Role of the Performer

Role of the Performer

The African Children’s Choir®

Image source https://ogden_images.s3.amazonaws.com/www.marshallindependent.com/images/2017/08/15204226/africanChildrensChoir-copy.jpg

 

Around fall of 2016, the African Children’s Choir came to visit Sitka in Southeast Alaska and performed in my church. Ever since, I never forget their lively beats, bright voice, sunny smiles, unique drumming, and energetic dancing in their colorful ethnic costumes… They spread joy, strength, and hope throughout their music performance.

Image source https://cdn.africanchildrenschoir.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/banner-2.jpg

 

Background Information

The African Children’s Choir is a Christian organization under Music for Life Institute. They are travelling choirs made up children, aged 7-10 years old, from 6 African countries since its establishment, including Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana. The Choir was founded by Canadian Ray Barnett when he travelled in war-torn Uganda, and he coordinated the first concert tour performed by 31 African children in 1984.

Music for Life has facilitated over 40 tours in North America and Europe over the past twenty years , and the children have appeared in thousands of concerts around the world. All the choir members were victims of extreme poverty. Once they have completed a concert tour, they will return to their native land with support for further education and a better future. The Choir serves as a fundraiser to support African children’s education, especially those who are affected by wars, poverty, and diseases.

 

Performances

The African Children’s Choir has performed at major events and venues around the world, including the British House of Commons and the Pentagon. In 2006, the Choir performed before the United Nations for its UNAIDs summit. They sang for former President George Bush in 2008 and for Queen Elizabeth II in 2009. The Choir also has released quite a few albums and DVDs. In addition, the Choir recorded songs for soundtracks of some major motion pictures.

The main instruments of the Choir are drums and “a cappella”, which is Italian means “in the manner of the chapel”. A cappella is unaccompanied vocal music performed by groups or soloists. The performances of the African Children’s Choir are featured with popular kid’s songs, hand clapping, traditional spirituals, as well as contemporary tunes. In this blogpost, I will share two pieces of their performances.

 

Reach out/Learn on Me – Teach Me to Dance

Performed by the African Children’s Choir®, designed and recorded by Music for Life ®, and posted on YouTube on Feb. 16, 2011. Original song Lean on Me was composed by US composer Bill Withers in 1972.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM1gtTkxOug

Reach Out/Lean on Me was performed by 60 voice from African Children’s Choir and former members of the Choir at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver BC, where the Choir had their first concert in 1984, to celebrate the 20^th Anniversary. Lean on Me was written by Bill Withers in 1972, which became an inspirational anthem to those rising after tragedy, or a shout of togetherness in difficulties. It represents the tough experiences and new strength of the Choir members. Because of the loving reaching out of Westerners, these children found new hope and better future. “Sometimes in our lives, we all have pain, we all have sorrow… Lean on me, when you’re not strong, and I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you carry on…” The lyrics was modified to fit the theme of this Christian organization, emphasizing on “reaching out” and “lean on me”.

As mentioned earlier, the Choir mainly use drums as instrument. Their singing style is “A cappella”, a type of unaccompanied vocal music performed by group and/or soloist(s). In this recording, the audience did the clapping of beats. What makes it unique is not only the famous song Lean on Me, but also because of the role of these performers, who created new meaning and liveliness for the song through their vocal a cappella and dance.

  

Not Alone – The African Children’s Choir®

Composed and instrumental by Price Love in Uganda, vocal and video performed by Choir 51 while sheltered from the pandemic in Raleigh, NC, USA, and recorded by the African Children’s Choir on Sept. 8, 2020.  ©2020 Music for Life 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80B8g-IMAh8

 

During the concert tour of Choir 51, they had to shelter in at their base in Raleigh of NC because of the pandemic. The Choir decided to record this song Not Alone to spread hope during this time of uncertainty. The song was composed by Ms. Price Love in both Uganda native language and English. Ms. Love also recorded the instrumental music. She walked 14 miles with her “a’dungu”, the stringed instrument used in this track, during public transportation lockdown in Kampala to record. While listening to the recording, I could not tell what musical instrument it was until I googled online. According to Wikipedia, the a’dungu is a stringed musical instrument of the northwestern native people of Uganda. It is an arched harp of different sizes, ranging from 7 to 10 strings. The a’dungus are not in a particular key, and the tonality can be adapted. They are generally not used for melody, but to outline chords. In this recording, you can tell the a’dungus is used more for the rhythm than melody.

The performers for Not Alone is a small group of children, about 18 kids. They started with their native language then chimed in English language. There was one leading soloist. The meter of the song sounds like common meter. The melody is conjunct, smooth, and easy to sing. In the middle of the song, the leading melody was in English, going “Our God is with us, walking besides us, we are not alone”, while the background vocal was in their native language with clapping and a’dungu as accompaniment which made a smooth-sounding harmony. What impressed me most of the performance include the pure beautiful vocal and their charming smiles. I can hardly believe these children are from extreme poverty who lost one or both parents.

In my opinion, the African Children’s Choir is an excellent performing group. Good performance can bring the music closer to life. Performers inherit and express the essence of the music according to their strength. Their role as performers is to interpret the music and act it out for audiences. Performers are like diversified transformers. The advantages of the African Children’s Choir are not from sophisticated training or modern technology, but from pure heart and joyful nature of African children. Their performance melts the hearts of audiences with delightful native African tunes and ethnic instrumentation. Despite of adversity in their young lives, the Choir members are radiating musical gifts, joy, and hope to all around.

 

Sources:

“A cappella.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Mar. 2021. Web. 20 Mar. 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_cappella

“Adungu.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Jan. 2021. Web. 21 Mar. 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adungu

“African Children’s Choir.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Jul. 2020. Web. 19 Mar. 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Children%27s_Choir

“Bill Wither’s ‘Lean on Me’ Is a Song for Every Crisis – Especially This One.” Rolling Stone, LLC. Penske Business Media, LLC, 3 Apr. 2021. Web. 19 Mar. 2021. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bill-withers-lean-on-me-coronavirus-977994/

“Not Alone (Original Music by the African Children’s Choir).”  Music for Life, 8 Sept., 2020. Facebook, 2021. Web. 21 Mar. 2021.
https://www.facebook.com/africanchildrenschoir/videos/not-alone-original-music-by-the-african-childrens-choir/963245804174785/

“One Voice.” Music for Life, 2021. Web. 19 Mar. 2021. https://africanchildrenschoir.com/

“What We Do.” Music for Life, 2021. Web. 19 Mar. 2021. https://africanchildrenschoir.com/about/what-we-do/