to create a better world."
- Babatunde Lea
Music is a creative process that can lead us to a cultural space outside of our normal experience. In this space, the frontiers between thought, feeling and spirit can dissolve.
Music can engage the passions and motivate us to become even more creative. In this creative state, we are more likely to think critically about the social and cultural forces that influence us.
With an enhanced sense of what is creatively possible, we are more likely to be able to access any racist, classist , sexist and other assumptions that we may hold and have hidden from consciousness in our unconscious minds.
This compartmentalization allows us to avoid discomfort when we pursue courses of action that may benefit us at the expense of others. It implicates us in reproducing the existing inequalities in society.
Music, then, can be a vehicle to arrive at greater knowledge of the social, cultural, political and economic influences on our consciousness, feelings and spirits.
Through music, we may gain a sense of greater agency over our lives and our communities.
We can develop awareness of ways to collaborate with others in the quest for greater equity in the world.
CONCERTS & CONVERSATIONS
The main goal of Concerts & Conversations is to help communities address and find solutions to social issues of concern—like racism or homophobia—by juxtaposing critical dialogue with music.
If you would like to engage your community in a critical dialogue about an issue of concern, we will organize a panel of individuals who can lead the dialogue, and a jazz music ensemble that will improvise, choose, or play composed music (if we have several weeks of advanced notice*) at approximately half hour intervals.
The music will be improvised, chosen, and/or composed to best highlight the nature of the issue being discussed. This juxtaposition of dialogue and music is based on the educultural contention that music opens up one’s being, thus allowing one to be more receptive to the higher order/critical thinking necessary for effective dialogue.
You may request that the Educultural Foundation organize a Concert and Conversation for your school, organization, or community. You name the dialogue topic and provide the venue; we put together the panel and the jazz ensemble.
The Educultural Foundation is also proactive in organizing Concerts and Conversations to address what we perceive to be the educational needs of school districts, communities and other social institutions.
It is our contention that there are many complex issues that require dialogue if more members of communities are to see themselves as agents of positive change, and arrive at the active understanding and consensus necessary to undertake the actions necessary for change.
We are taking the responsibility of presenting a program that helps promote an anti-racist, anti-sexist, equalitarian environ to live and grow in.
Please contact us on educultural@educulturalfoundation.org, or 707-649-0414, if you are interested in our organizing a Concert and Conversation. We will tailor a budget to fit your needs.
YO! ANCESTORS
This multi-disciplinary and multi-media program is designed for middle and high school students. The goals of the program are as follows:
- Enable students to recognize the value of their cultural knowledge and social and ethnic histories;
- Help students to value social studies and to understand how the study of history can help them to understand today’s society;
- Develop students’ literacy (poetry and prose), dance, music, artistic skills, and theatre production skills.
The program is a six month long endeavor. First, a social studies teacher and an oral historian help students to research their social and ethnic histories.
Next, drawing on these histories, a literacy teacher and an established poet from the community work with students to create culturally and historically relevant poetry and prose.
Then, a dance instructor helps students to choreograph dances inspired by the students’ poetry.
Following this, a music instructor brings in a jazz ensemble to listen to the poetry and compose music on the spot to the students’ poetry.
Finally, there is a performance of students’ poetry and dance, backed by the jazz ensemble.
Please contact us on educultural@educulturalfoundation.org, or 707-649-0414, if you are interested in the Educultural Foundation developing a Yo! Ancestors at your school or after school program. We will tailor a program and budget to fit your needs.
OPERATION JAZZ BAND
The goal of this week-long program is to help students appreciate jazz music, and understand its historical, socioeconomic and cultural heritage and significance, and its present day cultural meaning. Through the program, students become familiar with some of the instruments in a jazz ensemble. The program concludes with a jazz concert in which the students participate.
Day One: Drums & Percussion
The instructor(s) introduces the trap and conga drums to the students and describes their role in the ensemble. S/he also discusses the contributions of some of the masters of these instruments.
The students explore the roots of African rhythms and learn how drums are one of the rhythmic foundations of jazz. The students learn an African chant and discuss the significance of “call and response” that is utilized in jazz.
Day Two: Bass & Piano
The instructor(s) introduces the bass and piano and explains their roles in the jazz ensemble. The students also explore the history and contributions of some of the prominent practitioners of the instruments. They continue to practice the previously learned African Chant.
Day Three: Horns (Trumpet, Tenor Sax, Trombone)
The instructor(s) introduces the horns and explains their roles in the jazz ensemble. They also discuss the contributions of some of the masters of these instruments throughout history, and learn about the cultural significance of the Blues.
The students learn to sing a Blues tune and continue to practice the African Chant.
Day Four: Jazz Vocalist
A jazz vocalist opens up the world of jazz singing to the students and introduces them to past giants of jazz singing, some of whom are still performing today.
Scat singing is introduced and the students are asked to participate in some scat singing exercises. The African chant and blues tunes are revisited.
Day Five: Culminating Concert
On the fifth day there is the culminating concert. The students, parents, teachers and the community are invited to the concert. The drum instructor leads the students in singing the African chant.
Next, the jazz ensemble plays, and then the ensemble leads the students in singing the blues tunes they have learned. Following the blues tunes the vocalist performs then leads the audience in a scat singing call and response.
Finally, some of the students who excelled in scat singing are brought to the stage to sing for the audience.
Please contact us on educultural@educulturalfoundation.org, or 707-649-0414, if you are interested in the Educultural Foundation organizing an Operation Jazz Band at your school or after school program. We will tailor a budget to suit your needs.
YOUTH JAZZ ENSEMBLE
The goal of the Youth Jazz Ensemble is to encourage more young people to learn how to appreciate and play jazz.
In a world in which technology simulates reality, many of today’s young people know very little about how to play an instrument.
The Educultural Foundation is seeking talented young musicians from middle and high schools to start jazz ensembles. We expect the young people to play together for at least a year, and during that time we will give the young participants the opportunity to register for an additional year, should they wish to carry on.
The participants will receive private instruction in piano, trumpet, saxophone, trombone, bass, drums/percussion and jazz vocals. They will learn jazz theory, harmony, rhythmic concept, musicianship, and the business acumen needed by professional touring jazz musicians.
Each student will be asked to pay a fee on a sliding scale, and parents will be asked to fund raise to help pay for instruction. The jazz ensemble will play and inspire other young people to appreciate jazz. The musicians will also help to organize and play civic and community concerts.
There will be periodic auditions for the Youth Jazz Ensemble. Please check back at this website http://educulturalfoundation.org or email us at educultural@educulturalfoundation.org, or call us at 707-649-0414.
FIVE MINUTES TO CHOPS with BABATUNDE LEA
“MAISON LEUCATE,” SOUTH OF FRANCE RETREAT
Spend one or two weeks in April, June, July, or October learning to play congas in the beautiful village of Leucate, located right on the Mediterranean sea in the South of France! Learn More...
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